Tuesday, June 9, 2020
The Perfect Plot
“The psalmist shows that the righteous are often defenseless before the cynicism of the machinations and calumnies to which they are prey. Those who weave their intrigues act in shadows and believe they are hidden from view. However, God sees everything, even secret human actions and designs. His judgment overtakes those who evade justice . . . God will turn their evil against the wicked while publicly acquitting the righteous. Each life will be brought before the judgment of God; the righteous will find their joy in the Lord”. (The Psalms 161)
I suspect that every one of us has been the victim of a perfect plot at one time or another in our lives. Perhaps it was an adolescent bullying that set us apart and taught us a lesson. Maybe there is jealousy in our workplace and we have become the object of someone’s campaign to see that we find the office too ugly a place to stay. Or it is possible that within the sanctity of our family or prayer circle – the very refuge where we take shelter from the storms of life – we have been the object of a perfect plot. If this is so, we feel the angst and sorrow in this psalm.
We have visited this theme before. If we type the word couches or Susana, or plot into the blog search bar we will find other reflections in which we have struggled with the apparent immunity of those who lie on their dark couches and willfully plot to inflict harm on the faithful. The psalmist today rails against this seeming imperviousness to consequences but he also reminds us that God is in charge . . . that this kind of suffering is part of our human condition . . . and that although we may not see the consequence exacted from these evil ones, still God holds them to an accounting. It is best to let the matter lie there and avoid thoughts of revenge or payback of any kind. It is best to allow God to tend to these perfect, secret plots as only God can . . . with deep wisdom, with unblemished justice, with transparent grace, and with a full and burgeoning love of humanity.
I was taught as a child to pray for my enemies and today, as I read this psalm, I come to understand that only God can handle real evil. Only God can create a plan that saves all. And only God has the wisdom, beauty, and power to convert into goodness our dark and devious conspiracies.
If only we might remember that Jesus died as a result of an evil intent that took hold of those who laid out their perfect plot against him. If only we might follow Jesus’ example as he prays for his killers. If only we too might intervene on behalf of those who construct perfect plots against us . . . and if only we might ask our compassionate and patient God for forgiveness and renewal for all.
Tomorrow, the mystery of God’s reversal . . .
A re-post from June 9, 2013.
THE PSALMS, NEW CATHOLIC VERSION. Saint Joseph Edition. New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 2004. 161. Print.
Image from: https://theencouragingword.co/2016/03/03/sheep-in-wolfs-clothing/
The Noontimes 