Psalm 43: Peace of Heart
Thursday, March 13, 2025
In some versions of the Bible, we find this psalm as the final portion of psalm 42. It may begin in this manner: Grant me justice, O God; defend me from a faithless people . . . Or it may begin differently: Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people . . .
No matter the style, the psalmist here presents the universal plea humans have when they come to God: I see myself as wronged . . . and I want you to put things right.
The Meditation in MAGNIFICAT today serves as a perfect solution for our very human desire to seek vindication; it speaks to our peace of heart. This is an idea we investigated from time to time when we look at the troubles Job experienced. Each of us lives a life of trial in one way or another and it is for those times that Saint Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, writes: The easiest way to keep your peace of heart is to accept everything as coming from the hands of God who loves you. If you do this, any pain or persecution, anything which is difficult to accept will be transformed into a source of joy, happiness, and peace . . . This does not mean to say that God sends disaster to trip us up. Nor is this saying that God delights in punishing us. The opposite is true. God so loves us that when calamity occurs, God wishes most to transform all damage and harm into goodness and fruitfulness. This is why it is imperative that we maintain constant, open contact with God, otherwise we will misinterpret all that happens to us and around us.
St. Paul continues: Silence and recollection are two very effective ways of bringing ourselves before the Lord and entering into the sanctuary of [God’s] love . . . When a person comes to terms with his feelings, when he lives in God and walks by the light of faith, he has attained that stillness of the night which God is waiting for. It is then that the Word of God comes to birth in him in a way which is entirely of God. Remain within your deepest self, in the interior kingdom of your spirit. Remember that your soul is a temple of the living God. “The kingdom of God is within you”.
We may have difficulty in finding these quiet times to be still and so St. Paul continues with this counsel: Night and day let your aim be to remain in simplicity and gentleness, calmness and serenity, and in freedom from created things, so that you will find joy in the Lord Jesus. Love silence and solitude, even when in the midst of a crowd or when caught up in your work.
By living in the world but not of it, by keeping our line of communication with God open and clear at all times, we will understand better what we are to do when disaster strikes – as it always does. We will be more prepared to see the goodness that can come from cataclysm – as it always can. We will sink less into despair, we will rise more into joy. We will find what St. Paul of the Cross calls a certain peace of heart.
When we suffer – as we do – when we are wronged – as we will be – when we wrong others – as we are bound to do, rather than seek vindication, let us seek peace of heart. For when we maintain faith and seek joy, peace arrives, and all else will fall into its perfect place.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 20.10 (2009). Print.
A Favorite from October 20, 2009.
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For a reflection on this topic with verses from the wisdom Book of Job, enter the words Peace of Heart into the blog search bar and explore.
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