Sunday, October 31, 2010

Ps 84, 3 My heart and flesh cry out for the living God

(Ps 84, 3) My heart and flesh cry out for the living God

[3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

(CCC 1770) Moral perfection consists in man's being moved to the good not by his will alone, but also by his sensitive appetite, as in the words of the psalm: "My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God" (Ps 84:2).

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Ps 82, 6 Offspring of the Most High all of you

(Ps 82, 6) Offspring of the Most High all of you

[6] I declare: "Gods though you be, offspring of the Most High all of you,

(CCC 441) In the Old Testament, "son of God" is a title given to the angels, the Chosen People, the children of Israel, and their kings (Cf. Dt 14:1; (LXX) 32:8; Job 1:6; Ex 4:22; Hos 2:1; 11:1; Jer 3:19; Sir 36:11; Wis 18:13; 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 82:6). It signifies an adoptive sonship that establishes a relationship of particular intimacy between God and his creature. When the promised Messiah-King is called "son of God", it does not necessarily imply that he was more than human, according to the literal meaning of these texts. Those who called Jesus "son of God", as the Messiah of Israel, perhaps meant nothing more than this (Cf. 1 Chr 17:13; Ps 2:7; Mt 27:54; Lk 23:47).

Friday, October 29, 2010

Ps 79, 9 Deliver us pardon our sins for your name's sake

(Ps 79, 9) Deliver us pardon our sins for your name's sake

[9] Help us, God our savior, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, pardon our sins for your name's sake.

(CCC 431) In the history of salvation God was not content to deliver Israel "out of the house of bondage" (Dt 5:6) by bringing them out of Egypt. He also saves them from their sin. Because sin is always an offence against God, only he can forgive it (Cf. Ps 51:4, 12). For this reason Israel, becoming more and more aware of the universality of sin, will no longer be able to seek salvation except by invoking the name of the Redeemer God (Cf. Ps 79:9).

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ps 69, 10 Because zeal for your house consumes me

(Ps 69, 10) Because zeal for your house consumes me

[10] Because zeal for your house consumes me, I am scorned by those who scorn you.

(CCC 584) Jesus went up to the Temple as the privileged place of encounter with God. For him, the Temple was the dwelling of his Father, a house of prayer, and he was angered that its outer court had become a place of commerce (Cf. Mt 21:13). He drove merchants out of it because of jealous love for his Father: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade. His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for your house will consume me'" (Jn 2:16-17; cf. Ps 69:10). After his Resurrection his apostles retained their reverence for the Temple (Cf. Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:20, 21; etc).

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Ps 68, 6 Father of the fatherless, defender of widows

(Ps 68, 6) Father of the fatherless, defender of widows

[6] Father of the fatherless, defender of widows - this is the God whose abode is holy

(CCC 238) Many religions invoke God as "Father". The deity is often considered the "father of gods and of men". In Israel, God is called "Father" inasmuch as he is Creator of the world (Cf. Dt 32:6; Mal 2:10). Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, "his first-born son" (Ex 4:22). God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is "the Father of the poor", of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection (Cf. 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 68:6).

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ps 56, 5 God in you I trust, I do not fear

(Ps 56, 5) God in you I trust, I do not fear

[5] God, I praise your promise; in you I trust, I do not fear. What can mere flesh do to me?

(CCC 301) With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence: For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved? You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living (Wis 11:24-26).

Monday, October 25, 2010

Ps 55, 23 Cast your care upon the LORD

(Ps 55, 23) Cast your care upon the LORD

[23] Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. God will never allow the righteous to stumble.

(CCC 322) Christ invites us to filial trust in the providence of our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 6:26-34), and St. Peter the apostle repeats: "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you" (I Pt 5:7; cf. Ps 55:23).

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Ps 51, 19 My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit

(Ps 51, 19) My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit

[19] My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.

(CCC 1428) Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, "clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal" (LG 8 § 3). This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a "contrite heart," drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first (Ps 51:17; cf. Jn 6:44; 12:32; 1 Jn 4:10). (CCC 2100) Outward sacrifice, to be genuine, must be the expression of spiritual sacrifice: "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit...." (PS 51:17). The prophets of the Old Covenant often denounced sacrifices that were not from the heart or not coupled with love of neighbor (Cf. Am 5:21-25; Isa 1:10-20). Jesus recalls the words of the prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice" (Mt 9:13; 12:7; Cf. Hos 6:6). The only perfect sacrifice is the one that Christ offered on the cross as a total offering to the Father's love and for our salvation (Cf. Heb 9:13-14). By uniting ourselves with his sacrifice we can make our lives a sacrifice to God.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Ps 51, 11-12 A clean heart create for me God

(Ps 51, 11-12) A clean heart create for me God

[11] Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt. [12] A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.

(CCC 298) Since God could create everything out of nothing, he can also, through the Holy Spirit, give spiritual life to sinners by creating a pure heart in them (Cf. Ps 51:12), and bodily life to the dead through the Resurrection. God "gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist" (Rom 4:17). And since God was able to make light shine in darkness by his Word, he can also give the light of faith to those who do not yet know him (Cf. Gen 1:3; 2 Cor 4:6).

Friday, October 22, 2010

Ps 51, 6 Against you alone have I sinned

(Ps 51, 6) Against you alone have I sinned

[6] Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.

(CCC 1850) Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight" (Ps 51:4). Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods" (Gen 3:5), knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God" (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 14, 28: PL 41, 436). In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation (cf. Phil 2:6-9). (CCC 431) In the history of salvation God was not content to deliver Israel "out of the house of bondage" (Dt 5:6) by bringing them out of Egypt. He also saves them from their sin. Because sin is always an offence against God, only he can forgive it (Cf. Ps 51:4, 12). For this reason Israel, becoming more and more aware of the universality of sin, will no longer be able to seek salvation except by invoking the name of the Redeemer God (Cf. Ps 79:9).

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Ps 50, 3 Our God comes and will not be silent!

(Ps 50, 3) Our God comes and will not be silent!

[3] Our God comes and will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes, storming fiercely round about.

(CCC 1039) In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare (Cf. Jn 12:49). The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life: All that the wicked do is recorded, and they do not know. When "our God comes, he does not keep silence."… he will turn towards those at his left hand:… "I placed my poor little ones on earth for you. I as their head was seated in heaven at the right hand of my Father - but on earth my members were suffering, my members on earth were in need. If you gave anything to my members, what you gave would reach their Head. Would that you had known that my little ones were in need when I placed them on earth for you and appointed them your stewards to bring your good works into my treasury. But you have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my presence" (St. Augustine, Sermo 18, 4: PL 38, 130-131; cf. Ps 50:3).

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Ps 42,8 Here deep calls to deep

(Ps 42,8) Here deep calls to deep

[8] Here deep calls to deep in the roar of your torrents. All your waves and breakers sweep over me.

(CCC 2803) After we have placed ourselves in the presence of God our Father to adore and to love and to bless him, the Spirit of adoption stirs up in our hearts seven petitions, seven blessings. The first three, more theological, draw us toward the glory of the Father; the last four, as ways toward him, commend our wretchedness to his grace. "Deep calls to deep" (Ps 42:7).

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Ps 42, 3 My being thirsts for God, the living God

(Ps 42, 3) My being thirsts for God, the living God

[3] My being thirsts for God, the living God. When can I go and see the face of God?

(CCC 2112) The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of "idols, (of) silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them" (Ps 115:4-5, 8; cf. Isa 44:9-20; Jer 10:1-16; Dan 14:1-30; Bar 6; Wis 13: 1- 15:19). God, however, is the "living God" (Josh 3:10; Ps 42:3; etc.) who gives life and intervenes in history.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Ps 40, 8-9 To do your will is my delight

(Ps 40, 8-9) To do your will is my delight

[8] so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll. [9] To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!"

(CCC 2824) In Christ, and through his human will, the will of the Father has been perfectly fulfilled once for all. Jesus said on entering into this world: "Lo, I have come to do your will, O God" (Heb 10:7; Ps 40:7). Only Jesus can say: "I always do what is pleasing to him" (Jn 8:29). In the prayer of his agony, he consents totally to this will: "not my will, but yours be done" (Lk 22:42; cf. Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). For this reason Jesus "gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Gal 1:4). "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb 10:10).

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Ps 40, 5 Happy those whose trust is the LORD

(Ps 40, 5) Happy those whose trust is the LORD

[5] Happy those whose trust is the LORD, who turn not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood.

(CCC 150) Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature (Cf. Jer 17:5-6; Ps 40:5; 146:3-4).

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Ps 40, 2 I waited, waited for the LORD

(Ps 40, 2) I waited, waited for the LORD

[2] I waited, waited for the LORD; who bent down and heard my cry,

(CCC 2657) The Holy Spirit, who instructs us to celebrate the liturgy in expectation of Christ's return, teaches us - to pray in hope. Conversely, the prayer of the Church and personal prayer nourish hope in us. The psalms especially, with their concrete and varied language, teach us to fix our hope in God: "I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry" (Ps 40:2). As St. Paul prayed: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Rom 15:13).

Friday, October 15, 2010

Ps 39, 9.12 From all my sins deliver me

(Ps 39, 9.12) From all my sins deliver me

[9] From all my sins deliver me; let me not be the taunt of fools. [12] You rebuke our guilt and chasten us; you dissolve all we prize like a cobweb. All mortals are but a breath.

(CCC 1488) To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world. (CCC 1489) To return to communion with God after having lost it through sin is a process born of the grace of God who is rich in mercy and solicitous for the salvation of men. One must ask for this precious gift for oneself and for others. (CCC 1490) The movement of return to God, called conversion and repentance, entails sorrow for and abhorrence of sins committed, and the firm purpose of sinning no more in the future. Conversion touches the past and the future and is nourished by hope in God's mercy. (CCC 1492) Repentance (also called contrition) must be inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from love of charity for God, it is called "perfect" contrition; if it is founded on other motives, it is called "imperfect."

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Ps 38, 5 My iniquities overwhelm me

(Ps 38, 5) My iniquities overwhelm me

[5] My iniquities overwhelm me, a burden beyond my strength.

(CCC 1502) The man of the Old Testament lives his sickness in the presence of God. It is before God that he laments his illness, and it is of God, Master of life and death, that he implores healing (Cf. Pss 6:3; 38; Isa 38). Illness becomes a way to conversion; God's forgiveness initiates the healing (Cf. Pss 32:5; 38:5; 39:9, 12; 107:20; cf. Mk 2:5-12). It is the experience of Israel that illness is mysteriously linked to sin and evil, and that faithfulness to God according to his law restores life: "For I am the Lord, your healer" (Ex 15:26). The prophet intuits that suffering can also have a redemptive meaning for the sins of others (Cf. Isa 53:11). Finally Isaiah announces that God will usher in a time for Zion when he will pardon every offense and heal every illness (Cf. Isa 33:24).

(Ps 39, 9.12) ] From all my sins deliver me

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Ps 35, 1 Oppose, LORD, those who oppose me

(Ps 35, 1) Oppose, LORD, those who oppose me

[1] Of David. Oppose, LORD, those who oppose me; war upon those who make war upon me.

(CCC 304) And so we see the Holy Spirit, the principal author of Sacred Scripture, often attributing actions to God without mentioning any secondary causes. This is not a "primitive mode of speech", but a profound way of recalling God's primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world (Cf. Isa 10:5-15; 45:51; Dt 32:39; Sir 11:14), and so of educating his people to trust in him. The prayer of the Psalms is the great school of this trust (Cf. Pss 22; 32; 35; 103; 138; et al.).

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ps 34, 8 The angel of the LORD delivers all who fear God

(Ps 34, 8) The angel of the LORD delivers all who fear God

[8] The angel of the LORD, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God.

(CCC 336) From its beginning until death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession (Cf. Mt 18:10; Lk 16:22; Ps 34:7; 91:10-13; Job 33:23-24; Zech 1:12; Tob 12:12). "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life" (St. Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, I: PG 29, 656B). Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Ps 34, 3 My soul will glory in the LORD

(Ps 34, 3) My soul will glory in the LORD

[3] My soul will glory in the LORD that the poor may hear and be glad.

(CCC 716) The People of the "poor" (Cf. Zeph 2:3; Pss 22:27; 34:3; Isa 49:13; 61:1; etc.) - those who, humble and meek, rely solely on their God's mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men but of the Messiah - are in the end the great achievement of the Holy Spirit's hidden mission during the time of the promises that prepare for Christ's coming. It is this quality of heart, purified and enlightened by the Spirit, which is expressed in the Psalms. In these poor, the Spirit is making ready "a people prepared for the Lord" (Lk 1:17).

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Ps 33, 6 By the LORD'S word the heavens were made

(Ps 33, 6) By the LORD'S word the heavens were made

[6] By the LORD'S word the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host.

(CCC 292) The Old Testament suggests and the New Covenant reveals the creative action of the Son and the Spirit (Pss 33: 6 104: 30; Gen 1: 2-3) inseparably one with that of the Father. This creative co-operation is clearly affirmed in the Church's rule of faith: "There exists but one God… he is the Father, God, the Creator, the author, the giver of order. He made all things by himself, that is, by his Word and by his Wisdom", "by the Son and the Spirit" who, so to speak, are "his hands" (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 2, 30, 9; 4, 20, I: PG 7/1, 822, 1032). Creation is the common work of the Holy Trinity. (CCC 703) The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature (Cf. Pss 33:6; 104:30; Gen 1:2; 2:7; Eccl 3:20-21; Ezek 37:10): It belongs to the Holy Spirit to rule, sanctify, and animate creation, for he is God, consubstantial with the Father and the Son.... Power over life pertains to the Spirit, for being God he preserves creation in the Father through the Son (Byzantine liturgy, Sundays of the second mode, Troparion of Morning Prayer).

(Ps 34, 3) My soul will glory in the LORD

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Ps 32, 5 I confess my faults to the LORD

(Ps 32, 5) I confess my faults to the LORD

[5] Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD," and you took away the guilt of my sin.

(CCC 304) And so we see the Holy Spirit, the principal author of Sacred Scripture, often attributing actions to God without mentioning any secondary causes. This is not a "primitive mode of speech", but a profound way of recalling God's primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world (Cf. Isa 10:5-15; 45:51; Dt 32:39; Sir 11:14), and so of educating his people to trust in him. The prayer of the Psalms is the great school of this trust (Cf. Pss 22; 32; 35; 103; 138; et al.). (CCC 1502) The man of the Old Testament lives his sickness in the presence of God. It is before God that he laments his illness, and it is of God, Master of life and death, that he implores healing (Cf. Pss 6:3; 38; Isa 38). Illness becomes a way to conversion; God's forgiveness initiates the healing (Cf. Pss 32:5; 38:5; 39:9, 12; 107:20; cf. Mk 2:5-12). It is the experience of Israel that illness is mysteriously linked to sin and evil, and that faithfulness to God according to his law restores life: "For I am the Lord, your healer" (Ex 15:26). The prophet intuits that suffering can also have a redemptive meaning for the sins of others (Cf. Isa 53:11). Finally Isaiah announces that God will usher in a time for Zion when he will pardon every offense and heal every illness (Cf. Isa 33:24).

Friday, October 8, 2010

Ps 29, 2 Give to the LORD the glory due God's name

(Ps 29, 2) Give to the LORD the glory due God's name

[2] Give to the LORD the glory due God's name. Bow down before the LORD'S holy splendor!

(CCC 2143) Among all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed name of God. God confides his name to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust and intimacy. "The Lord's name is holy." For this reason man must not abuse it. He must keep it in mind in silent, loving adoration. He will not introduce it into his own speech except to bless, praise, and glorify it (Cf. Zech 2:13; Ps 29:2; 96:2; 113:1-2).

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ps 27, 10 The LORD will take me in

(Ps 27, 10) The LORD will take me in

[10] Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.

(CCC 239) By calling God "Father", the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood (Cf. Isa 66:13; Ps 131:2), which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard (Cf. Ps 27:10; Eph 3:14; Isa 49:15): no one is father as God is Father.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Ps 27, 8 Your face, LORD, do I seek!

(Ps 27, 8) Your face, LORD, do I seek!

[8] "Come," says my heart, "seek God's face"; your face, LORD, do I seek!

(CCC 2730) In positive terms, the battle against the possessive and dominating self requires vigilance, sobriety of heart. When Jesus insists on vigilance, he always relates it to himself, to his coming on the last day and every day: today. The bridegroom comes in the middle of the night; the light that must not be extinguished is that of faith: "'Come,' my heart says, 'seek his face!'" (PS 27:8).

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Ps 24, 9-10 Rise up you ancient portals

(Ps 24, 9-10) Rise up you ancient portals

[9] Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter. [10] Who is this king of glory? The LORD of hosts is the king of glory.

(CCC 2628) Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us (Cf. Ps 95:1-6) and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil. Adoration is homage of the spirit to the "King of Glory" (Ps 24, 9-10) respectful silence in the presence of the "ever greater" God (Cf. St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 62, 16: PL 36, 757-758). Adoration of the thrice-holy and sovereign God of love blends with humility and gives assurance to our supplications.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Ps 24, 8 The LORD, a mighty warrior

(Ps 24, 8) The LORD, a mighty warrior

[8] Who is this king of glory? The LORD, a mighty warrior, the LORD, mighty in battle.

(CCC 269) The Holy Scriptures repeatedly confess the universal power of God. He is called the "Mighty One of Jacob", the "LORD of hosts", the "strong and mighty" one. If God is almighty "in heaven and on earth", it is because he made them (Gen 49:24; Isa 1:24 etc.; Pss 24:8-10; 135 6). Nothing is impossible with God, who disposes his works according to his will (Cf. Jer 27:5; 32:17; Lk 1:37). He is the Lord of the universe, whose order he established and which remains wholly subject to him and at his disposal. He is master of history, governing hearts and events in keeping with his will: "It is always in your power to show great strength, and who can withstand the strength of your arm? (Wis 11:21; cf. Esth 4:17b; Prov 21:1; Tob 13:2).

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Ps 24, 7 The king of glory may enter

(Ps 24, 7) The king of glory may enter

[7] Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter.

(CCC 559) How will Jerusalem welcome her Messiah? Although Jesus had always refused popular attempts to make him king, he chooses the time and prepares the details for his messianic entry into the city of "his father David" (Lk 1:32; cf. Mt 21:1-11; Jn 6:15). Acclaimed as son of David, as the one who brings salvation (Hosanna means "Save!" or "Give salvation!"), the "King of glory" enters his City "riding on an ass" (Ps 24:7-10; Zech 9:9). Jesus conquers the Daughter of Zion, a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth (Cf. Jn 18:37). And so the subjects of his kingdom on that day are children and God's poor, who acclaim him as had the angels when they announced him to the shepherds (Cf. Mt 21:15-16; cf. Ps 8:3; Lk 19:38; 2:14). Their acclamation, "Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Cf. Ps 118:26), is taken up by the Church in the “Sanctus” of the Eucharistic liturgy that introduces the memorial of the Lord's Passover.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Ps 24, 6 That seek the face of the God of Jacob

(Ps 24, 6) That seek the face of the God of Jacob

[6] Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob."

(CCC 2582) Elijah is the "father" of the prophets, "the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Ps 24:6). Elijah's name, "The Lord is my God," foretells the people's cry in response to his prayer on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:39). St. James refers to Elijah in order to encourage us to pray: "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective" (Jas 5:16b-18).

Friday, October 1, 2010

Ps 23, 5 You anoint my head with oil my cup overflows

(Ps 23, 5) You anoint my head with oil my cup overflows

[5] You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

(CCC 1293) In treating the rite of Confirmation, it is fitting to consider the sign of anointing and what it signifies and imprints: a spiritual seal. Anointing, in Biblical and other ancient symbolism, is rich in meaning: oil is a sign of abundance and joy (Cf. Deut 11:14; Pss 23:5; 104:15); it cleanses (anointing before and after a bath) and limbers (the anointing of athletes and wrestlers); oil is a sign of healing, since it is soothing to bruises and wounds (Cf. Isa 1:6; Lk 10:34); and it makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength.