Have you ever gone through a time of loss and disorientation? Sometimes these are necessary for spiritual growth. Theologian Walter Brueggemann divides the Psalms into three categories: psalms of orientation, disorientation and re-orientation. This week’s psalm, Psalm 79, is a psalm of disorientation. Psalm 79 Psalm 79 is a communal lament. The temple has been […]
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“Those who don’t learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” (George Santayana) And sometimes, even when we know our history, we repeat it! Psalm 78 is a loose accounting of the history of the Hebrew nation up to the time of David. It is a story we continue to repeat; a history of our […]
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After my first third world experience, I believed in God, but questioned God’s goodness. How could a good God allow so much suffering? When I worked on my dissertation and interviewed adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I questioned God again. How could God allow innocent children to suffer so? It wasn’t the doubt of […]
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We see God as we are, not as God is. Hence, the image of a warrior God, as found in Psalm 76. Psalm 76 Psalm 76 extols the power of a conquering God. It is harsh and unrelenting. God is “glorious and terrible” – two translations of the same Hebrew word. “Glorious are you, more […]
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If it can be celebrated, it must be celebrated! At least that’s my thinking. I’m halfway through the book of Psalms. Once Psalm 75 is done I’ll have only seventy-five to go! That’s a reason for celebrating. A Cup of Spiced Wine Time to raise a glass of wine. “For in the hand of the […]
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Where was God when the Twin Towers fell? When the tsunami swept away thousands of lives in Indonesia? When the woman was brutally raped and murdered? The child abused? Christians beheaded by ISIS? Where was God? Psalm 74 is a lament of the community that asks this question. Where was God when the Temple was […]
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“Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.” (1) Thus begins Psalm 73. The psalm ends with words of confident trust, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.” (26) But the path to reach this faith […]
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Peter Maurin, co-founder of the Catholic Worker, said we need to create a society “where it is easier for men to be good.” This is not a new idea. It has been around since the writing of Psalm 72. But is it possible? Psalm 72 Our psalmist for today has a dream of a better […]
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Getting old is not for sissies, the residents of my mom’s retirement community told me on numerous occasions, quoting Bette Davis. The writer of Psalm 71 knows something about this. Psalm 71 The author of Psalm 71 is an old man. His hair is gray, “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, […]
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When you or a loved one are sick, it’s easy to become impatient with the slow healing process. You can’t wait for them to get better. The writer of Psalm 70 knows about being in a hurry! Dealing with Sick Kids When my kids were in grade school, it seemed that between snow days, special […]
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