Psalm 146
Every morning at 7 a.m., the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict come together to pray the LOH—the Liturgy of the Hours—for the world. The Liturgy of the Hours is prayer that consists of hymns, psalms and readings from the Bible, or some other fitting reading for the day. The celebrations of the feasts are celebrated with different degrees of solemnity, depending on the feast. The words of the hymns and psalms can speak to the hearts and thoughts of anyone in any situation. Those who pray the LOH pray for the whole world and are the mouthpiece of each person in need. Every week, one of the psalms we pray at least once is Psalm 146. It speaks to the situation in our country as we prepare for the election of new leadership. Psalm 146 reads like this:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, oh my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope in the Lord their God
who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever; executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers.
He upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever, your God, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Reading and hearing this prayer poem every week is a wonderful reminder of the One in whom we put our trust. It contrasts the impermanence and unreliability of human beings with the power, faithfulness and compassion of God. The author calls it folly to trust in those who seem to be powerful, successful and influential. Like the rest of humanity, they received the breath of life and when their breath is withdrawn, they return to native clay.
To trust in God is to turn one’s attention to signs of the presence of the goodness of God in ways Jesus, when he was walking the earth, taught his disciples and now continues to teach us. Where we see neighbor helping neighbor, family members being loving to each other, where we see welcome to immigrant, refugee, any other, no matter the nationality, political persuasion, religion or economic status, we see the Spirit of Christ alive in our midst. And it is there we put our trust.
Josue Behnen, OSB
Photo: Sisters praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the oratory at Saint Benedict’s Monastery.
