Psalm 13

The psalmist is critically ill.  He is desperate, close to despairing.  Has God forgotten him?  It seems that God has hidden himself in some dark corner.  The psalmist feels abandoned.

A further burden is the contempt of his enemies.  They interpret his illness as proof that God doesn’t care.  They have brought the psalmist to a hopeless defeat.  You can almost hear them saying:  “This man is a fool.  What good has his dedication to God done for him?”

The psalmist cries out to God.  He demands that God answer him.  He demands that God give him “light” and not allow him to “sleep in death.”

Suddenly the psalmist emerges from the darkness.  Obviously he is convinced that God has heard his prayer.  Now he trusts in God.  He expects God to gladden his heart and prompt him to sing out:  “How good our God has been to me.”

We can pray this psalm, not only in times of sickness, but also when we are misunderstood, when people are ready to write us off, make fun of our faith in God.  Expressing trust in God may not be easy.  Relief may not come so quickly as it did for the psalmist, but his example may help us hope that God will eventually hear us.

We never read in the Gospels that Jesus ever became sick, but he did have his enemies and they inflicted physical, mental and emotional pain on him.  We think especially of his prayer of agony in the garden, but we also know that he experienced the goodness of his Father in a marvelous way in his resurrection.

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Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., after ordination in 1955, did further studies in Scripture. He taught Scripture to seminarians for 15 years. He has been editor of Sunday Homily Helps for almost 25 years. blog comments powered by

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Psalm 14: Countering Evils in the World

The psalmist laments the widespread corruption of the world.  He first gives the impression that there are no good people in the world:  “All have gone astray; they have become perverse; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  The implication:  “What    can you expect from people who do not believe in God?”  They do not have the wisdom to recognize that their lives are worse than empty.  They refuse to believe that there is a God who cares.

As the psalm proceeds, we do hear that there are just people.  These are God’s people:   “God is with the just generation,” people who are faithful to the covenant.  Even though the fools try to eat up God’s people just as they eat bread, God will be with his people.  God will take care of them and they will rejoice.

There is virtual identification of Israel, the just, the poor.  There are certainly exceptions to such identification in the long history of God’s people.  However, it is quite clear that the ideal was for the people to recognize that without God they would be lost.  They are totally dependent on God.

This psalm can help us and the whole Church to put our confidence in God as we face widespread corruption, hatred, repression, oppression and all the evils in our world today.  It is a call to pray for all who are foolish and to pray for ourselves and our Church that we have the wisdom to follow Christ.

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Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., after ordination in 1955, did further studies in Scripture. He taught Scripture to seminarians for 15 years. He has been editor of Sunday Homily Helps for almost 25 years. blog comments powered by

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Psalm 12

This psalm laments the conditions that prevail in the world.  Things are so bad that we hear the words  “the faithful have vanished from the human race.”  We may be tempted to make a similar complaint when we hear the latest news.  Apparently lying is the usual mode of (non)communication.  The psalmist would like God to destroy such people.  It is his way of asking God to make justice prevail.

It may be that the psalmist is uttering this prayer in the temple and in the hearing of the priest.  That would explain v. 6, coming from the mouth of the priest:  “”Because they rob the weak, and the needy groan,/ I will now arise,” says the LORD;/ “I will grant safety to whoever longs for it.”  The priest’s (and God’s) purpose would be to give hope to the complainer, who then expresses his confidence that God will protect his people from their persecutors.

We might wonder whether the final words of the psalm describe a segment of our present generation:  “On every side the wicked strut;/ the shameless are extolled by all.”

As Christians, we may use this prayer to express our feelings about the world around us.  However, we would also ask God to convert those who do evil rather than destroy them from the earth.

Jesus would have had occasion to use this psalm when his enemies refused to listen to his words and began plotting against him.  However, he would have added a prayer for those who resisted and even hated him.

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Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., after ordination in 1955, did further studies in Scripture. He taught Scripture to seminarians for 15 years. He has been editor of Sunday Homily Helps for almost 25 years. blog comments powered by

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Psalm 11

From beginning to end, this psalm expresses unabashed confidence in God.  This does not mean, however, that everything was going smoothly.  The situation was so bad that the psalmist’s friends urged him to flee to the mountain like a bird.  These friends describe the dangers threatened by the wicked.  They are ready to shoot their arrows at those devoted to God.

But the psalmist looks up to God in his holy temple sitting serenely on his holy throne in heaven.  God has his eyes on earth.  God sees what is going on.  God will not allow evil people to prevail.  In fact, it is said that “hates” the lover of violence.  “Hate” is a strong  word; it means that God will not allow evil people to have their way.  The strong language continues:  “(God) rains upon the wicked fiery coals and brimstone;/ a burning blast is their allotted cup.”  We are reminded of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as described in Genesis 19.  The point is that evil brings evil upon itself.

On the other hand, the psalmist expresses confidence in how God will take care of the upright.  He knows that God is just, that is, God will always live up to the promises of his covenant.  Indeed, “the upright shall see his face.”  Sometimes seeing God’s face refers to experiencing God in the temple.  At other times, it suggests an intimate relationship with God.

As Christians, we can use this psalm to express our confidence in God when our world seems to be falling apart.  We need not run away from life.  We need to put our lives in God’s hands.  We do more than see the face of God when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

Jesus himself could have used this psalm in the many dangers he faced.  He did not flee from the difficulties of life.  He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.

Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., after ordination in 1955, did further studies in Scripture. He taught Scripture to seminarians for 15 years. He has been editor of Sunday Homily Helps for almost 25 years. blog comments powered by

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A Look at Psalm 9

The psalmist begins with a heart filled with gratitude.  As we proceed, we discover that he must be a king.  He thanks God for overcoming the nations.  As usual, God has been faithful to his covenant and protected the king and the nation from destruction and has passed right judgment on those would harm God’s people.

The psalm becomes a prayer of trust:  “…you forsake not those who seek you, O LORD.”  The prayer continues with a hymn of praise:  “Sing praise to the LORD enthroned in Zion.”  God is called “the avenger of blood.” 

Such a person was the nearest relative who would protect other members of a tribe in various circumstances.  What is important here is that God has this role for all Israel.  God is, as it were, the nearest and most caring relative of Israel.  Thus, the king can say to God:  “..you have raised me up from the gates of death,/ That I may declare all your praises.”

This prayer can broaden our horizons.  We may not be kings, but God does call us to be responsible, especially as members of the church (Zion is a type of the church).  We see enemies of the church in our world and even within the church.  Our call is to praise and thank God for doing good in our world and in our church.  As we think of the revelation that comes from Jesus, we ask God not to destroy others, but to help all nations and all individuals to turn from evil and come to the God who loves them.

We can pray this psalm to Christ the King who is the true ruler of all nations.  He is our redeemer (another way of understanding “avenger of blood”).  He is always present to raise us and the church from “the gates of death.”  We have every reason to praise and thank him as we enjoy his help in the ups and downs of life.

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Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., after ordination in 1955, did further studies in Scripture. He taught Scripture to seminarians for 15 years. He has been editor of Sunday Homily Helps for almost 25 years. blog comments powered by

View the original article here