Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from You.”

"If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear." No matter how happy our life, how satisfying our job, how wonderful our mate or friends, most of us will walk in some dark valley at some time or other. The trust and peace of this most famous Psalm 23 is inevitably tested if not shattered by some crushing moment.

The anguished sentiments of Psalm 88 seem fit to be taken over wholeheartedly by any one of us at some time. "Lord my God, I call for help by day; I cry at night before you.... My soul is filled with evils; my life is on the brink of the grave." I feel "like those you remember no more. You have taken away my friends. My eyes are sunken with grief. Lord, why do you hide your face?"

What might cause such anguish and despair is so personal, one hesitates to give examples. Betrayal or rejection by a friend or spouse; the grave illness or death of a child; the loss of a job; the unjust destruction of a reputation.... In such moments the words of a Psalm like 23 can be something to hang on to, something to keep hope alive in a bitter and crushed heart. "If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. Near restful waters you lead me, you revive my drooping spirit."

Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”

Reply to Fr. Don at: DTalafous@csbsju.edu

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