A Dose of Hope
I saw the headlines at 5:35 AM today....and I wanted to weep...
On the way to work I listened to the Divine Office, Office of Readings. This psalm gave me some hope and put some anxiety away:
Psalm 37
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not envy those who do evil:
for they wither quickly like grass
and fade like the green of the fields.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait in patience;
do not fret at the man who prospers;
a man who makes evil plots
to bring down the needy and the poor.
Calm your anger and forget your rage;
do not fret, it only leads to evil.
For those who do evil shall perish;
the patient shall inherit the land.
A little longer – and the wicked shall have gone.
Look at his place, he is not there.
But the humble shall own the land
and enjoy the fullness of peace.
-ehw
PS If you need a daily dose of religious thought you'd be hard pressed to find a better simple app than The Divine Office (iOS/Android). Many times people are surprised when the Pope talks about certain issues seemingly out of the blue. The reality is many issues are tied into either the life of the church through its daily readings or the Divine Office daily readings which require homilies he may give that day! Therefore topics often come out of the normal life of the church's gospel or devotional cycle. You can find out more on teh Divine Office at www.divineoffice.org