1. Scripture. Read the passage in silence twice, then once aloud.
Psalm 142
My voice to thee, O God, I rear,
To thee, O Lord, I sue;
To thee my troubles I declare,
My griefs to thee I show.
For when o’whelmed my spirit was,
My path was known to thee;
Even when they hid, where I should pass,
A secret snare for me.
I looked on my right-hand side,
But no one knew me there.
All succors failed; nor one I spied
That of my soul had care.
Then, Lord, thou art my hope, said I,
My lot, whilst life I have.
In my distress, observe my cry;
From spoil thy servant save.
Yet for me they are too strong,
To praise thee, set me free:
So righteous men to me shall throng,
When they great love they see.
Trans. by George Wither
2. Reflection. Read the poem in silence twice, then once aloud.
Oh, the futility of seeking to convey
Oh, the futility of seeking to convey
With images and feelings
That which surpasses all measure!
The futility of seeking
To make infinite powers ours!
Thought cannot come to certainty of belief
And there is no likeness of God
That is not flawed.
Hence, if He should call you,
Let yourself be drawn to Him.
He may lead you to a great truth.
Do not dwell on yourself, nor should you —
A creature subject to multiplicity and change — seek Him;
Rest in tranquility, loftier than action or feeling,
And you will find that as you lose yourself
He will give you strength.
—Jacopone da Todi (Jacopone Benedetti)
(trans. by Serge and Elizabeth Hughes)
3. Reflection for your prayer.
Our anxious culture seeks certainty, demands guarantees, and slaps a warranty on everything.Life is uncertain, and to live fully into God’s calling and the wondrous gift of life requires risk and courage. Has God called you to greater things you have not yet pursued? What holds you back?
Art by Israel Galindo
