Song 23: Morning Has Broken

For his anger lasts but a moment;  a lifetime, his good will. 
At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. ~ Ps 30.6

For most of us, the worries cluster most densely at night.  Surrounded by darkness, with only the void of sleep in front of us, and the light of day a long way off, we toss, we turn, we cannot find peace.   It is all too easy to fall into the ditch of anxiety and become convinced that whatever problem or problems are gnawing on our souls, they are permanent and insoluble.   We forget about all those other restless nights when we have worried about a person or a circumstance, only to have the problem resolved in unexpected ways, thanks to the grace of God.  While we may know intellectually that life has cycles and that change is always percolating, sometimes we don’t own that knowledge emotionally or spiritually — especially in these times when so much seems up in the air.  Today’s joyful psalm verses are a wonderful antidote to our tendency to join the Sackcloth and Ashes Squad.  The psalmist doesn’t deny the hostility of his enemies or the dangers of the pit.  He acknowledges that weeping and lament get the upper hand at times.  But, buoyed by an infinite trust in God, he embraces the belief that joy will eclipse suffering, that light conquers darkness, that love is stronger than death.  Yes, as night comes, weeping often takes a room in our houses (the concrete meaning of the Hebrew verb is to “stay overnight, to lodge”); but in the morning, as the psalmist says so concisely, so beautifully, “shouts of joy.”  These Lenten days of penance and sorrow can seem endless, but God will ultimately transmute our waiting and wailing into a dance of joy, as we look hopefully towards the Easter dawn.  

O God of tears and laughter, Bestow upon me a hopeful patience as night falls and I await the morning’s shouts of joy.  Amen.

To hear the Happy Goodmans sing “Joy in the Morning,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMCi1AeaVG0

For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032320.cfm