March 29/Fourth Tuesday of Lent
There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst, it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. ~ Ps 46.5-6
Peace has been a scarce commodity in our lives in the past couple of years, especially so now as violence rages in Europe. Whether it comes in the form of environmental degradation, religious turmoil, economic instability, or political upheaval, or war itself, the world’s tumult at times threatens to engulf us. In our personal universes, too, conflict in relationships and crippling anxiety about the future may send serenity running. Where is that promised peace that passes understanding, we wonder, and how can we find it? The calm we seek lies — of course — in God. In his opening assurances that God will anchor us, the singer of Psalm 46 assembles a chain of sturdy nouns to make his point: God is our refuge, our strength, a very present help (the adverb is emphatic, leaving no doubt). We will need to grasp that divine anchor when the seas “churn” and “boil” (or, as the Hebrew conveys through a beautifully expressive verbal onomatopoeia, yéhému and yéḥəməru). Disruption and chaos whip up the waves all around us — then suddenly, unexpectedly, blessedly: peace. “There is a river,” the psalmist calmly chants, leaving the roar and chop of the waves behind, “whose streams gladden the city of God.” God is present in this heavenly place, in its very center and in our very center, providing protection from the threats that loom both within and without. The river’s serene flow carries away the frenzy, and no matter what may be going down in earthly cities, in the city of God the dawn comes bright and safe. Wherever God is – in the holy dwelling of the Most High, as the psalm has it, or deep within our hearts – the current of his love brings peace to a churning, boiling world.
O God our Anchor, Be in our midst, we pray, and quiet the tumult of life’s wild, restless sea. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032922.cfm
Two classic hymns today: To hear John Rutter conduct the Cambridge Singers in “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032922.cfm
And to hear the Junior and Senior Choirs of The Chapel of the Cross (on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus) sing “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTpaIi6Uhi4
