February 22/First Thursday of Lent
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ~ Ps 23.1
The opening verse of Psalm 23 is simplicity itself, especially in its original Hebrew, which conveys ineffable comfort in four brief words: Adonai ro’i / lo echsar (to hear Leonard Bernstein’s haunting musical interpretation of this verse in his “Chichester Psalms,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxiIGYkalBY). The rest of this much loved psalm flows naturally from its unadorned beginning. God is our shepherd; that alone is sufficient. Recently, in an effort to sidestep the sentimentalization of the psalm’s pastoral imagery — the pristine sheep, the green meadows, the shepherd’s gentle crook — I delved into a book by a contemporary shepherd in England’s Lake District. The Shepherd’s Life, by James Rebanks, provides a delightful and detailed look into a life of constant care and vigilance: feeding and breeding and shearing, chasing away predators, securing panicked sheep in a snowstorm, seeking those that have gone astray (“You can lose hours,” Rebanks tells us, “looking for a lost lamb”). The survival and flourishing of a flock rests almost entirely upon the shoulders of the shepherd (indeed, imagine if the sheep were in charge!). Like sheep, God’s human creatures are the recipients, not the agents, of the goodness and kindness that follow us. The very grammar of the psalm supports this notion. The psalm’s “I” (that would be each of us!) does not really do anything. The divine shepherd, on the other hand, bustles about, making each of his sheep the direct object of his care (there are nine verbs with God as the subject and “me” as object). We may repose in green pastures, or walk through the deep darkness of the valley, but wherever we wander, we can trust that he is, indeed, our loving and attentive shepherd.
O Divine Shepherd, Surround me this day with your guiding wisdom, and keep me within the fold of your love. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022218.cfm
To listen to “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USutf2N0j3M
