April 1/Holy Thursday How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? ~ Ps 116.12 At the day’s end, in the spirit of the Ignatian examen, I try to spend a few moments reflecting on the gifts that God has given me. They can be large — good health, a safe…
Category: Songs for Lent
Song 37: Darkness Visible
March 31/Wednesday of Holy Week Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak, I looked for sympathy, but there was none; for consolers, not one could I find. I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. ~ Ps 69.21, 31 It is the rare person who will not have succumbed to “COVID…
Song 36: Our Help, Our Hope
March 30/Tuesday of Holy Week For you are my hope, O LORD; my trust, O God, from my youth.On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength. ~ Ps 71.5-6 Having recently celebrated, as I have noted, a milestone birthday, I am more grateful than ever for what are now decades-long relationships — with childhood…
Song 35: Lead, Kindly Light
March 29/Monday of Holy Week The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? ~ Ps 27.1 It is Monday morning, the beginning of a momentous week. The hullabaloo of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday is over. The donkey…
Song 34: The Road Home
March 27/Fifth Saturday of Lent The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion, they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings. ~ Jer 31.11-12 In the past year, most of us have suffered more acutely than usual from the “condition we call exile,” to borrow the title…
Song 33: A Bulwark Never Failing
March 26/Fifth Friday of Lent I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold! ~ Ps 18.2-3 Rock, fortress, and stronghold. Such rugged metaphors befit a psalm that is said to be an expression of gratitude to God after a…
Song 32: Promises to Keep
March 25/Fifth Thursday of Lent He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations – Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. ~ Ps 105.8-9 What does it mean to make a covenant? It means that we enter into a relationship based on mutual obligations and assurances. Such compacts, or contracts, are…
Song 31: We Got Rhythm
March 24/Fifth Wednesday of Lent “Praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.” ~ Daniel 3.53 Sometimes prayer flows easily from our hearts to God’s ears; other times, our throats are blocked by anxiety or doubt. In these moments when we are at a loss for words, we might consider reaching for the Bible, to let God pray through us and with…
Song 30: Missing
March 23/Fifth Tuesday of Lent Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily. ~ Ps 102 As the days of our distress have accumulated in the past year, we may well wonder, where has God been in all of this? It may…
Song 29: Laying the Table
March 22/Fifth Monday of Lent You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ~ Ps 23.5 Setting a beautiful table is a way of honoring one’s guests. Whether it is a small Ikea table laid for two with simple utensils, humble dinnerware, and a posy of wildflowers…