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…
Song 28: Deep Down
March 20/Fourth Saturday of Lent Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, you who test the hearts and minds, O righteous God. ~ Ps 7.9 Through the years, the strategy of “Bambi eyes,” a wide-eyed look…
Song 27: Singing a New Song
March 19/Fourth Friday of LentSolemnity of St. Joseph The steadfast love of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. ~ Ps 89.2 The other night my father was reminiscing about his grandfather, a genteel agnostic who nonetheless ferried his portly Aunt Georgie to church every Sunday, waiting in the car until the service…
Song 26: Taking a Knee
March 18/Fourth Thursday of Lent Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image;They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. ~ Ps 106.19-20 We may not regard ourselves as susceptible to bowing down before a molten image (the literal meaning of the Hebrew word translated “adored” is an infrequently-used…
Song 25: Finishing the Hat
March 17/Fourth Wednesday of Lent The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. ~ Ps 145.9, 18 Stephen Sondheim’s song “Finishing the Hat,” from the 1984 musical Sunday in the Park with George, is a paean to the creative…