Tuesday, July 14, 2020

The Steadfast Love of God


      Now that we are back in Ordinary Time, and again using the Liturgy of the Hours book for this season, I am reminded of the experience I had five years ago when I was moved by the frequency of this beautiful phrase in the psalms for God’s faithful love – The steadfast love of God.  I actually took time to write out these verses in my journal and went back to ponder them many times.
      I located that Journal this week and noted that in the five-week cycle of psalms for Morning, Noonday, Evening and Night Prayers, the phrase is used nearly 100 times including some of the Prayers.  No wonder it has become such nourishing food for my spirit!
See some examples throughout the psalmody:
PS 33:  The Holy One loves righteousness and justice, and fills the earth with steadfast love.       The Holy One looks on those who stand in awe, on those who hope in God’s steadfast love.     Let your steadfast love rest upon us even as we hope in you.
PS 48:  We have pondered your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
PS 86:  For you, O God, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.  For great is your steadfast love toward me…But you are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
PS 89:  But I will not remove from him my steadfast love                                                              Where is your steadfast love of old?
PS 100:  For God is good, steadfast love enduring forever, and faithfulness to all generations.
PS 107:  Give thanks to God who is good, whose steadfast love endures forever, (and repeated many times through this psalm, ending with) Let those who are wise give heed to these things and consider the steadfast love of God.
PS 119:  The earth of full of your steadfast love.
PS 138:  I give thanks for your faithfulness and steadfast love. Your steadfast love endures forever.
PS 143:  Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
A Prayer at Noonday: “God, you do wonderful deeds in our midst and we praise you for your steadfast love.  Listen to the sound of our prayer and make us firm in our commitment to your will for us.  We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
A Prayer at Night Prayer: “Dwell among us in your steadfast love, O God, and protect us through the hours of this night.  May we who are wearied by the labors of the day rest in the certainty of your love for us.  The pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
      In this time of so much trauma in the world: the Covid-19 Pandemic, the effects of unending wars, the upsurge of race issues especially in the US, the millions of refugees all over the world, the jobless and homeless in every country, the lack of honest leadership in so many countries, the raping of the natural resources of our good earth, the list is not ending – of the needs for prayer and concern for others.  It is so comforting to be able to trust in a Triune God who promises to stay with us always, to be faithful, to be steadfast in love with us, to stand always in our midst, from hour to hour, for day to day, no matter the trauma, no matter the pain, in the Divine Dance.  Each line of those Psalms reminds us that our passionate God constantly pursues us with steadfast love, hoping we will one day realize that a person will only love truly when he or she is truly loved.

    Sr. Mary Tewes, OSB

3 comments:

  1. Great and very timely reflection. Many thanks for helping us remember.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Sister, thank you for reminding me of this good phrase, used to translate the key Hebrew word used for the Father's loyal love for His people Israel, chesed, which the Septuagint translates as eleos and Latin as misericordia -- the way this concept has been translated is most enriching to know for our faith. You have quoted it like a bell and OSB rings this love in the charism for 1500 years. It was the love for his own people Israel, not for the Gentiles, but we may step up to understand that God loves us all with steadfast love, and spiritually we are Israel if we love Him. The children of Abraham. I looked at my calendar today and found it was July 15. Jerusalem was liberated by the Franks from the Saracens 1099. It might be a cause for Christian joy, but not for me. I won't say what happened, only to say that I don't want my faith to do that. I don't want to possess Jerusalem in that way. Bitter memorial, but if we read carefully, we can guess that it is exaggerated. In fact, this topic has been my topic for nearly 20 years. More and more I want to love Muslim and Jew, to know them better and understand them -- to share their love for God in peace without hurt or malice to them. It is possible -- indeed, I am sure that this is the way I must go. To be a Christian who can truly love Muslim and Jew, as though we were born of the same blood, and in the same house, called "peace" = Salem. God bless OSB, Holy Trinity alleluia amen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thank you for giving me something to hold onto Sister Mary.

    ReplyDelete