Faithfulness shall spring from the earth

“To consider God equally good in things that are petty and ordinary as in those that are great and uncommon is to have a faith that is not ordinary, but great and extraordinary. (Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade)

The beauty of praying the liturgy of the hours is that God through His Word will suddenly poke us and, if we stay in that or return to it later in mental prayer, He will give us understanding specific to our relationship with Him and the world.  

The lauds recently included Psalm 85 which reads: 

Love and truth will meet; justice and peace embrace. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth; justice will look down from Heaven. (Psalm 85:11-12)

Our offering to God is our faithfulness. He responds with justice, which is giving one their ‘due’. It’s not a reciprocal transaction, however. It is a gift from His heart that has been warmed with His affection for us having received from us our faithfulness. Not only do we show Him our fidelity in our acts but, most importantly, by having our heart disposed to Him at all times. How beautiful a sight for Him to see from throughout the whole world, that of faithfulness arising to the Heavens! That should encourage everyone to be loving Him ongoing. 

I love the Lord for He has heard the cry of my appeal; for He turned His ear to me in the day when I called him.

How gracious is the Lord, and just; our God has compassion. The Lord protects the simple hearts; I was helpless, so He saved me.

Turn back, my soul, to your rest for the Lord has been good; He has kept my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

(Psalm 116: 1-2, 5-9)

Just and peace kiss. God indeed hears my cries and appeals. The fact that I am still here and breathing testifies that He has kept my soul from death. Natural and evil forces in the world could snuff out my life in any given moment, but He preserves me every moment of every breath. How many times was I helpless, so He saved me? He did not need to; He chose to. My helplessness moved Him to pity, and His pity to rescuing me.  

This is the anthem of our life. The sun’s bright light heals our body and enlivens our spirit. The Son’s bright rays of His glory heals our hearts and enlivens our souls like a meadow of flowers bursts forth in bloom. The flowers don’t bend to the dirt. They arise upward to the Heavens and, in so doing, both adorn the earth and glorify their Creator at the same time. I think God sees us as having that same beauty within. We adorn the earth with His light of Glory within us while at the same time make offering of ourselves as our faithfulness springs from the earth upward to Him like the flower. Then justice and peace kiss.  

Let us ask the Lord with tears, that according to his will so he would show his mercy to us: that as our heart is troubled by their pride, so also we may glorify in our humility. (Judith 8:17)

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊

(Image © Debra Black, all use restricted)