"Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain." Psalm 127:1 (NLT)
Meditation: My house is built on the Rock of Ages.
Meditation: "All the most beautiful speeches of the greatest saints would not be capable of evoking a single act of love from a heart that was not possessed by Jesus."†
"Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him." Psalm 128:1 (NLT)
Meditation: Peace comes from doing the will of God.
"But the Lord is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked."
Psalm 129:4 (NLT)
Meditation: The Lord has forgiven my sins, healed me of diseases, saved me from destruction, strengthened me against temptation, delivered me from evil, provided for all my needs, and set me on the path that leads me home.
†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 89. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.
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Today I begin posting excerpts from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child."
The Catholic Church interprets the Psalms from a Christocentric point of view [1]. Let us pray with Jesus to the Father for the unborn.
Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture (Psalms 22-23, 25-36) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture (Psalm 24) taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY'S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Biblica®. Used by permission of Biblica®. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations (Psalms 37-41) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Psalm 1
Proclamation of the Kingdom
(The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.)
1How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
In this psalm Jesus, the incarnate Lord, born of the Virgin Mary, is instructing us how to live [2]. Jesus (the man) [3] encourages us to avoid sin (1:1) and follow God's precepts (1:2). Those who follow God's ways will prosper (1:3). Those who reject God's ways will be driven away (1:4), separated from the faithful (1:5) and condemned (1:6).
Prayer for life: Dear Lord, You became man to show us how to be holy as the Father is holy. Help me to follow your precepts and to pay no heed to the corrupt voice of a decadent society. May I (the tree) receive the grace (streams of water) to bring my child (fruit) into the world despite the obstacles I face. May my child and I grow strong (not wither) and prosper as we seek to do the Father's will. Amen.
[1] The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 682. Print.
[2] The Orthodox Study Bible 682.
[3] Reardon, Patrick. Christ in the Psalms. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2000. 2. Print.
Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Have a blessed day!
John
© Copyright 2016 John Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.
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