"Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept
as we thought of Jerusalem.
We put away our harps,
hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.
For our captors demanded a song from us.
Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn:
“Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”
But how can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a pagan land?" Psalm 137:1-4 (NLT)

Meditation: "No, we cannot sing the songs of Heaven to creatures... Let us sing in our heart a melodious song to our beloved!... The song of suffering united to his suffering is what delights his heart the most!"^† 

"How can we sing sing songs of the Lord in a foreign land?...Our God, the guest of our soul knows it quite well, so he comes into us with the intention of finding a a place to stay, an empty tent in the middle of the battlefield on earth... And He himself is the Divine Musician who is in charge of the concert."^†

"I am going to hang my harp on the branches by the rivers of Babylon... But after the Resurrection I will take up my harp again, forgetting my exile; with you I will sing."^†

^{Meditation: Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I keep my eyes on the shining Castle on the hill, my Father's house.}

"O Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy is the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us." Psalm 137:8 (NLT)

Meditation: Justice is meted out by the Lord, but always softened with his mercy.

"The LORD will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me." Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

Meditation: Grace will complete what grace begins.

^†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 90-91. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.

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Here is Psalm 5 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 5

A morning prayer
Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

1Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.
2Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

8O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.

11But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Jesus prays for protection to the Father who is Lord (5:1,3,6,8,12), King (5:2) and God (5:2,4,10)¹⁰. God destroys those who lie (5:6), but shows His fullness of mercy to those who revere Him (5:7). He is a saving God (righteous) who will protect them against their enemies and lead them to safety (5:8). Those who lie and flatter so as to deceive have no life in them (grave) (5:9) and must be cast out (5:10), but those who trust in God will rejoice (5:11) for He will shield them from all harm (5:12).

Prayer for life: Sweet Jesus, I will not allow myself to be deceived by those who promise easy fixes that are really deadly solutions to unwanted pregnancy. In Your infinite mercy, make my way straight and wrap me and my baby in Your loving and protective arms. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

10The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 684. 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.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. 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.