Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favour in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock!Responsorial Psalm for 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Law gets a bad press in much Christian discourse. We make easy contrast between the law of the Old Testament and the Gospel of the New Testament – at least until we read the Testaments more closely and discover how binding are the laws of the New Testament, and just how much good news is in the Old.
Law often gets a bad press in today’s society: it is seen as constraining freedom; of propping up the status quo; of disabling those not in the mainstream. Bad law does, but good law seeks to protect and foster genuine freedom. ‘Boo’ for bad law, ‘yay’ for good law!
The psalmist knows the goodness of the law of the Lord, and knows how it makes for a good life. The only doubt in his mind seems to be his own goodness – and he trusts in the Lord his rescuer to help him look to that…
The words of the psalm bring confidence to all believers, men and women…
- What law helps you?
Reblogged this on St Nicholas, Boldmere.
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