Reflection: April 25, 2024
Psalm 121
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
This psalm is a song of ascents, a pilgrimage song. Have you ever noticed when you’re hiking how much time is spent looking at the ground? It’s necessary so you’re aware of the unsteady terrain you’re traveling over. Today we invite you to pause on the journey. Look up. What is it that you see around you? In front of you? Behind you?
I’m reminded of just a portion of St. Patrick’s Lorica:
Christ, protect me to-day
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in the eye of every man that sees me,
Christ in the ear of every man that hears me.
As you pause – what do you notice around you? How can you see or feel Christ on the journey?