Psalm Meditation 751
Twenty second Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 9, 2014

Psalm 112
1 Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
7 They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD.
8 Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
(NRSV)

For many of us our heroes are folks who have accomplished something noteworthy, something a large portion of the world has noticed. They may be rich, famous, influential or a combination of some of these or other celebrated characteristics. We have another list as well. It is the list of folks who have helped us in some way, especially a way that required sacrifice on their part. They have given us a piece of themselves along with any resources they may have offered. These two groups of folks are often at odds with one another.

Our heroes tell us to get all we can for as long as we can and don’t worry about any cost that doesn’t accrue directly to us. That is, don’t hesitate to step on or over someone as long as there is a sizable payoff on the other side. Our mentors, saints if you will, are ever mindful of the effect actions have on others. The reason they have taken us under their wings in the first place is because of their willingness to invest in others at the cost of their own fame and fortune. Perhaps the reason the student often surpasses the teacher is due to the teacher’s willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the student.

The psalmist celebrates these saints who give freely to those who have needs beyond their current resources. The wicked, who were synonymous with the rich, get upset when people give away perfectly good resources that could benefit the holder of that wealth more than the person who receives it. The fact that the saints calculate wealth in a whole different type of economics is lost on those who see wealth in terms of money and property. It comes down to a question of which will make a person happy for the long term. Some believe that happiness comes from wealth, fame and influence, while other believe that happiness comes from richness of relationships. The psalmist chooses to celebrate relationships.

November 3, 2014
LCM