Psalm Meditation 1287 (1) ¶Sixth Sunday After Epiphany ¶February 16, 2025 ¶Psalm 1 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%201&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶I am not sure how important it is, however it seems worth mentioning, that in other translations the first three verses are singular and the last three are plural. I imagine it was done in the interest of non-sexist, non-gendered language which I support wholeheartedly. I know that the singular could have been preserved without too many grammatical gymnastics, so I wonder why it was not done. If the singular is important it is likely because so many of us see good people as rare while the wicked are plentiful. ¶I think we notice wicked folks more often because they are so willing to put themselves in a position to be seen. The narcissists, the power hungry, the fearmongers etc., want to be seen so that everyone knows that they deserve all the attention they get. The folks who are good, kind, helpful, etc., are much more likely to work quietly, blending in with the folks who are struggling under the various weights loaded on to those who suffer oppression in its many expressions. ¶The test of good vs evil is not in the visibility of either one; it is in the lasting impact left on the people around them. Are they viewed kindly, or rarely mentioned? Are they honored, or feared? Do they stand tall in the memory of those they have touched, or are they objects of derision and disdain? Are they remembered for their quiet strength, or for their weakness masquerading as power? “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. ¶February 10, 2025 ¶LCM