Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

✠ | TODAY'S READINGS

R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me;

He refreshes my soul.

~ Psalm 23:1-3a

I have read and listened to today’s Psalm so many times that I think I may be able to say it by memory. It is one of the most well-known Psalms by many Christians and a crowd favorite, so it makes sense that we read it and listen to it again and again. Sometimes repetition causes fatigue, and we find this Psalm to be something we know like the back of our hands. This attitude towards repetition may influence how we see or think of those recurring things, causing us to forget or lose the meanings of those things for us. However, there are other times when repetition results in a positive outcome, especially if it is God’s will.

There have been multiple times when I have skipped over today’s Psalm because I would prefer to read or listen to a different one. Yet, I noticed that encountering this Psalm (or other things in our lives) with such repetition could be one of the different ways in which God wants to talk to and with us. It could also be the response to some of our prayers. Thus, I think of today’s Psalm as God’s way to call our attention to every word of the Psalm and to rediscover the meaning that we may have forgotten due to repetition. This is what I hope to share with you today.

As soon as I read today’s readings and notice the Psalm, I read it as a repetitive action without paying attention to the significance of every verse. Nevertheless, on the last verse, something resonated with me, which made me go back to the first verse. Every verse of today’s Psalm is strongly connected with my situation in this city and the rest of the world during and after the pandemic. We are so concerned about going back to normal and reconnecting with friends and family that we feel stressed about our responsibilities. We also may feel the need for a hug, a place to rest without worrying about anything, where we can listen to some comforting words to calm ourselves. All these and more are some of the things I found in today’s Psalm. The best part is that because we read and listen to it very often, we can say it over and over to ourselves and share its meaning with others as I am doing with you. After this pandemic, we all need this kind of repetition to remind ourselves of the beautiful words that God has for us and all the good things He does and will do for us.

Airam Aguasvivas D.

Honors and CSTEP Student