Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A

“The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.” - Psalms 103

Kind. Merciful. Slow to Anger. Compassionate.

This is who God is, and we are made in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), so we should be these things too.

Kind.

On the days I drop my daughter off at school, I always remind her of three things: follow Jesus, work hard, and be kind. When I think about it, those three things are really synonymous. To follow Jesus means we are setting ourselves apart from the world in pursuit of His truth; we trying to become more like Him and do the things that He did. When we follow Jesus, we see value in others and in our gifts, and so we naturally work hard and strive to be kind.

Kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and it is not the same as being “nice.” The word “nice” is an old French word that comes from the Latin word nescius, meaning ‘ignorant’. Essentially, the word implies an absence of truth, and seeks instead to be pleasant or likable. The problem with being likable is that we can forsake thinks like the truth, being set apart, or working hard out of a desire to be liked or accepted by others. The word “kind” on the other hand is ḥannun (חַנּוּן), meaning “gracious.” To be kind is literally to be filled with the grace of God to the point that it spills out into every interaction we have with others. 

Merciful.

The root of this word, “mercy,” means “reward” or “thanks.” To be merciful is to recognize that everything we have received from God is a gift. Not only that, everything we have received is an undeserved and unearned gift that we only have because God gave it to us, or because He gave us the talents and abilities to receive it. Everything we have is a gift, and God is so incredibly loving and forgiving that He continues to pour out these gifts upon us even though we sin and turn away from Him.

When we recognize the magnitude of God’s love, forgiveness, and mercy toward us, we can more easily extend these same things to others when we feel hurt or wronged.

Slow to Anger.

In Hebrew, the phrase “slow to anger” comes from two Hebrew words. The first word, “erek” (אֶ֖רֶךְ), means “long,” in terms to distance or time. The second word, “appayim” (אַפַּ֣יִם) is a Hebrew word that can also mean “nose” or “nostrils.” So, to be “slow to anger” is to be “long of nose.” What does that mean?

Your nose is one of the few parts of the body that never stops growing. So this Hebrew saying was used to describe those who were older, and therefore had longer noses because they had more time to continue growing. The older we are, the wiser we become (hopefully). So, to be slow to anger does not mean to be a pushover or to be calm, but it is a recognition of the wisdom that usually comes with age, and the ability to have control over our anger and emotions so they do not burst out of us in hurtful or thoughtless ways.

Compassionate.

The word compassion has “passion” as a root, which means “to suffer,” which is why we call Jesus’ suffering “The Passion of Christ.” So compassion literally means “to suffer with.” We do this when we have empathy for others, and when we sit and listen to them. One of Pope Francis’ common buzz words is “accompaniment,” something He challenges every single one of us to do.

Kind. Merciful. Slow to Anger. Compassionate.

Do these words describe you? 

Because this is who God created you to be. We have the choice every single day to live up to our calling or not.

Be filled with the grace of God so His loving kindness pours out of you into the lives of everyone you encounter.

See everything good in your life as a gift from God that is undeserved, and be quick to forgive others as the Lord is quick to forgive you.

Be slow to react and use wisdom in your words and actions.

Allow yourself to be present to others, to truly see them, acknowledge them, and walk with them as they are.

When we do these things, we make the God in who image we were created more present to those around us. You have the power to make God known and present by simply being who He created you to be.

Live that glory today.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, September 17th, 2023, which is The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A: Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12