{"id":26721,"date":"2026-03-27T09:52:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=26721"},"modified":"2026-03-27T10:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T14:09:16","slug":"the-psalms-songs-of-exile-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=26721","title":{"rendered":"The Psalms: Songs of Exile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PSALM 23 | Official Lyrics Video | Christian Music\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YqmNMhhQ9WI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Psalm of Peace and Justice<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Friday, March 27, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.<br>He makes me lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside still waters;<br>He restores my soul: he&nbsp;leads me in the paths of righteousness for&nbsp;his name\u2019s sake.<br>\u2014Psalm 23:1\u20133 (NRSV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>While Psalm 23 is beloved for its message of consolation, Diana Butler Bass recounts how she was challenged to read it through the eyes of those who face poverty, food insecurity, injustice, and marginalization.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Psalm 23 a political tract?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I confess: I\u2019ve never considered that possibility. But I took up \u2026 [the] challenge to read the psalm politically, with empathy toward a non-Western view. [1] The psalm\u2019s central pivot is the line about paths and \u201cfor God\u2019s sake.\u201d The lines before lead up to that couplet\u2014and the lines after flow from it\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the&nbsp;<em>Book of Common Prayer<\/em>&nbsp;(the version I\u2019ve read in worship and private prayer for forty years), the pivot reads:&nbsp;<em>He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his name\u2019s sake<\/em>. In the King James version \u2026 that phrase reads:&nbsp;<em>He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name\u2019s sake<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve heard scores of sermons about the \u201cright pathways,\u201d meaning that God guides us when lost and leads us on life\u2019s journey. We can\u2019t ultimately go astray. That\u2019s pretty comforting\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And, of course, that is true. But it isn\u2019t all.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read Robert Alter\u2019s version\u2014a modern translation noted by scholars for its precision\u2014and the pivot sentence contrasts sharply:\u00a0<strong>My life He brings back. He\u00a0leads me on pathways of justice for His name\u2019s sake.\u201d <\/strong>[2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In the scriptures,\u00a0<em>right<\/em>\u00a0and<em>\u00a0righteousness<\/em>\u00a0are interchangeable with\u00a0<em>justice<\/em>. But in North America? Well, not so much\u2026<\/strong>. Very few middle-class church people would ever think of substituting\u00a0<em>justice<\/em>\u00a0for either word. <strong>Alter\u2019s version, however, thunders\u00a0<em>justice<\/em>\u00a0as the pivotal word in the psalm.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Alter\u2019s translation of Psalm 23:1\u20133 reads:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The LORD is my shepherd,<br>I shall not want.<br>In grass meadows<br>He makes me lie down,<br>by quiet waters guides me.<br>My life He brings back.<br>He leads me on pathways of justice<br>for His name\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Butler Bass emphasizes the call to share our restored lives with others for the sake of justice:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The psalmist proclaims,\u00a0<strong>This is the reality of the Lord\u2019s government, the beloved community, over and against all oppression and exploitation. Through it, we humans are restored to what was always intended:\u00a0<em>My life He brings back; Our lives He brings back<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The renewed life, however, does not remain content in grass meadows or by quiet waters\u2026. Instead, those who are citizens of this sacred realm are called forth on pathways of justice to make God\u2019s name\u2014God\u2019s sabbath reign\u2014known<\/strong> <strong>throughout the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>____________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Chaffee 5 On Friday<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cMeanwhile, for myself, I have only one desire, and that is the desire for solitude-to disappear into God, to be submerged in his peace, to be lost in the secret of His face.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Sign-Jonas-Thomas-Merton-ebook\/dp\/B003WJQ62W\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DSTT6BDOBLON&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dc9JntMRDj8tBs6lwVmRPSG-Eme6ZZlequTnMI5cWHyk-5UOs_GMvIZ5bnE-Mg1iSQ7xk-Z-_Agh6JeOWqsMtR75Lm7VEtlaph__lz-jlARDfGVYSMqrKOZlDAaNYplBXgHZVUAtL4Xe_tp6PwOlYA.g2u1j80jxxInme1xFwA_BwXJ1e1NAIE3mCq-jk-Yyi4&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=the+sign+of+jonas+by+thomas+merton&amp;qid=1774556898&amp;sprefix=the+sign+of+jona%2Caps%2C249&amp;sr=8-1\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thomas Merton in The Sign of Jonas<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one of the early lines in The Sign of Jonas, Merton&#8217;s spiritual autobiography at the start of his monastic career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It reads completely poetic. &nbsp;I have no idea exactly what it means, but it feels true to me at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cOur Lord needs neither our brilliant deeds nor our beautiful thoughts.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_of_Lisieux\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Therese of Lisieux<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an Enneagram 5, I am prone to living too often in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am also prone to believing my thoughts are more interesting than they really are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong, some ideas are interesting and potentially worth sharing with people. &nbsp;(Or, at least, I think so!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But it is important for me to remember that even if I do not have &#8220;brilliant deeds nor beautiful thoughts,&#8221; <\/strong>God still lo<strong>ves me infinitely and unconditionally.<\/strong> \u00a0<strong>I do not have to earn one ounce of God&#8217;s love by any unique insights or shiny wisdom I might have stumbled across.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God can always do whatever God wants, and in one sense does not need our participation in the restoration of all things, but he chooses to include us in that project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThus, listening to sermons failed to give me what I wanted, and having had my fill of them without gaining understanding, I gave up going to hear public sermons. &nbsp;I settled on another plan-by God&#8217;s help to look for some experienced and skilled person who would give me in conversation that teaching about unceasing prayer which drew me so urgently.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Way-Pilgrim-Continues-His\/dp\/0060630175\/ref=sr_1_4?crid=L8Q8LWUV0WBJ&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9-PHMEpKAU90KKEPzgOJgMK_4EnfMuW5_nS1dWiOBFIgz-86Jb9chQGvheCLgu3TY0j7RsP1_VbDu7XUKU8c5JlQa-3ndWYXBFBKmiPDhcfK4mLwB4POdXodk6RnJjVDharGcbiKSwwQ5dwp0hq9PQpELTlT7OH99N9LBHXutN6Aj7cxPkOde8EvdO2I5D39T0A2S2KGNYtXa_4IbSTKKP-w0aSsmapVgaX0FGEX0aA.oxDFamLZvZhk4nFkt-2LrB6QGEJB7TIzKWV_BUQxXr0&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=the+way+of+a+pilgrim+and+the+pilgrim+continues+his+way&amp;nsdOptOutParam=true&amp;qid=1774556923&amp;sprefix=the+way+of+a+pilgrim+and+%2Caps%2C255&amp;sr=8-4\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>The Way of a Pilgrim<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I find interesting about this quote from the Russian spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim is that the Pilgrim says he is giving up on sermons. &nbsp;You wouldn&#8217;t think that, would you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I will admit I went through a similar season in my life as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a point when sermons did very little for me. &nbsp;Honestly, I am not embarrassed to say it. &nbsp;Sometimes sermons feel the need to overexplain a mystery to death, when it would be better to leave certain aspects of the faith wrapped in nuance. &nbsp;They also feel as though they rely on platitudes rather than inviting me into some deeper teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, in that season, I decided to start reading the old Christian mystics as if they were living mentors that I could sit down and talk with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These included Bonaventure, Francis of Assisi, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Hildegaard of Bingen, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, George Herbert, Gregory of Nyssa, Athanasius of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, and so many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t think anything else has had such a profound impact on my faith as to treat the old Christian tradition, regardless of denominational affiliation, as my personal mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cI&#8217;m not sure I have made this clear: self-knowledge is so important that even if you were drawn directly into heaven in prayer, I wouldn&#8217;t want you to relax your practices of humble and honest self-reflection.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Interior-Castle-Translation-Easy-Read\/dp\/B0CVB7CFC5\/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3SQGVRDK5CJPZ&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mF2RY1OrgQCDRKP72LiXLG3MPsC2TfocKAORC-Rel06CNK37Gnb0iM09_AOywIS-wowTA5loeC5ReUIwtojTlCGtZTT3FVpntrWvsRW9EkW_45EkcuuEPLPpwpSYcsuuNOtzX41UYs8efIoYKTpAgcz14iyhRmlwIkjJR73AAHr1Xqu4goYlG2HJwcUxAFkTA3TELN4jn7IjgsyeBVoPLcr4W_Y1gW-oJcsR9zZeHQc.3qNiE8K1MJIOSx_Fd8HIXxWjc5WhPilsjibjpGQYkjw&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=interior+castle+teresa+of+avila&amp;qid=1774556946&amp;sprefix=interior+castl%2Caps%2C281&amp;sr=8-6\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Teresa of Avila in Interior Castle<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Honest self-reflection.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think about that often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, I am prone to overthinking and therefore will think about myself in more negative ways than positive, but I agree with Teresa that <strong>the world would be better if we could do that &#8220;honest self-reflection&#8221; more often.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThere is indeed one great high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. &nbsp;But he is not the high priest of priests, but the high priest of high priests&#8230;&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8211;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Origen\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Origen of Alexandria<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have a volume of Origen&#8217;s writings that was compiled by Hans Urs von Balthasar. &nbsp;Although Origen was posthumously deemed a &#8220;heretic&#8221; for raising particular questions (not even for taking a final stance), everything I have read makes a lot of sense&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I would argue that Origen seems more orthodox than many internet preachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, there is a certain poeticism to his saying that Jesus is not simply a high priest among the priests, but that Jesus is the High Priest of the high priests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Psalm of Peace and Justice Friday, March 27, 2026 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside still waters;He restores my soul: he&nbsp;leads me in the paths of righteousness for&nbsp;his name\u2019s sake.\u2014Psalm 23:1\u20133 (NRSV) While Psalm 23 is beloved for its message [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26721"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26721"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26724,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26721\/revisions\/26724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}