Out of the depths......Psalm 130

Fr. Tom Konopka
Feb 27
1 min read

Many people will avoid the raw emotion of the responsorial psalm of today’s Mass, Ps. 130. My opinion is that our society lives in the head and emotions are repressed until they explode in some way. What we have forgotten is that God gave us our emotions to experience the world. If we do not admit to sorrow, then we will never recognize true joy. If we deny our anger, then we will never know peace. The following quote from a commentary words it better than me.

“Lament psalms preserve the emotionally raw words of people in genuine distress, yet they function as expressions of faith rather than despair. Even when the psalmists’ complaints against God sound forceful or shocking, they represent a scream of faith. Authentic faith persists in believing, hoping, and trusting in God’s goodness even when God remains silent or when circumstances provide no obvious reason for confidence.” (NELSON’S New Illustrated Bible Commentary: 1999)”

Lent is a time to embrace the sorrow about our sins and faults. It is not a time to wallow in self-hatred because these Psalms end on notes of joy and hope. We have free will and choose the wrong things, but God hears our lament and forgives. Talk about a feeling that we all long for. Experiencing the forgiveness and mercy of God frees us to know joy and faith even deeper.

I would suggest taking today’s psalm and pray it all day. God is in our depths and in our highs ……….. God never leaves us alone.

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