Day 20-March 17

Psalm 107:1-3
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
Reflection
This passage invites testimony, bearing witness, celebrating God’s redemption and love. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those God redeemed from trouble and gathered in from all places.” It’s one thing to gaze in awe at a breathtaking sunrise, it’s another to speak to another about God’s goodness. If all our praise is internal, we’ve missed an opportunity to share God’s magnificence with others.
The late Irish theologian John O’ Donohue wrote, “When we awaked to the call of beauty, we become aware of new ways of being in the world.”1 Why not take the chance today, and speak your praise of God aloud to another?

Prayer
Into a dark world a snowdrop comes, a blessing of hope and peace, carrying within it a green heart, symbol of your renewing love, O God. Come to inhabit our darkness, Lord Christ, for dark and light are alike to you. May your creations white candle of hope compel us to speak of you, and lighten our journey through Lent and beyond. Amen.2

1. John O’Donohue, Beauty,2004,Harper Collins. p.7.

2. Adapted from an invocation for Lent by Kathy Galloway in The Pattern of Our Days, 1996, Paulist Press.

Photo from here.