Monday of Holy Week

Readings of the Day

Today’s responsorial psalm is packed with images for these uncertain and anxious times. We are waking up every morning, wondering what news will come our way – what new information about the COVID-19 pandemic, what new concerns for our safety will there be? As people of faith, we have learned in these moments to anchor ourselves with trust in our God. That’s exactly what the psalm helps us to do.

The refrain is comforting: The Lord is my light and my salvation. The next lines declare our trust and faith: Of whom should I be afraid? Whom should I fear? Those are bold statements in troubled times.

When the psalm was written, the Israelites had plenty of threats to deal with: …evildoers come at me… an army encamps against me…war is waged upon me. Today we face an unseen threat that is making our family and friends fall ill and sometimes taking their lives. Like the Israelites, we are unnerved. We are frightened. We are confused. The thought of what could happen to us, those we love, and those we are charged to care for takes our breath away.

In the midst of the fear and worry, the psalmist whispers: The Lord is my light and my salvation. We repeat the words and find reassurance there. The psalm concludes with a cry of faith: I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Encouraged to keep firm in our belief, we can confidently respond again, The Lord is my light and my salvation.

We need to be firmly grounded in this belief: these are uneasy times for everyone, and more so for the vulnerable people we greet and serve every day. How can we help a mother facing eviction, or a job seeker who has been turned away yet again, or the hungry senior on the verge of despair if we don’t root ourselves in faith and hold tight the belief that all God’s people deserve better? Our trust that God brings light and salvation during our own times of trouble can spill over to help our at-risk neighbors find a glimmer of hope in the midst of poverty’s shadow.  

Today, in the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of anxiety, let’s join our hearts and voices with the psalmist and proclaim: The Lord is my light and my salvation: of whom should I be afraid?

Susan Walker is the Executive Director of Outreach and Engagement for Catholic Charities of Kansas City St. Joseph.

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