“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 leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff–they comfort me.You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell inn the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
Psalm 23
“Neither do I condemn you.” – John 8:11
How sweetly, simply these words fall from the lips of Jesus. Often we’re braced to hear the opposite from God. Perhaps that’s what keeps us from approaching Him at times. At other times, like the would-be stoners of the adulterous woman in the Gospel, we might be expecting him to judge others-those we’ve already judged and found unworthy-and then taken aback when he doesn’t.
The 23rd Psalm promises quiet waters, comfort and guidance, a table laden and a cup overflowing unconditionally. Not because we never fail, but because His love never fails.
When He extends mercy, can we receive it? As it flows freely to us all? Can we walk together by those waters?
Merciful one, open me to the goodness and loving kindness that infuse my life, and let me become a bearer of your peace.
(Mary Marrocco, Living Faith volume 30 Number 1)
-Carmen Maria Austin
