Devotion for today:how blessed are those who dwell in your house

Psalm 84

How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.

 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. 

How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.

 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob!

Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.

 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
 O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Pope John Paul II tells us …This is a most charming song, pervaded by mystical longing for the God of life, repeatedly celebrated with the name: “Lord of the Armies”, that is, Lord of the heavenly hosts, hence of the cosmos. Moreover, this title had a special connection with the ark preserved in the temple that was known as the “ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim”. Indeed, it was regarded as the sign of divine protection in times of danger and war….The temple is present in all its fascination at the beginning and end of the Psalm. It opens with the wonderful and delicate imagery of birds who have built their nests in the sanctuary, an enviable privilege. It is a representation of the happiness of all who – like the priests of the temple – dwell permanently in God’s House, enjoying its intimacy and peace. In fact, the whole of the believer’s being is stretched out to the Lord, impelled by an almost physical and instinctive desire for him: “My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God” Then the temple reappears at the end of the Psalm. The pilgrim expresses his great happiness at spending some time in the courts of the house of God and compares this spiritual happiness with the idolatrous illusion that pushes a person towards “the tents of wickedness”, that is, the infamous temples of injustice and perversion. There is light, life and joy only in the sanctuary of the living God and “blessed are those” who “trust” in the Lord, choosing the path of righteousness…. Even in the desert of daily life, the six workdays are made fruitful, illuminated and sanctified by the meeting with God on the seventh day, through the liturgy and prayer of our ecclesial gathering on Sunday. Let us walk then, when we are in the “valley of tears”, keeping our eyes fixed on the bright goal of peace and communion. Let us repeat in our hearts the final beatitude, which is like an antiphon that seals the Psalm: “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in you!” (GENERAL AUDIENCE OF JOHN PAUL II Wednesday 28 August 2002)

My thoughts: I love this psalm. It brings into such clear light the reason so many of us find shelter in the temple of God. In a physical sense, it reminds us to compare the peace, joy and beauty we experience when we are in Church; at Mass, or just sitting quietly in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, with what you experience in today’s media presentations: dysfunctional families, lust, greed and sin of every kind meant to entice you into an agitated state of mind. This psalm reminds us that there is only “light, life and joy in the sanctuary of the living God.” We must spend time in His sacred house and spend time in His presence. We must then stop fooling ourselves into believing that what we see today in the “temple of perversion” is not harmful to our souls. Let us become so enamored with God that we seek only to fix our eyes on the “bright goal of peace and communion.” Go to Mass on Sunday, pray regularly, read the scriptures and keep the beauty of God’s face ever before you. You will find your life filled with grace and peace.