One of the appointed Psalms for today is Psalm 140. The Psalmist prays:
Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,
who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers.
Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.
The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
along the road they have set snares for me.
I say to the Lord, ‘You are my God;
give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.’
O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.
Those who surround me lift up their heads;
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
Let burning coals fall on them!
Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!
Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy,
and executes justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall live in your presence.
Don’t we all feel like the Psalmist from time to time—protect me from those who are evil—from the vipers. In our day to day lives, we each encounter people who can be hateful. We come across people who really are not, well, nice. There are different degrees of it too. There are some folks who are just downright bad while others are simply rude. A friend of mine was standing in line at the grocery store recently. The people in front of her had about $150 worth of groceries, but they could not afford them. They tried to put all their money together, but still couldn’t come up with the money. She said, “Let me pay for them.” It was an act of kindness. What was the response from the people whose groceries she paid for? Nothing. Not a thank you, not even a word. They were nothing short of rude, but they took their groceries and went.
The Psalmist reminds us today, and my friend who paid for the groceries, that “the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.” Our task is to follow God’s will and to live in charity with those around us. We cannot control the responses and actions of others. All we can do is to try and control our own, with God’s grace.
Let us pray: Almighty God, from time to time we encounter those in Your creation people who are not kind, people who are rude, and sometimes people who are just downright vicious. Give us the grace through Your Holy Spirit to live as Your Son Jesus would have us live, to be in charity with one another at all time. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
8 July 2011 at St. Augustine’s Sutton Hall from noon to 3 p.m. S.A.S.S. will host “A 2011 Update: The Latest Info about HIV/AIDS” with Paul Simmons, RN, ACRN, the Executive Director of Center for AIDS Houston. Lunch will be provided free of cost, and the seminar is free of cost as well. Reserve your spot today at galvestonsass@gmail.com.
Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially Evelyn McNeill who is continuing to recover from surgery.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,
who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers.
Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.
The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
along the road they have set snares for me.
I say to the Lord, ‘You are my God;
give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.’
O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.
Those who surround me lift up their heads;
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
Let burning coals fall on them!
Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!
Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy,
and executes justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall live in your presence.
Don’t we all feel like the Psalmist from time to time—protect me from those who are evil—from the vipers. In our day to day lives, we each encounter people who can be hateful. We come across people who really are not, well, nice. There are different degrees of it too. There are some folks who are just downright bad while others are simply rude. A friend of mine was standing in line at the grocery store recently. The people in front of her had about $150 worth of groceries, but they could not afford them. They tried to put all their money together, but still couldn’t come up with the money. She said, “Let me pay for them.” It was an act of kindness. What was the response from the people whose groceries she paid for? Nothing. Not a thank you, not even a word. They were nothing short of rude, but they took their groceries and went.
The Psalmist reminds us today, and my friend who paid for the groceries, that “the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.” Our task is to follow God’s will and to live in charity with those around us. We cannot control the responses and actions of others. All we can do is to try and control our own, with God’s grace.
Let us pray: Almighty God, from time to time we encounter those in Your creation people who are not kind, people who are rude, and sometimes people who are just downright vicious. Give us the grace through Your Holy Spirit to live as Your Son Jesus would have us live, to be in charity with one another at all time. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
8 July 2011 at St. Augustine’s Sutton Hall from noon to 3 p.m. S.A.S.S. will host “A 2011 Update: The Latest Info about HIV/AIDS” with Paul Simmons, RN, ACRN, the Executive Director of Center for AIDS Houston. Lunch will be provided free of cost, and the seminar is free of cost as well. Reserve your spot today at galvestonsass@gmail.com.
Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially Evelyn McNeill who is continuing to recover from surgery.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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