I am --and some of you are-- continuing the recitation of the healing Psalms begun yesterday, keeping in heart and mind my friend L. who is having coronary artery bypass surgery on Wednesday, and also his partner Y. and all who love and care for them.
The second Psalm in the sequence is Psalm 32. Rabbi Irving Greenberg titles his meditation on the Psalm "Afraid but Not Alone."
You are my Shelter,
***You protect me from distress, from enemies,
******You surround me with the joy of deliverance. (verse 7)
Rabbi Greenberg writes:
*****The truth is: When you are sinking, when you are totally wrapped in your own fear and pain, it is still possible to break out. God's Loving Presence surrounds you at all times; God shares your pain as only an infinite consciousness can. Hashem* feels your hurt, kisses your wound compassionately. The divine steadfast love enfolds you even when the longed-for miracle dos not come.
****Pain can obscure but it cannot degrade your preciousness to Hashem; fear can erode but not cancel the truth of your being beloved. You are an image of God, of infinite worth, unique, irreplaceable. God's face is toward you, God's eye is on you at all times. ....
The second Psalm in the sequence is Psalm 32. Rabbi Irving Greenberg titles his meditation on the Psalm "Afraid but Not Alone."
You are my Shelter,
***You protect me from distress, from enemies,
******You surround me with the joy of deliverance. (verse 7)
Rabbi Greenberg writes:
*****The truth is: When you are sinking, when you are totally wrapped in your own fear and pain, it is still possible to break out. God's Loving Presence surrounds you at all times; God shares your pain as only an infinite consciousness can. Hashem* feels your hurt, kisses your wound compassionately. The divine steadfast love enfolds you even when the longed-for miracle dos not come.
****Pain can obscure but it cannot degrade your preciousness to Hashem; fear can erode but not cancel the truth of your being beloved. You are an image of God, of infinite worth, unique, irreplaceable. God's face is toward you, God's eye is on you at all times. ....
****** * Hashem, literally "The Name," is a respectful alternative to Adonai, the appellative used often in prayer. It can also be somewhat more familiar, personal, even intimate.
From Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, C.S.W., Healing of Soul, Healing of Body: Spiritual Leaders unfold the Strength and Solace of Psalms. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1994.
Oh - my prayers join with yours and others and rise up like incense to the Hashem.
ReplyDeleteJane
ReplyDeletean honor to remember L and Y in prayer and practice
thank-you both for the opportunity and for sharing these wonderful reflections on the psalms
David@Montreal
Thank you, David and Fran. I have told my friends that you accompany them with your prayers.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to walk this path in the company of ancestors and friends.
Just wanted you to know that I am praying along for L. and for Y. too.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful thing to do and I appreciate you inviting the rest of us to add our prayers to yours.
I hope at the end of this series you post a laundry list of all ten Psalms.
ReplyDeleteI am praying these along with you, as there are people I know who need them, as well...
Thanks, KirkE. By the end you'll have all of them since I name them each day. I also post the reference of the book each day, or a link. But I'll post a list too, at the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being there. Nice to do this all together, no? And on round two, since this blog post was from a prior communal round of these.