psalm 9: "The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

For the leader; according to Muth Labben. A psalm of David.

I

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will delight and rejoice in you;
I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before you.

II

For you upheld my right and my cause,
seated on your throne, judging justly.
You rebuked the nations, you destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out for all time.

The enemies have been ruined forever;
you destroyed their cities;
their memory has perished.

III

The LORD rules forever,
has set up his throne for judgment.
It is he who judges the world with justice,
who judges the peoples with fairness.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you;
you never forsake those who seek you, LORD.

IV

Sing hymns to the LORD enthroned on Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations!
For the avenger of bloodshed remembers,
does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

V

Be gracious to me, LORD;
see how my foes afflict me!
You alone can raise me from the gates of death.

Then I will declare all your praises,
sing joyously of your salvation
in the gates of daughter Zion.

VI

The nations fall into the pit they dig;
in the snare they hide, their own foot is caught.

The LORD is revealed in making judgments:
by the deeds they do the wicked are trapped.

Higgaion. Selah

VII

To Sheol the wicked will depart,
all the nations that forget God.

For the needy will never be forgotten,
nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.

Arise, LORD, let no mortal prevail;
let the nations be judged in your presence.

Strike them with terror, LORD;
show the nations they are only human. 

psalm 9


Psalm 9, I Will Give Thanks To The LORD (a new musical setting) - YouTube

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

Psalm 9:10 | Those who know your name will trust in you, for… | Flickr

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" Philippians 4

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to come to a mutual understanding in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my true yokemate, to help them, for they have struggled at my side in promoting the gospel, along with Clement and my other co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at last you revived your concern for me. You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity. Not that I say this because of need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, not a single church shared with me in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone. For even when I was at Thessalonica you sent me something for my needs, not only once but more than once. It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account. I have received full payment and I abound. I am very well supplied because of what I received from you through Epaphroditus, “a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.

Give my greetings to every holy one in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings; all the holy ones send you their greetings, especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Philippians 4 


Peace Prayer (John Foley, SJ) - YouTube 

image by Ben R

II Corinthians 3:17, Phil. 4:8 | Ben R | Flickr

         faith 

                      hope 

                                    love 

Philippians 2: 1-18

1 If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy,

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.

3 Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

4 each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others.

5 Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

6 Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,

8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

12 So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.

14 Do everything without grumbling or questioning,

15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world,

16 as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

17 But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.

18 In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/squeeksrocks/15643306208/in/photostream/

attribution: Tyler Neyens and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

the fullness of joy

St. Anselm in his "An Address on God's Existence" (1077) wrote:
"O who shall enjoy this Good! And what shall he have, and what shall he lack? Surely whatsoever he wisheth he shall have and whatsoever he wisheth not, he shall be without. For there shall be goods of body and of soul, such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive. Why then, poor child of man, dost thou wander hither and thither, seeking the goods of thy soul and body? Love the one Good wherein are all goods, and it sufficeth thee. Set thy desires upon that uncompounded Good which is all good, and it is enough. For what dost thou love, O my flesh, what dost thou desire, O my soul? If beauty delight thee, the righteous shall shine forth as the sun if swiftness or strength or freedom of body which nothing may hinder, they are as the angels of God, because it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body, spiritual, that is, in powers, not in nature. If a long life of health, there is an eternity of health; for the righteous live for evermore and the health of the righteous cometh of the Lord. If abundance, they shall be satisfied when the glory of God shall appear. If drunkenness, they shall be made drunken with the plenteousness of God’s house. If melody, there shall the choirs of angels sing together unto God for ever and ever. If any pleasure, so it be but chaste, Thou shalt give them drink of Thy pleasures as out of the river. If wisdom, the very Wisdom of God shall manifest itself to them. If friendship, they shall love God above themselves and one another as themselves; and God shall love them more than they love themselves; for they shall love Him and one another in Him; and He shall love Himself and them in Himself. If concord, they shall all have one will, for they shall have no will but God’s will only. If power, they shall be almighty to do their own wills, even as God to do His; for as God shall be able to do what He willeth through His own power, so shall they be able to do what they will through His power; since, as they will do nothing else but what He wills, so He shall will whatsoever they will; and whatsoever He willeth cannot but be. If honour and riches, God shall set His good and faithful servants over many things; yea, they shall be called sons of God, and gods; and where His Son shall be, there also they shall be, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. If true security, certainly they shall be as sure that those goods, or rather that Good, shall never and in no wise fail them as they shall be sure that they will not lose it of their own free will, and that God their lover will not take it against their wills from them that love Him, and that nothing mightier than God will separate God and them against their wills. But what manner of joy and how great a joy must there be, where there is such and so great a Good! O thou human heart, thou hungry heart, thou heart acquainted with sorrow, nay overwhelmed by sorrow, how wouldest thou rejoice if thou didst abound in all these goods! Look into thine heart and ask it whether it could contain the greatness of the joy which it would have, did it possess so great happiness. Yet surely if another whom thou didst love altogether as well as thyself, were to have the same happiness, thy joy would be doubled, since thou wouldst rejoice for him no less than for thyself. But if two or three or many more should have the same happiness, thou wouldst rejoice as much for each as for thyself, didst thou love each as thyself. Therefore in that perfect mutual love of innumerable blessed angels and men, where none loveth another less than himself, each will rejoice no less for every other, than for himself. If then the heart of a man can scarce contain the joy he will have in himself in one enjoyment of so great a good, how shall it be capable of so many and so great joys? And since every man rejoiceth in the good of any in proportion as he loveth Him, as in that perfect felicity everyone will love God beyond all comparison more than he loves himself and all his fellows; so will he rejoice beyond all measure more in the felicity of God than in his own and that of all his fellows. But if they so love God with their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, yet so that the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul shall not suffice to the excellency of the love; it will follow that they shall so rejoice with their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, that their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul shall not suffice to the fullness of their joy." 

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Proslogion#Chapter_XXV 

image by Sapphire Dream Photography

Psalm 16:11 | Sapphire Dream Photography | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

God speaks to us, Hebrews 1

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”? Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”? And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”Of the angels he says: “He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame”; but of the Son: “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions”; and: “At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” But to which of the angels has he ever said: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? 

Hebrews 1 


God Speaks to Us - YouTube

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

Hebrews 1:2 | but in these last days he has spoken to us by … | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” 

Matthew 11: 28-30 

I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

Ephesians 4: 1-6 

Teach me Your ways and show me how I may clothe myself in humility toward one another, for Peter teaches that, "God opposes the proud but shows grace to the humble." 

Thank You for opening up Your Word to me and helping me to see the beautiful truth about humility - and I ask that You would work a good work in my life day by day, until I am more like Christ and less like me. in Jesus' name I pray.  
Amen

https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/Prayers-for-Humility

Saint Carlo Acutis

https://youtu.be/dUpqQneSOFM?si=X4Va4kX3aQxuH5X_

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Acutis

"In the lead-up to Acutis’ canonization on Sunday (September 7, 2025), it’s all Acutis, all the time at the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish and school in Chicago. The parish was the first in the United States to take its name from Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 and is about to become history’s first millennial saint."

https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-carlo-acutis-sainthood-chicago-caad841be09a1e98f0edb2628933e0a7

https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/22683555191/

attribution: Lawrence OP and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en

anxiety, Luke 8: 22-25

One day he got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So they set sail, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A squall blew over the lake, and they were taking in water and were in danger. They came and woke him saying, “Master, master, we are perishing!” He awakened, rebuked the wind and the waves, and they subsided and there was a calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” But they were filled with awe and amazed and said to one another, “Who then is this, who commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey him?” 

Luke 8: 22-25

Calm Your Anxious Mind - Soul Shepherding

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Jesus_Stilling_the_Tempest_(J%C3%A9sus_calmant_la_temp%C3%AAte)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg

James Tissot [No restrictions or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Commons:Copyright tags - Wikimedia Commons

Who do you trust?

 a parent? your spouse? a friend? a teacher? a pastor? a priest? 

these may be good choices, but some people, even those closest to us, betray our trust. after all, we're all humans.

that's the point. why not trust God? God is our Father. 

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,

your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread;

and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors;

and do not subject us to the final test,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Ask God for no more than our daily bread and for God to forgive our sins, as we forgive those who sinned against us. 

Then thank God, and praise, worship and love God. 

God knows best. Trust God implicitly. 

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic — CC BY-ND 2.0

"In God We Trust" - landscape format | "My trust is in you, … | Flickr