Some Help From Psalm 39 As The Work Day Begins

We've considered verses from Psalm 39 in recent posts. And...but wait. It's Halloween!

Ah yes, Halloween at work. Some folks bring it with them. Adults no less. And to the office.

Excuse the reaction. Having grown up in an era when adults never - as in NEVER - played dress-up on Halloween, it still rattles to see grown-ups doing what was intended for children. And to bring it work, not less. Sheesh!

Of course, even worse is the harping on the ugliness. It's one thing to bring in the dead souls as part of All Hallows Eve (the Eve of All Saints). But all this gore, witches, devils, etc has gone excessive.

So much for Halloween. May we get on with the work day now?

Back to Psalm 39 Why Psalm 39?

Well, there's nothing "special" about it. It's just that it "came up" recently in regular morning devotions and kind of stuck. 

If you have the habit of reading the Psalms each day - and doing so thoughtfully - the same sticking will likely occur. 

Which brings us to a reminder: Do be faithful with daily prayer, meditation, reading Scripture and good spiritual works. Frankly, these are basics that should help form the foundation of our spiritual life. But if we're not attending to them every day, that foundation will go wanting.

When you think about building a house, you know the foundation must be set securely before anything else happens. And you know that the foundation isn't the most interesting part of the build. Indeed, foundations are a necessity, but nothing exotic (for the most part). Once in place, the house can take shape. 

Our setting a foundation may not be all that exotic. Sometimes, it's like the house builder. We know we just need to do it. We know nothing else can flow until that foundation is set. 

Now, it's a bit different with our spiritual life. We can find things quite interesting and engaging as we build our foundation. But the actual building is a matter of will - sheer will. That's not particularly appealing to may of us. But without a strong will in these matter, nothing else will flow.

For us Catholic men at work, it's important that we exert our will each day - whether in the morning or some other time during the day - to work on our foundation. And, as opposed to the house builder, our foundation isn't a "set it and forget it" thing. It needs our daily attention, our daily effort. Without that effort, it will erode from neglect.

Back to Psalm 39: It came up during foundation building and maintenance. And as is the case with many other Psalms, having read through the 150 of them many times, this one somehow shed special light on a random day, before heading off to work.

16 Let them immediately bear their confusion, that say to me: Tis well, tis well. 17 Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified. 18 But I am a beggar and poor: the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.

It's a humbling thing - the part about being a beggar and poor. But, let's face it, that's exactly what we are - or at least I am.

As an antidote to any feelings of accomplishment or success in my efforts today, beggar and poor should cut right through all that.

Of course, this is the farthest thing from "negative" thinking. And there's no need to desire a shot of"self-esteem" to lift us up. We Catholic men go about our business in the light of the supernatural. And since true reality lives in the supernatural rather than all the worldly nonsense that assaults us daily, we accept that reality as it is. 

And "beggar and poor" is a big part of that reality.

So with thanks to the author of Psalm 39 (ultimately the Holy Spirit of course), we head off to work on this All Hallows Eve.