O God whom I praise, do not be silent,
for the mouths of deceit and wickedness
are opened against me.
They speak to me with lying tongues;
they beset me with words of hate
and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me
while I pray for them.
They repay me evil for good,
hatred for love.
Appoint someone wicked as their judge;
let an accuser stand at their right.
When they are judged let them come out condemned;
let their prayer be considered as sin.
Let the days of their life be few;
let others take their office.
Let their children lose father and mother
and their spouses know bereavement.
Let their children be wanderers and beggars
driven from the ruins of their home.
Let creditors seize all their goods;
let strangers take the fruit of their work.
Let no one show them mercy
nor pity their orphaned children.
Let all their sons and daughters be destroyed
and with them their names be blotted out.
Let his father’s guilt be remembered,
and the sins of their mothers be retained.
Let it always stand before the Lord,
that their memory be cut off from the earth.
For they did not think of showing mercy
but pursed the poor and the needy,
hounding the wretched to death.
They loved cursing; let curses fall upon them.
They scorned blessing; let blessing pass them by.
They put on cursing like his coat;
let it sink into his body like water;
let it sink like oil into his bones;
let it be like the clothes that cover him,
like a girdle he cannot take off!
Let the Lord thus repay my accusers,
all those who speak evil against me.
For your name’s sake act in my defence;
in the goodness of your love be my rescuer.
For I am poor and needy
and my heart is pierced within me.
I fade like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
I have become an object of scorn,
all who see me toss their heads.
Help me, Lord my God;
save me because of your love.
Let them know that is your work,
That this is your doing, O Lord.
They may curse but you will bless.
Let my attackers be put to shame,
but let your servant rejoice.
Let my accusers be clothed with dishonour,
covered with shame as with a cloak.
Loud thanks to the Lord are on my lips.
I will praise him in the midst of the throng,
for God stands at the side of the poor
to save them from unjust condemnation.
Reflection
Giovannino Guareschi wrote many stories about the “little world” of rural Italy after World War 2, centred on the parish priest Don Camilo and his adversary Mayor Peppone. When frustrated by the latest political activities, Don Camilo would bring his complaints to the statue of Christ on the Cross in the church, usually starting out with self-justifying rants about what his enemies had done, and how important it was for Christ to be on his side and strike down the opposition. The voice of God would gently remind him of his part in provoking the conflicts, and counsel detachment and mercy.
This Psalm starts and ends with praise of God, and in between offers vivid self-righteous denunciation of the enemy and their descendants. For the most part it is personal, with the Psalmist self-identifying as the poor and wretched, although there is recognition right at the end that God will stand at the side of the collective poor.
The Psalmist calls for the curses of the enemy to rebound and encircle them like a straitjacket, after emitting a whole series of curses themselves. It is a lurid, explosive example of the ranting vent which allows the individual to say exactly what they mean in the safety of their relationship with God. They fluctuate between indignation and abject abandonment, and having spewed it all perhaps reach a point of acceptance.
There is much in the world that would and should cause us to express anguish and a sense of unfairness before God. Life has a way of throwing our good deeds back in our face, as the Psalmist recognises early on, before giving in to full-throttle scorning of their adversary. As we start the season of Advent we might reflect that anger best goes side by side with love, and that is the challenge for followers of Christ.
Prayer
Let the soul that feels forsaken,
wronged, deserted, scorned and lost,
feel the keenness of oppression
wrought by some at others’ cost;
Use each hurt to teach compassion,
draw us where the weakest cry;
With your nail-marked hands enfold us,
show us love will never die.
Verse from Let our anger be a blessing by Anna Briggs