5 years ago, I was assisting in a level III Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium. The catechist was presenting work on the saints. She told a story of her patron saint. How when she was a teen, picking her saint she haphazardly chose Elizabeth and then thought nothing of her for many more years. The story goes that when you pick your saint, whether you are paying attention or not they are yours and they look out for you.
As she was telling this story, I was grimacing on the inside. I, like many other teens, haphazardly took a name. Davida. (that's David with an a on the end) It was my baptismal name so I also took it for my Confirmation name. Nevermind that David is Old Testament and I should have not been permitted to take this name for Confirmation.
Why was I grimacing on the inside? Because what immediately came to mind was that David was a murderous adulterer. Great. I took a namesake of a person that was horrid. My catechist friend pointed out all of the positives, he wrote the psalms, David was a great model of God's mercy.
I still wasn't impressed.
This last weekend, it was time for me to plan the anual Catechist Formation for the start of the year. I had been so busy with setting up our atria, Justin being away, and Nativity House happenings (the birth of our first guest baby) that I gave very little thought to our formation for the morning. It was actually in the wee hours of Sunday morning that I decided, "we will just reflect on the psalms."
The psalm that grabbed me was 139. It wasn't until I wrote out the entire psalm that I noticed the tiny print, a psalm of David. This is a psalm that we are all familiar with - on eagle's wings. But as I meditated on it, particularly verses 13-24, I was captivated. There has been a plan for me since before I was born. I marvel at His plans for me and how he makes it all come to be. Remember, he knows all... What comfort.
As she was telling this story, I was grimacing on the inside. I, like many other teens, haphazardly took a name. Davida. (that's David with an a on the end) It was my baptismal name so I also took it for my Confirmation name. Nevermind that David is Old Testament and I should have not been permitted to take this name for Confirmation.
Why was I grimacing on the inside? Because what immediately came to mind was that David was a murderous adulterer. Great. I took a namesake of a person that was horrid. My catechist friend pointed out all of the positives, he wrote the psalms, David was a great model of God's mercy.
I still wasn't impressed.
This last weekend, it was time for me to plan the anual Catechist Formation for the start of the year. I had been so busy with setting up our atria, Justin being away, and Nativity House happenings (the birth of our first guest baby) that I gave very little thought to our formation for the morning. It was actually in the wee hours of Sunday morning that I decided, "we will just reflect on the psalms."
The psalm that grabbed me was 139. It wasn't until I wrote out the entire psalm that I noticed the tiny print, a psalm of David. This is a psalm that we are all familiar with - on eagle's wings. But as I meditated on it, particularly verses 13-24, I was captivated. There has been a plan for me since before I was born. I marvel at His plans for me and how he makes it all come to be. Remember, he knows all... What comfort.
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
David, pray for us
1 comment:
I love how God reveals himself !
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