“If there is a good thing about having ALS it’s that I know what’s going to get me, not everyone can say that; I just don’t know when.” Then, after a long silence, “Chaplain, have you got a prayer that can give me any hope in the meantime?” This was from a delightfully gruff 72 year old man coming to grips with the realities associated with his diagnosis. He had previously told me that he was “an on again, off again Catholic” and given his situation he said that he was “currently leaning toward on again, but a little mad at God right now.” His wife of 40+ years, always at his side and a deeply devout Catholic, just smiled while clearly holding back tears.
“What oxygen is to the lungs, hope is to the meaning of life.”
– Emil Brunner
In a recent post I talked about the requests for prayer that I often receive in my role as a hospital/ hospice Chaplain (see December 9, 2023 post titled Prayer and Praise – Both/And ). In that post I discuss how various faith traditions exemplify offering praise as the proper lead in to petitionary prayer. It seems to me that this is particularly demonstrated when praying the Psalms, those personal and communal prayers collected in the five books of the Psalter (“Praises”) which the Catholic Catechism proclaims “is the book in which The Word of God becomes man’s prayer.” (CCC 2587) It has been no surprise to me then that praying the Psalms has been a natural “go to” when specific prayers are requested. Many, many of the 150 Psalms begin with some form of praise and/or worship proclaiming the saving works of God, e.g. the word Hallelujah, literally from Hebrew meaning “Praise the Lord,” appears 24 times in the Psalms.
Praise the Lord, all you nations!
– Psalm 117:1-2
Extol him, all you peoples!
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!
In my own experience, the Psalm most requested or seemingly most fitting in many situations I’ve encountered, including the 72 year old ALS patient mentioned above, has been Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd. One of the shorter Psalms, and even though it does not have the word Hallelujah in it, it is powerful in it’s message of praise, of finding peace and of finding hope in the midst of adversity. While walking through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil can pack a wallop for someone facing a terminal illness, I’ve noticed one other verse particularly resonating with folks dealing with adversity. That verse states “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” That image of sitting down in table fellowship, ready to share a meal, right there in the face of our enemies, i.e. fear, anxiety, grief, death, and knowing that I am blessed with goodness and love and that I will one day “dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” brings with it a tremendous sense of peace, comfort and tranquility. When we read that together, my 72 year old friend just bowed his head nodding and his wife no longer held her tears.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
– Psalm 27:1
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Praying the Psalms can be powerful and transformative, personally and communally. As the Catholic Catechism puts it so well, “the Psalter both sounds the call to prayer and sings the response to that call: Hallelujah (“Alleluia”), Praise the Lord!” (CCC 2589)
Reflection question:
Do you have a ”go to” verse from Scripture or something you find uplifting during difficult times you would like to share?
Scripture References
Psalm 23 Psalm 27:1 Psalm 117:1-2
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