“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”
“Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”
“With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
This week our Psalm response is, “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”
This psalm alone is relatively self-explanatory, however, to look at the entirety of Lent to Easter Sunday psalms, you will realize a transformation.
We go from asking for mercy, to trusting, to listen, to no longer wanting, to redemption. All these psalms from Ash Wednesday to the 5th Sunday of Lent, goes from mercy to redemption. What a journey. That’s like a movie. But like any movie, there is a plot twist.
Palm Sunday, the God I asked for mercy and I received redemption, has “abandoned me.” Have we ever felt that? Our lives are doing great, something happens, God abandoned me. Jesus even felt that at the cross.
Here lies the challenge to our faith. Good Friday the psalm says, “I commend my spirit.” Jesus, shows us, though we feel abandoned, we must fully trust in God. Commend my spirit.
What is the end result? Easter Sunday. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
God is here. Lent is our reminder of His presence. We must trust, listen and commend ourselves fully to Him.
Bless your journey and may you find peace in His presence.
—
Christopher Choate – cchoate@srcdublin.org
Music Ministry Director – St. Raymond Church
(For the 2nd Sunday of Lent, 2026)