Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
October 19, 2020
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we pray with Psalm 100, the Jubilate Deo – a psalm that tells us to SING! You know, like this: (Go ahead, click. It’s fun.)
Psalm 100 was that kind of invitation for ancient Israel. And it is for us too.
It is a well-known and beloved psalm. Wikipedia tells us:
People who have translated the psalm range from Martin Luther to Katherine Parr, (last wife of Henry VIII), and translations have ranged from Parr’s elaborate English that doubled many words, through metrical hymn forms, to attempts to render the meaning of the Hebrew as idiomatically as possible in a modern language (of the time).
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
Psalm 100:1-2
serve the LORD with gladness.
In our first reading, Paul clearly states a perfect reason for such singing:
But God, who is rich in mercy,
Ephesians 2:4-7
because of the great love God had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
This is such a powerful passage from Ephesians!
If we really internalize it, there is no limit to the power of our faith.
Using an inclusive translation of Psalm 100, I sat quietly with its individual phrases today and my spirit was deeply fed. Sometimes, I put my reasoning mind to the side, and just let the dynamic beauty of the words rest in my heart.
Psalm 100 – Jubilate Deo
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;
Inclusive Language Psalter: Anglican Church of Canada
serve the Lord with gladness
and come into the divine presence with a song.
Know this: the Lord, the Lord, is God;
the One made us and to whom we belong;
we are God’s people, the sheep of God’s pasture.
Enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving;
go into these courts with praise;
give thanks to God and call upon the name of the Lord.
For the Lord is good, whose steadfast love is everlasting;
and whose faithfulness endures from age to age.
Music: Jubilate Deo – Dan Forrest
I have included two separate links to this magnificent music which offers Psalm 100, the Jubilate, in eight languages!
First Movement: Latin
Complete concert:
Lavish Mercy 