Incredible things happen when God shows us his “hesed”.
Psalm 85:8 and 10, 11-12, 13-14. January 20, 2023 - Friday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 85 is considered to be either an exilic or post-exilic psalm. What does it mean? Between 586 and 538 BC, the Jews lived in Babylon, a period known as the Babylonian exile. In 538 BC, the Persian ruler, Cyrus, issued an edict allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and some did. Situating our psalm within this context, we can understand the psalmist’s plea: “Show us, O LORD, your mercy, and grant us your salvation”. The psalmist prays either for a new exodus from Babylon or for God’s grace to enable those who returned from Babylon to restore Jerusalem and the temple to its former glory.
The Hebrew word “hesed” is not easy to translate. It includes the meaning of mercy, faithfulness, and steadfast love. This word features in the famous passage from Exodus 34:6, where God is described as abounding in “hesed”, a quality of magnanimity. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this virtue as “loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity”. Saint John Paul II describes “hesed” as “a profound attitude of goodness" and then clarifies its meaning further by stating that it is “love that gives, love more powerful than betrayal, grace stronger than sin” (see Dives in Misericordia).
The psalmist knew that when God shows us his “hesed” incredible things happen. We can say that the entire story of salvation, from creation to redemption, and new creation is the story of God’s “hesed”. No matter how much we mess up God’s plan of salvation, God’s “hesed” always prevails. The Babylonian exile was punishment for the sins of the people but the psalmist trusted that God’s steadfast love will bring a miracle of a new exodus. The destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was the consequence of people’s disobedience but the psalmist trusted that God’s mercy can transform people’s hearts. We can find delight in obedience and rebuild what was once destroyed.
The evidence of God’s “hesed” is obvious in the New Testament. On the pages of the Gospel we see the fulfilment of the psalmist’s prayer: “Show us, O LORD, your mercy,
and grant us your salvation” (Ps 85:8). Jesus Christ is the embodiment of steadfast love and mercy, and his name means salvation. By granting us Jesus, the saviour of the world, the Father has shown us his “hesed”. Jesus’ various miracles, his concern for sinners and the downtrodden, and finally his death on the cross as a ransom for our sins, reveal the mercy of God.
The Hebrew word “hesed” was translated into Greek as “eleos”. This Greek word found its place in the New Testament. The famous prayer of the blind beggar from Jericho, Bartimaeus, known today as Jesus’ prayer, reads in Greek, “kyrie eleison” - “Lord, have mercy”. The Church has incorporated that prayer into the beginning of our Eucharist and some even pray it daily believing that when God shows us his “hesed” the sins are forgiven, the blind can see, and broken lives are restored.
And so, together with the psalmist, we pray: “Show us, O LORD, your mercy, and grant us your salvation”.