Linking Psalms with our lives
June 12, 2023 - Monday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 34:2-9
Some Psalms have at the beginning superscriptions that relate them to certain historical events in the life of King David, and Psalm 34 is one of them. Verse 1 connects this psalm with the story related in 1 Sam 21:10-15. These superscriptions are interpretive keys added later to the text, and they teach us how to connect the Psalms with our life.
In April 1999, I was travelling from Kupang in West Timor to Bobonaro in East Timor. At that time, both parts of Timor Island were still part of Indonesia. However, the people of East Timor were given the right to decide in a national referendum whether they wanted to remain in Indonesia or become an independent nation. We were two in the car, travelling at night to avoid the heat of the day and the checkpoints ran by the pro-Indonesian militia, who tried to intimidate the people, so they would not dare to vote for independence.
Psalm 34 fits very well in that context. We were defenceless against any possible harassment. The militia people knew that it was the Catholic Church and priests in particular who stood with the people and encouraged them to vote according to their conscience. The priests also reported all the attempts of intimidation against the population of East Timor. Anything could happen to us on that journey, and so we prayed, asking the Lord to deliver us from our fears.
And then it happened. As we were climbing the road that led to Bobonaro, where the Claretian missionaries were at that time in charge of a parish, we were stopped by the militiamen. Some were drunk and others seem intoxicated with drugs. They surrounded our car and started asking questions. One among them was particularly violent, and I could see the hatred in his eyes.
The psalmist says that “the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him and delivers them” (Ps 34:8) and the superscription states that king Abimelech let David go free (see Ps 34:1). I still cannot explain what had happened, but we were also allowed to go free. God sent his angel to encamp around two of us, and he delivered us from their hands. When we safely arrived at our parish and were welcomed by our brothers, we thanked God. We saw his goodness and experienced his mercy. How about you? Can you recall your experience of God delivering you from a dangerous situation?