Restoring our fortunes
September 25, 2023 - Monday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 126:1b-6
Psalm 126 begins with a description of an event that surprised its recipients. In our liturgical translation, the event is described as bringing “back the captives of Zion”. In most recent translations, it is referred to as restoring the fortunes of Zion (see Ps 126:1b). We do not know which historical event the psalmist had in mind, although some scholars think that it refers to the return of the Jewish people from the Babylonian exile in the sixth and fifth centuries BCE.
The event is described as something beyond human imagination. The expression “dreaming” indicates its surprising aspect. But, if there is one message that the Bible wants us to know is the fact that nothing is impossible for God. God’s miracles portrayed in the Bible seem indeed like a dream, a fantasy, but they became a reality in the lives of those who experienced them. The unimaginable event performed by the Lord in the lives of their people had two consequences. It brought incredible joy to God’s people and made the nations acknowledge the power of God: “The LORD has done great things for them” (Ps 126:2).
A historical event that could be comparable to the one mentioned in the Psalm was the Year 1989 when the Berlin Wall had fallen in Europe. Only someone who went through such an experience can understand the joy that filled the hearts of the people. Free at last! The Central European nations were finally joining the community of free nations of the world. And yet, many who witnessed that event at first could not believe that what was happening was true.
After describing the unbelievable event that brought joy to God’s people, the psalmist pleads for yet another experience of this kind: “Restore our fortunes, O Lord” (Ps 126:4). We do not know what happened. Did the initial joy fade away with the challenges that daily life brought with itself?
The two images of transformation are taken from the topography, climate, and agricultural setting of the Promised Land. The dry wadis in the south were filled with water during the rainy season. And the hard labour of planting led to the joy of harvesting the crops. And so, the psalmist aims to encourage his people, to bring hope to their lives. What is impossible or even unimaginable for us, is possible for God. Like the dry streams turn into rivers of water and the season of planting leads to harvest, so our lives are under God’s providential care, guiding us to the fullness of life.
The message of the psalm is clear: God can restore the fortunes of individual people and entire nations. Let this message renew our hope and trust in the Lord, who makes miracles that are beyond our wildest imagination.