“Make me know your ways, O Lord: teach me your paths.” (Ps 25 [24]:4)
This psalm presents us with a man who feels threatened and in danger. He needs to find the right path to lead him to safety. Who can he appeal to for help?
Aware of his own frailty, he finally raises his eyes and cries out to the Lord, to the God of Israel, who has never abandoned his people, but has guided them on the long journey through the desert to the Promised Land.
The experience of ‘walking with God’ fills the wayfarer with a sense of hope once again. It is a special time of new intimacy with God, of trusting abandonment to his faithful love, despite one’s own infidelity.
In the language of the Bible, walking with God is also a lesson in life: it is a time of learning to recognise his plan of salvation.
Make me know your ways, O Lord: teach me your paths.
Often, we walk along the roads of our so-called self-sufficiency but then we find ourselves disoriented, confused, and aware of our limitations and shortcomings. We would like to find a compass in life and the correct pathway to reach our goal.
This Psalm helps us greatly; it urges us towards a new or renewed personal encounter with God, it urges us to trust in his friendship.
It gives us the courage to embrace his teachings, which constantly invite us to go out of ourselves in order to follow him on the way of love, a way which He himself is the first to travel as he comes to meet us.
This psalm can be a prayer, accompanying us throughout the day, making of every moment, whether joyful or sorrowful, a stage on our journey.
Make me know your ways, O Lord: teach me your paths.
Hedy is from Switzerland. She is married with four children and has been trying to live the Word for a long time. Now seriously ill, she knows that she is about to reach the goal of her earthly journey.
Her dear friend Kati tells us, ‘During every visit, including those of the nursing staff, Hedy is always looking out for other people – she is always interested in them – even though it is now very difficult for her to speak. She thanks everyone for being there and shares her experience with them. She is only Love, a living “Yes” to God’s will! She attracts many people: friends, relatives and clergy. Everyone is deeply impressed by the attention she gives to all her visitors and by her strength, the fruit of faith in God’s love.’
Focolare founder, Chiara Lubich, spoke of life as a holy journey: ‘The holy journey is a symbol of the path we travel towards God. Why not make a journey, a holy journey, of the only life we have, because the One who awaits us is holy. Even those who do not have precise religious beliefs can make a masterpiece of their lives and with great integrity, undertake a journey of sincere moral commitment. If life is a holy journey along the pathways of God’s will, we should make progress every day. And when we stop? Should we abandon the enterprise, discouraged by our mistakes? No, in these moments the watchword is “start again” … placing all our trust in God’s grace rather than in our own capabilities. And above all, let’s walk together, united in love, helping each other. The Holy One will be in our midst and he will be our “Way”. He will make us understand God’s will more clearly and give us the desire and the ability to carry it out. Everything will be easier if we are united and we will experience the joy promised to those who undertake the holy journey.’
Letizia Magri