Reflection on Psalm 90 (Br Peter Anthoney)

The psalmist of psalm 89(90) is reminding us of our limitations and shortness of our life, our human existence.

To your eyes a thousand years,
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.

We are reminded that by the divine command, man returns to the dust from which he was taken, as already affirmed in the creation account of Genesis: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return”. In the reminder is also an admonition for us to become aware of where the worldliness of our life is leading us. God our Creator, who shapes the human creature in all his eauty and complexity, is also the One who “turns men back into dust”. And “dust” is also a symbolic expression of our death.

The psalmist, pleads with God, pouring out his weaknesses as human, bound by sin, wiped away by the evil force which has resulted in him falling short for the grace of God. The psalmist continues, pleading God for the knowledge of understanding human life…he says…

Make us know the shortness of our life,
That, we may gain wisdom of heart
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants

Therefore, by gaining the wisdom of God we may see the light of hope to direct our life towards this life of hope. It is at this point we become aware that the predestination of each one of us is to a life of holiness, a life predestined to see its fulfilment in the beatific vision of God in all his Glory.

To gain this wisdom of God, we do not only have the assurance from God but his gift of his grace for us to be able to encounter and overcome all forms of trials and tribulations of this world. It is only with this grace of God which is more that sufficient to leads us to discern his will for each of us, live according to his will for us and to grow in holiness.

As such together with the psalmist let us seek the grace of God to be able to embrace the virtue of faithfulness.

Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us
give success to the work of our hands!
give success to the work of our hands!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 17th Nov 2010.