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Psalm 31:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 31:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 31[a]
Prayer of Trust and Thanksgiving
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of David.
2 [c]In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
3 Turn your ear to me,
and act quickly to save me.
Be to me a rock[d] of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
Footnotes
- Psalm 31:1 Faith, distress, and gratitude alternate in this prayer, evoking the “confessions” of the prophet Jeremiah, his dolorous destiny, and his intimacy with the Lord (Jer 17:14-18; 20:7-18). At the moment of death on the cross, Jesus will use this psalm to express his trusting abandonment to the Father (see Lk 23:46).
We should be mindful that God will often place us in a situation in which we can unite our voice to that of Christ in reciting this psalm, especially by letting us share his sufferings and making us become like him in death so that we may rise with him from the dead (see Phil 3:10f). - Psalm 31:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
- Psalm 31:2 No matter what may be the conflict in which we are enmeshed, God remains the one certitude. The images of the rock and the fortress attest to a serene and unshakable trust in God.
- Psalm 31:3 Rock: see note on Ps 18:3.
