Catholic Commentary on Psalm 27

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." (Psalm 27:4)

The Lord Is My Light

Psalm 27 opens with one of the most quoted declarations of trust in the entire Psalter: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Three names for God in two verses: light, salvation, stronghold. Together they cover the three dimensions of fear: darkness is banished by light, the threat to life is addressed by salvation, the threat from enemies is met by the stronghold. There is nothing to fear because there is nowhere that the Lord does not cover.

The opening confidence might seem too strong, too triumphant. But the psalm does not remain there. It moves into the dark middle of genuine threat: enemies advancing to devour him, armies encamping against him, war breaking out against him. The confidence of the opening is not the naive optimism of someone who has not faced real danger. It is the tested confidence of someone who has faced real danger and found that the Lord is stronger.

One Thing

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. This is one of the great statements of theological priority in Scripture. Among all the things that could be asked of God, David focuses his desire into one: the presence of God. Not victory over enemies, not long life, not prosperity. The beauty of the Lord, beheld. The Catechism calls this the unum necessarium, the one thing necessary, which Jesus named when Mary sat at his feet (CCC 2096): the contemplative gaze that precedes and grounds all activity.

Wait for the Lord

The psalm ends with instruction to anyone else who is walking this road: Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. The repetition is the instruction: wait. And wait. The one who prays "the Lord is my light" does not always see the light immediately. There is a waiting that is itself an act of trust. St. John of the Cross wrote that the soul must learn to wait in darkness without abandoning the God it cannot feel. Psalm 27 commissions that waiting and promises that the Lord is worth waiting for.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, what is the one thing you seek from the Lord? Not the list, not the many items of petition, but the one thing? If you can name it as David named it, the desire for God's presence above all else, your prayer has found its centre. Everything else can be asked from that centre without replacing it.

Prayer

Lord, you are my light and my salvation. I will ask one thing of you: let me dwell in your presence, gazing on your beauty, all the days of my life. And when the waiting is long, give me strength to be strong and take heart. I wait for the Lord. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

27
The LORD Is My Salvation
Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
whom shall I dread?
2 When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh,
my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army encamps around me,
my heart will not fear;
though a war breaks out against me,
I will keep my trust.
 
4 One thing I have asked of the LORD;
this is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and seek Him in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
He will hide me in His shelter;
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be held high
above my enemies around me.
At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
 
7 Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;
be merciful and answer me.
8 My heart said, “Seek His face.”
Your face, O LORD, I will seek.
9 Hide not Your face from me,
nor turn away Your servant in anger.
You have been my helper;
do not leave me or forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
 
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path,
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not hand me over to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
 
13 Still I am certain to see
the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for the LORD;
be strong and courageous.
 
Wait patiently for the LORD!

Public Domain