Catholic Commentary on Psalm 43

"Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell." (Psalm 43:3)

The Conclusion of the Lament

Psalm 43 is the conclusion of the lament that began in Psalm 42. The same refrain will close both psalms: put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. The separation from the Temple that produced the thirst of Psalm 42 is now accompanied by a prayer for guidance back to God's dwelling place: Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Light and faithful care are nearly personalised here: they are sent by God as guides on the journey, almost as angelic companions who lead the exile back home. Light reveals the path. Faithful care, the emet and hesed of the original Hebrew, truth and covenant love, are the two foundational attributes of God in the Old Testament. To be led by these is to be led by God's own character made present on the journey.

The Altar of God

When he arrives at the holy mountain, the psalmist declares what he will do there: Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. The altar is the destination of the journey from exile to presence. It is where the sacrifice is made, where the encounter with God is mediated, where the distance between heaven and earth is overcome. For the Catholic, the altar of God is the altar of the Mass, the place where Christ the eternal high priest offers the one sacrifice that unites us to God. Every Mass is the psalmist's arrival at the holy mountain.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, send me your light and your faithful care. This is one of the simplest and most useful prayers in the Psalter for someone who cannot find their way. Not a map, not a plan, not a strategy: just light for the next step and the assurance that God's faithful love is the companion on the path. Pray it today, on whatever journey you are in the middle of.

Prayer

Lord God, send me your light and your faithful care to lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. I will go to your altar, to God my joy and delight. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.