Vans, CDs, and the gaze of our Father
"I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living." The importance of Psalm 27 in my life, and why it should be important in yours.
A core childhood memory of mine is driving around St. Charles, MO in the backseat of our family’s white Dodge Grand Caravan joking with my mom and siblings as we were rushed to swim practice, school, Cub Scouts, etc. My mom was the Commanding Officer of our glorious white chariot and we were her little warriors, on our way to give it our all during our next activity to which we were journeying.
During the transit, we would listen to classic rock, country, cassette tapes of the Donut Man (GOAT childhood music), some Christian radio, and one very particular CD called “Abba Pater”. It was a 1999 recording of Pope (now Saint) John Paul II either speaking or singing various scripture passages to a musical backdrop setting of classical strings or funky (sometimes hilariously bad) electronic beats. While the production value of the tracks were not necessarily top-notch, I distinctly remember how much I loved listening to his voice read Psalm 27 on Track #1. His smooth baritone vocals were consoling, fatherly, and drew in my attention. He speaks in many different languages throughout the album (he fluently spoke Italian, Spanish, French, English, Portuguese and Latin, with working knowledge of Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Japanese, Tagalog and more), but through the emotion of his spoken word, 8 year-old me could roughly understand what he was conveying. It impacted me dramatically and in ways which I have not yet fully come to appreciate. In fact, Psalm 27 has become so important to me that it was the psalm that was used in my wife’s and my wedding.
The very first track on the album is titled “Cercate Il Suo Volto”, or “Seek His Face”. Like I mentioned before, it is pulled from Psalm 27 which, I would argue, is an imperative Biblical text to the Christian life.
What is the point of Christianity? of prayer? of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, becoming incarnate, taking on flesh, becoming human, dying and rising from the dead? of Him who is really, truly, and substantially present in the “source and summit of the Christian life” which is the most Holy Eucharist?
One could write an encyclopaedical sized thesis on the nearly infinite answers, but I believe that they can essentially be boiled down to this: intimacy.
Jesus came to draw us close. He suffered death for us because He loves us and are worth suffering for. God does not “make mistakes” - we do. And because of that, we need Someone to guide us on that “narrow path” which leads to life. How do we do this, you ask? Let’s ask God Himself in His word.
Psalm 27 reads:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?… One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: To dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life… Hear my voice, Lord, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”; your face, Lord, do I seek! Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my salvation; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior!… I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!
The psalmist (King David of the Old Testament), is calling out to the Lord with an honest cry: “your face, Lord, do I seek!” David is begging for the Lord to save him from his life’s circumstances and to lift him up as a parent lifts their child close to their comforting face. In short, he’s declaring his neediness - which he understands, in this achingly beautifully Psalm, is his honor as a child of God, not his shame.
This is the essence of Christianity. This is the goal of a Christian’s life: to one day gaze upon the Face of the One who unceasingly gazes upon ours in love. It’s not about the rules or laws which we so often get tripped up on, but the intimacy of seeing and being seen by the Lover who willed us into existence.
If this seems lofty and far off, well, it is. But don’t be discouraged or afraid. God doesn’t set us up to fail. However, the world certainly does.
This world in which we live makes it nearly impossible to hear God’s gentle voice beckoning to us. We’ve been consumed by our own consumerism. The noise of the latest fads, social media, news, and stress of jobs, school, kids, or other responsibilities stifles our ability to attune our ears to our Father’s call. He’s calling us on to more than mediocrity. In the words of the late Pope Benedict XVI, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”
To the Christian, greatness looks a lot like dependence. Now how can this be? Well, the Christian understands that on our own, we are nothing. We can’t even exist, let alone do great things without God willing it. If we have ever done anything “great” in our lives, it is because God, in His infinite goodness, freely gave us the skills and talents to do so. If we want to truly be great, we first need to recognize our need. And as a good father joyfully bestows gifts and every good thing upon his children, so too and infinitely more so does God the Father rush to us with all of His power, might, and glory if we but ask for it. One of the biggest pitfalls we could ever fall into in this life is believing that we don’t need help (as Ryan Gosling’s character Sebastian in La La Land put it, that’s some ‘pishy caca’). Lean into your need and dependence and cry out to God to save you. It will be the best decision you ever made in your life. (How we do this, practically speaking, will be the topic of a later post. Stay tuned.)
It is only in this spirit of humility and need that we will begin to fully realize the richness and joy that the Father has prepared for us, his kids. As a child freely and happily plays in the presence of their Father, so too can we live in this world. This isn’t some theoretical way of life; this is really possible. And if you’re ready and willing to give it a good ol’ try, why don’t we just start by gazing upon and seeking His face.
Gabriel, this is such a beautifully bold exhortation, bless you. Sharon