The Lord, my rock!

"Blessed be the Lord, my rock!" we sing in today's responsorial psalm (Ps 144:2). We learn why the Lord is our rock from the Old Testament.

Moses reminded the Israelites that the Lord brought them water out of the flinty rock when he led them through the wilderness where there was no water (Deut 8:15). Without water, we cannot live. We need look only to our brothers and sisters in Haiti to see how desperately we need water to survive. Later, Moses himself was hidden in a cleft of the rock by the Lord, who covered him with his sheltering hand (Ex 33:22). Without God's protection, we are easy prey for our adversary the devil, who "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour" (1 Pet 5:8). His name is "legion" for he is many.

As I was reflecting this morning upon the Lord as my rock, I spontaneously started singing that beautiful old Catholic hymn, "Soul of My Savior":

Soul of my Saviour, sanctify my breast;
Body of Christ, be thou my saving guest;
Blood of my Saviour, bathe me in thy tide,
Wash me with water flowing from thy side.

Strength and protection may thy Passion be;
O blessed Jesus, hear and answer me;
Deep in thy wounds, Lord, hide and shelter me;
So shall I never, never part from thee.

Guard and defend me from the foe malign;
In death's dread moments make me only thine;
Call me and bid me come to thee on high,
Where I may praise thee with thy saints for aye.

My Lord Jesus Christ is truly my rock. The life-giving water flowing from His side is my salvation. His sacred wounds are my hiding place. His Body and Blood are my food and drink. His life and death are my comfort and joy. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!