Celtic Odyssey

Last time , I wrote about a book I had stumbled upon, Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness by Nan Merrill. In that post, I explained how the Psalms bother me at times, specifically when they’re violent. As an example, I quoted this section of Psalm 139: Psalm 139.19ff (GNT*; adapted): O G‑d, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone! They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name. O Yahweh , how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you! I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies. Examine me, O G‑d, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way. I then went through and gave various examples of how Psalms for Praying removes the violent passages and focuses inwardly. That is, instead of seeing the “wicked” as someone “out there,” Merrill recognizes the fal...

I’ve had a really hard time with the Psalms for a while now. Some of them are fantastic but others turn my stomach. For example: Psalm 139.19-22 (GNT*; adapted): O G‑d, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone! They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name. O Yahweh , how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you! I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies. Ugh… While I get that this is a reflection of the poet’s heart (and our hearts at times), it just bothers me to read that in my Daily Prayers, especially when I don’t feel that way (which is a lot of the time). Furthermore, if my intention in my prayers is to move beyond those feelings, to be more like Christ — that is, to be loving and forgiving all — saying them in my most intimate times with the Beloved is very upsetting to me. However, last weekend at the Grace Garden Yoga Retreat, I stu...

Mark 5:1-20 (CEB): Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out of the tombs.This man lived among the tombs, and no one was ever strong enough to restrain him, even with a chain. He had been secured many times with leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one was tough enough to control him. Night and day in the tombs and the hills, he would howl and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from far away, he ran and knelt before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” He said this because Jesus had already commanded him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!” Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He responded, “Legion is my name, because we are many.” They pleaded with Jesus not to send them out of that region. A large herd of p...