Psalm 1

320th Edition March 2026
Psalm 1

Blessed are they who have grown beyond their greed.
They have put an end to their hatred
And no longer nourish illusions.

They are like the trees planted near flowing rivers,
Which bear fruit when they are ready.
Their leaves will not fall or wither.
Everything they do will succeed.

Not so with the wicked, not so.
They are like dandelions
that blow away in the wind.
Evil cannot stand before you,

But, You, O God, guide the path of the faithful
And denounce the way of oppression (1).

Welcome to Stories Seldom Heard during this very special celebration of Lent. It might seem strange that I use the word “celebration” to describe Lent. Yet, for each of us, Lent has a specific grace. This is the Gift of Lent that we celebrate: God’s attentive Spirit Who desires to catch our attention and guide us through the changes in our lives. Each year, our Lenten focus is slightly different because, along with the external changes in our lives, we experience the need for a different Gift of the Spirit. Some years, it is Knowledge that we seek. At other times, we pray for Courage (Fortitude), Reverence (Devotion), Awe (Wonder), Understanding, Wisdom, or Counsel.

Those of you who are reading SSH are certainly people of prayer and ongoing study. You are serious about your faith. You have trusted in the guidance of the Spirit in the past. You have also experienced the Gifts of the Spirit.

Like many of you, I receive a small but helpful daily scripture reflection book called Give Us This Day (GUTD) (2). Each day, it includes the daily reading for Mass and a short, insightful reflection by a different author. It also offers a brief story that honors a specific person. Some of the people are known saints. Others are less well-known but worth the introduction. All of their stories are insightful and encouraging. As I reviewed the stories in the March GUTD booklet, I was struck by the Spirit’s gift of Courage that many of the stories exhibited, even though courage appeared in diverse circumstances. So, I have chosen brief sections of some of the reflections that illustrate discernment and courage. Those featured in the stories, like us, prayed, discerned, and trusted the guidance of the Spirit. With wisdom, courage, and grace, they stood by their beliefs. My hope is that the following brief stories might help instruct and encourage us as we continue to meet the challenges in our ever-changing lives.

William Stringfellow (1928-1985), a theologian and social critic, is acknowledged on March 2nd. He was an “honored keeper and guardian of the Word.” From that theological position, he addressed racism, sexism, and the abuse of power. He is remembered by these words.

Being holy…does not mean being perfect, but being whole…it does not mean being morally better. It does not mean being godly, but rather being truly human.

Fanny Lou Hamer (1917-1977), a civil rights leader, is honored on March 13th. She was a woman sustained by deep faith. In 1963, she knew she was called to lead her people. Trusting the Spirit’s guidance, she led her Freedom Delegation from Mississippi to the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. Some of us still remember her words. “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Her vision and courage reached far beyond the South. She understood the danger and her vulnerability. Both are reflected in the following statement.

If I fall, I will fall 5‘4“ forward in the fight for freedom. I feel
sorry for anybody who could let hate wrap them up. Ain’t no
such thing as I can hate anybody and hope to see the face of God.

Blessed Rutilio Grande (1928-1977), a Jesuit martyr, is honored on March 12th. He was the first priest to be murdered in El Salvador. Father Rutilio worked so that poor women and men would awaken to their sense of dignity and claim their rights. His death marked the turning point for the leaders of the Church in El Salvador. Along with his two companions, Manuel Solorzano and Nelson Rutilio Lemus, Rutilio died. His death prompted Oscar Romero’s own journey on the road to Calvary.

Archbishop Romero (1917-1980) is also honored on March 28. We remember his words. “Above the Chains”

Transcendence means breaking through encirclements…. It means saying in one’s mind, I am above all things that try to enchain me. Neither death nor life, nor money nor power nor flattery, nothing can take from one this transcendent calling. There is something beyond history.

Karl Rahner (1904-1984) was a Jesuit priest and theologian. He was very influential in furthering the theology of Vatican11. After Pope John XXlll’s election, Rahner’s influence grew. In Rahner’s book The Mystical Way in Everyday Life, his theology became more accessible to those of us who are not theologians, but who want to grow in our spiritual lives. Rahner reminds us that grace is most commonly experienced in the humdrum of life. God encounters us in the routines of our lives: waiting, walking, working, laughing, eating and sorrowing. Rahner was greatly influenced by St Thomas Aquinas, O.P.

The one who wrote Psalm 1 understands not only the world of nature, but also our inner landscape, the spiritual development of a faithful disciple. As we listen to the Psalm, it sounds like the prayer of an older person. The trees the psalmist describes are mature. They “bear fruit when they are ready.” The faith-filled person has “grown beyond greed.” She or he has put an end to “hatred and no longer nourishes illusions.” All of this takes time and a constant change of heart.

Psalm 1 is a Wisdom Psalm. In a way, it is a summary of all of the psalms because it tells us what wisdom is. Wise persons are not nourished by illusions, but delight in the truth. They have a spiritual maturity. Their wisdom comes with age and is the result of discernment, prayer, and service. As one of our clear-minded one-hundred-year-old sisters says, “Becoming wise is a lifetime process that can’t be rushed.”

1. The translation of the Psalm is by Stephen Mitchell.

2. Give us This Day, Liturgical Press, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500. 888-259-8470. giveusthisday.org