Daniel 13:41-62 / John 8:12-20
As we listen to the readings at Mass, God speaks to us through His Word.
We reflect and meditate on the readings as we let the voice of God resonate in our hearts.
In responding to the Word of God, there is the Responsorial Psalm. Interspersed between the verses of the Psalms are responses.
The Psalms teach us how to speak to God, and the responses contain beautiful and profound expressions which can be used as our prayer to God.
In today's Responsorial Psalm, the response is: If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
That response expresses confidence of the prayer of Susanna as she was wrongly accused of a crime and sentenced to death.
She was thrown into the valley of darkness and evil, but she pleaded for her innocence before the Eternal God. And God heard her pleas by sending Daniel to her rescue.
There are also many other responses to the Responsorial Psalm that we can use for our prayer, especially in our time of urgent and desperate need:
- Lord God, I take refuge in you
- The Lord is close to the broken-hearted
- O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people
So as we listen to the voice of God in the readings, let us also take up the responses from the Responsorial Psalm, and use that as our prayer-response to God.
It can be as short and as simple as this: Lord, make me know your ways; teach me your paths.