Fr. Michael Williams

Apart from the ‘Our Father’ and the ‘Hail Mary’, Psalm twenty-two, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’, is probably the prayer I use most when praying for the sick in this hospital.

For Christians, this psalm is a beautiful prayer that calls to mind Christ, the Good Shepherd. As we know a shepherd has responsibility to look after his sheep; and Our Lord has a responsibility to look after us, and it’s a responsibility Our Lord is completely committed to. He ensures ‘there is nothing I shall want’. This is not to say that He will give us everything that we want. Rather it means that He will provide us with all that we need. And what we need most of all is His grace to bring us strength and peace, as we journey toward our heavenly homeland, those ‘fresh and green pastures’.

The grace of Our Lord gives us repose; it gives us rest. But we must allow the Lord to give us this repose and rest by spending some quiet time with Him in prayer. One of the best ways to receive this peace and quiet is by praying in front of the tabernacle. Jesus is there for us, awaiting to pour out His blessings upon us. How sad that many people do not give the Good Shepherd the opportunity to bless them with rest and peace, as they are too busy with worthless things!

Even amidst the trials and tribulations of life the Good Shepherd wishes to revive our drooping spirits. He revives our drooping spirits especially through the Sacraments. Some people’s spirits are drooping because of their sins, yet after making a good confession, their spirits are rejuvenated. I’ve seen this very often! Some people’s spirits are drooping because of an illness, yet after receiving the Sacrament (or Anointing) of the sick, theirs spirits are strengthened to face the future with confidence. And of course Christ revives our drooping spirits with the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.

Psalm twenty-two reminds us that we will all, ‘walk in the valley of darkness’, at various stages in our lives. But we should ‘fear no evil’, for the Good Shepherd is there with us. Yes, we have foes, those spiritual powers of darkness that seek to draw us away from the Good Shepherd. But Jesus, with His crook and His staff- the signs of His authority- is more powerful than our enemies and the darkness of this world. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is with us to give us comfort, to carry us through the valleys of darkness, to strengthen us with His grace. So let us allow Him to do it so that one day we will reach ‘the Lord’s own house [there] to dwell forever and ever’.