For a Day

Psalm 112 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady; they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely; they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

Reflection

I know it isn't in this text, precisely, but this trend of Gospel readings and a news story I heard this morning on WITF/NPR got me inspired to write about the day laborer and the denarius coin. "It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice" and "they have given freely to the poor" were surely the inspiration for this line of thought. Then I heard about the plight of those who wait at a day laborer center around 7am hoping for work for a day. I remembered the Bible stories and parables that referred to the Denarius coin. A bit strange for us, but that one coin was worth the typical day wage. Day laborers were so important that they had their own coinage. Same then as now, though, they would get paid at the end of the shift however much or little the rich landowner/boss wanted to. Their is little recourse against the wealthy and powerful.

This Psalm as a whole celebrates a harmonious and glorious life, where care is extended and justice is served. Only the wicked don't want to see this happen! The beauty of the song giving honor to God is that we participate fully in the expansion of God's Way. God blesses us and we share it. Generosity is the sign that we are on the "right side" of history. For, God will win the day and all days. Those who labor without pay are fully paid up in the goodness of God. Let us not just imagine these days, but work to make it happen!

Great God,

Guide us to better caretakers of our neighbors, lead us to advocate and to lead change. Show us ways to be careful in all our affairs so that fairness and goodness are clear as day. Teach us to do more with less and to care for this Creation better than the day before. Kindle in us the passion to stay on the path where justice and peace kiss. We pray this in the Name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

To go deeper:

https://anglicanfocus.org.au/2020/06/01/the-denarius-in-mark-12-15/

https://www.raydowning.com/blog/2016/4/26/coins-used-by-jesus-the-denarius

https://coinsweekly.com/the-four-coins-jesus-knew/