Psalms – Chapter 57

Old Testament12 Verses

1Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title.

2If in very deed ye speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.

3For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.

4The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.

5Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:

6Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.

7God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.

8They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.

9Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.

10Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.

11The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.

12And man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.

Reflection for Today

Psalms Chapter 57 presents themes of prayer, praise, and the full range of human emotion before God that Catholic tradition has long cherished. the Psalms are the prayer book of the Church, prayed daily in the Liturgy of the Hours (CIC 2585-2589). The teaching that God invites us to bring all our emotions to Him remains as relevant today as when first written.

The Church reads Scripture within the context of the liturgy, where the Word of God is proclaimed and celebrated. The Catechism teaches that "in the liturgy, God speaks to his people and Christ is still proclaiming his Gospel" (CIC 1088). This chapter, when read in the context of the Church's worship, takes on deeper meaning.

Catholic biblical scholarship, guided by the Magisterium, helps us understand both the historical context and the spiritual meaning of these texts. The four senses of Scripture—literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical—open up the richness of God's Word. May your reading of this chapter bear fruit in holiness and service to others.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

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