Psalm 131:1-3

This week’s responsorial is Psalm 131 in its entirety, a beautiful and humble reflection attributed to King David. Unlike some of the more elaborate psalms, this one is a concise expression of profound trust and humility before God.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty;

The psalmist begins by addressing the Lord with humility.

I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me.

Acknowledging the limitations of the human mind, the author avoids preoccupation with matters beyond understanding.

He does not have a false sense of self-sufficiency or importance.

Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.

The psalmist expresses his profound sense of inner peace, comparing his state of being to that of a weaned child (kegamul) with its mother.

The Hebrew kegamul refers to a toddler, two or three years of age, who is no longer at the breast but is still very much dependent on and secure with their mother. Just as such a child no longer cries for milk but rests peacefully with their mother, the psalmist rests in contentment in his relationship with God.

Jesus taught that this child-like attitude is a condition for entering the Kingdom of God: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2).

O Israel, hope in the LORD, both now and forever.

Based on his personal experience, the psalmist exhorts the community to have the same degree of confidence in God, not only in the present moment but for all time.