Psalm 50

Unity in Peace: Praying for the Third Temple in Jerusalem

The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life,
but violence takes lives away.
-Proverbs 11:30



An angel with the heavenly host
descended and appeared to shepherds.
They were afraid because of the power and glory the
angels brought with them.
They said,
"Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you
good news of great joy for all people."
They described the Messiah, the Savior
as a babe in manger.
The juxtaposition of the power from on high
and the innocent infant surrounded by farm animals
must have been inconceivable.
Yet, the angels proclaimed,
"Glory to God in the Highest in heaven and on earth,
peace among those whom he favors!"
The angels left and the shepherds
went in haste to find the Holy Family.¹

It is said that when David was sleeping,
a great wind came causing his lyre to fall on him.²
He awoke and began writing the psalms:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
may they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.³

David sang the praises of the Lord by faith
and in return God called back to him
setting him on the right path.
Abel,Enoch, Noah and Abraham by faith did what pleased God.
For "without faith it is impossible to please God,
for whoever would approach Him
must believe He exists and that He
rewards those who seek him.⁴

So with faith they stepped out
to build things they never heard of,
to move to foreign lands they never knew of,
and to witness the impossible
made possible through God.

For the Lord Himself, with a cry of command,
with the archangel's call
and with the sound of God's trumpet,
will descend from heaven.⁵

Though times may be confusing,
making no known sense,
I will place my faith in Love.
As the wise woman who counseled Joab said,
"I am one of those who are
peaceable and faithful in Israel;
you seek to destroy a city that is a mother of Israel,
why would you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?"⁶

Lord, wherever and whenever possible
let me bring peace.
Always may I follow the example of
the Good Samaritan.⁷

Where there is light,
let us not cover it with the darkness of fear.
But let us embrace it
in You, God, if we are graced to behold
Your Glory directly
or reflected in the face
of your beloved as in Stephen.⁸
He confronted the council who
"saw his face like the face of an angel".
He reminded them of their
ancestors who were forever opposing the Holy Spirit.
Continuing the tradition they
opposed the Holy Spirit again, in him.
Even as Stephen was being stoned he said,
"I see the heavens and the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of God!"
They covered their ears and
rushed against him.

Oh my God
give us the courage and faith
to multiply the efforts of peace
and thwart naysayers
who come with violence and disbelief.
You, who are all powerful,let us convince You that
we are with You
in Unity of Peace!
Love and faith are the bonds
that take us forward to unknown territory!
Peace be with us always!

¹ Luke 2: 8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

² See video.

³ Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" 2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together. 4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. 5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers." 8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you." 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

⁴ Hebrews 11: 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain's. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and "he was not found, because God had taken him." For it was attested before he was taken away that "he had pleased God." 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

⁵ 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.


⁶ 2 Samuel 20: 16 Then a wise woman called from the city, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, "Come here, I want to speak to you.' " 17 He came near her; and the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Listen to the words of your servant." He answered, "I am listening." 18 Then she said, "They used to say in the old days, "Let them inquire at Abel'; and so they would settle a matter. 19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel; you seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel; why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?" 20 Joab answered, "Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy!

⁷ Luke 10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

⁸ Acts 6:15 And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 17: 51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53 You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it." 54 When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. ^j55 But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.