What a mystery for our faith: the silence of God in face of our follies!
① 1O God, have you rejected us forever? Why vent your anger on the sheep of your own fold?
2Remember the people you have formed of old, the tribe you have redeemed as your inheritance. Remember Mount Zion where you once lived.
3Climb and visit these hopeless ruins, the enemy has ravaged everything in the sanctuary.
4Your foes have roared triumphantly in the holy place, and set up their banner of victory.
5Like lumbermen felling trees, 6they smashed the carved paneling with hatchets, hammers and axes.
7They defiled your sanctuary and set aflame the dwelling place of your name.
8They said in fury, “Let us destroy them all.” They razed to the ground all the shrines of God in the land.
9With no signs and no prophets, no one can tell how long this will last.
10How long, O God, will the foe blaspheme? How long will the enemy revile your name?
11Why do you hold back your right hand? Why keep your hand hidden?
12Are you not O God, my king since birth, you who bring salvation to the land?
13You split the sea in two by your power; you broke the monsters’ heads in the water; 14you crushed the heads of Leviathan and fed him to the dolphins.
15You opened up rivers and springs and dried up ever-flowing streams.
16You own the day as well as the night; you have set the course of the sun and the light.
17You fixed the earth’s borders, you created summer and winter.
18Remember, O Lord, how the lawless scoff at your name, a party of fools cast you off.
19Do not betray your turtledove to the beast, do not forget forever the life of your poor.
20See how they keep your covenant in the dark caves of the land.
21Do not let the oppressed be put to shame; may the poor and needy praise your name.
22Arise, O God, and defend your cause, see how the thoughtless laugh at you all day long.
23Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the continuous uproar of your enemies.
- The great trials and persecutions at the time of the Maccabees had been a challenge to God: could he not and should he not act? It is the same in those places where the Church is really persecuted. With verse 14, we find the ancient legends about creation: God split in two the sea monster, the wicked goddess Rahab, and thrown her to the sea turtles to be eaten.
