Today we will hear Psalm 80. If we read the whole of Psalm 80, we notice a refrain that returns three times (vv. 4, 8, 20). The refrain: “O God, bring us back; let your face shine on us, and we shall be saved.” Sprinkled throughout this psalm, the theme of conversion is central. What is conversion, and why does it matter?
“Bring us back” relates to direction in our lives. It comes from a Hebrew verb that translates to “turn us in another direction” and “direct us down other paths.” Conversion is holding on to God’s grace that gives us new vision and clear direction in life. God’s grace allows us to live boldly and differently! Conversion is not easy and takes human will and heart, all guided by God’s grace.
God’s grace reveals itself in three ways in the psalm refrain. To bring us back is a plea to deliver us from where we are into God’s merciful presence, and God is the agent of this deliverance. Second, “let your face shine upon us” understands God as light that curses darkness. When we live in God’s light, we see the path ahead and do not walk aimlessly in the dark. Living in God’s light is salvation, and this is where the third way is evident: “and we shall be saved.”
Salvation does not have to be an epic saga. Most often, it is God’s gentle hand intervening to prevent us from doing what we want, the way we want. God took the vine out of Egypt to uproot, transplant, and nurture his people so that they bear fruit. He gave them a new land so that they could worship God.
Without conversion of heart, we go thirsty and die! If we pulled back and saw the readings in their entirety, we would see that we are the vineyard of the Lord. He made us in goodness and love, but often all we produce are wild grapes that are bitter and inedible. When we produce wild grapes, we go thirsty; we lack true wine that gladdens the heart (Psalm 104:15).
Matthew reminds us not to ignore the Son of God, who comes to reap the harvest. The tenants killed the Son and missed the mark on true conversion. Jesus came and elevated this idea of conversion. Jesus came not only to show the way, but to be the way! Jesus came to usher in the reign of God, where care for the poor and widows, and authentic love of neighbor would be sovereign over our lives. Jesus revealed the Father’s light and called us friends, inviting us to walk with him in this life and the next.
Conversion par excellence
If one saint imitated conversion perfectly, it is Saint Francis of Assisi, whose 800th anniversary of his death is celebrated worldwide today! I have been to Assisi three times. Every time, I prayed at his tomb, asking that I could imitate Francis’ heart. Francis did not always start out poor. He was once a soldier.
A significant moment in the young soldier’s life was his meeting with Christ in the Church of Saint Damian. Christ spoke to him three times, saying, “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins.” Francis rebuilt the church building. Pope Benedict XVI gave an account of this moment:
“At that moment St Francis was called to repair the small Church, but the ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the Church herself. At that time the Church had a superficial faith which did not shape or transform life, a scarcely zealous clergy, and a chilling of love. It was an interior destruction of the Church which also brought a decomposition of unity, with the birth of heretical movements. Yet, there at the centre of the Church in ruins was the Crucified Lord, and he spoke: he called for renewal, he called Francis to the manual labour of repairing the small Church of St Damian, the symbol of a much deeper call to renew Christ’s own Church, with her radicality of faith and her loving enthusiasm for Christ.”
Francis rebuilt the church building as a symbol of a deeper, more radical renewal within the Church. Pope Innocent III dreamed of Francis rebuilding the Church. In his dream, he saw a friar upholding the Church building, preventing it from collapsing.
This genuine renewal of the Church begins with each of us. May Christ renew his Church through us as he once did through the Poverello of Assisi. In this renewal, the Church continues to be a light to the nations, calling us to conversion.
Are you looking for genuine peace and direction in a noisy world? The Psalms have served as spiritual food for the human soul for thousands of years, offering comfort in our darkest moments and words for our great joys. Discover how these timeless prayers can radically reshape your life today. Secure your personal copy of my book and begin the journey!
Grab Your Copy TODAY
The Upside-Down Kingdom
Living in Holiness & Sanity Through the Wisdom of Saint Benedict
Hardcover — $45
Softcover — $25
Thank you for supporting my work.
By ordering directly through my website, you maximize the impact of your support and directly contribute to my ongoing writing projects.
Early Praise
“It is gratifying for me to be able to endorse this meditation on the Rule of St. Benedict by an oblate of our monastery. Through his long association with our community, Manolito has let himself be formed in his married and professional life by the spirit of St. Benedict. He shares that here in ways that will help others to live by the same spirit in whatever way of life they seek to follow Christ.”
Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, Abbot, Mount Angel Abbey
“This book is an invitation to step away from the busyness of life and enter into both a deeply personal and refreshingly universal reflection on the Rule of St. Benedict at Mount Angel Abbey. The text brings the Abbey to life, utilizes the engaging framework of personal memoir to experience the daily monastic rhythm of prayer and work, while concurrently offering contemporary meditations on the Rule. A beautiful and engaging read.”
Myrna Keough, Professor and Director of Sacred Music, Mount Angel Seminary
Leave a Reply