To Dwell

(Found here)

Thou preparest a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies;

thou anointest my head with oil,

    my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

    all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

    for ever.

~Psalm 23:5-6

“The Psalmist becomes the object of much attention for which reason he sees himself as a wayfarer who finds shelter in a hospitable tent, whereas his enemies have to stop and watch, unable to intervene, since the one whom they considered their prey has been led to safety and has become a sacred guest who cannot be touched. And the Psalmist is us, if we truly are believers in communion with Christ. When God opens his tent to us to receive us, nothing can harm us. Then when the traveller sets out afresh, the divine protection is extended and accompanies him on his journey: ‘Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever’ (Ps 23[22]:6).

The goodness and faithfulness of God continue to escort the Psalmist who comes out of the tent and resumes his journey. But it is a journey that acquires new meaning and becomes a pilgrimage to the Temple of the Lord, the holy place in which the praying person wants to ‘dwell’ for ever and to which he also wants to ‘return’. The Hebrew verb used here has the meaning of ‘to return’ but with a small vowel change can be understood as ‘to dwell’. Moreover, this is how it is rendered by the ancient versions and by the majority of the modern translations. Both meanings may be retained: to return and dwell in the Temple as every Israelite desires, and to dwell near God, close to him and to goodness. This is what every believer yearns and longs for: truly to be able to live where God is, close to him. Following the Shepherd leads to God’s house, this is the destination of every journey, the longed for oasis in the desert, the tent of shelter in escaping from enemies, a place of peace where God’s kindness and faithful love may be felt, day after day, in the serene joy of time without end.”

~Benedict XVI