November 26, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

That is where the tribes go up, the Lord’s tribes! It is a law for Israel to give thanks there to the Lord’s name. (Psalm 122:4)

All male Jews were required to go to Jerusalem three times a year for the major feasts of Passover, Weeks, and Booths. This is what the verse above is talking about. The word rendered in English as "law" really means testimony. The purpose of being in the festivals is not merely to be marked present but to give thanks as a testimony to our God's infinite goodness and mercy which we proclaim for the whole world to taste and see.

As the Church, the New Israel, let us remember this and fulfill our calling to be a Eucharistic (thankful) community. And every time we gather to worship, let us not appear before the Lord empty-handed, that is, without thanksgiving in our hearts.