Psalms/John Carmody

Intro/Background

John T. Carmody, is the author of Psalms for Times of Trouble – December 1, 1995.

Book Description:

John Carmody here offers 75 prayers forged in darkness and trouble. In the spirit of the biblical psalmist, he speaks openly to god, whether for blame or praise.

The Psalm below was written a few weeks before his passing and is also found in the Epilogue of God’s Passionate Desire, by William A. Barry.

A Psalm on Love

You give us two commands
and let them merge into one.
We are to love you with all our heart
and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
More simply, we are to love always and everywhere:
our friends and enemies,
the skies above and the earth under out feet.
For you are love,
and those who abide in love abide in you.
It could not be plainer, more sharply focused:
the greatest of your gifts is love;
love is our only crucial obligation.
I love you, God, and have for all my adult life.
I love you badly, distractedly, impurely,
but from the first I knew what your name meant,
first received the slightest inkling,
I knew you were all that I needed or wanted
and my life gained purpose and order.
what shall I return to you
for all the favors loving you has brought me?
I shall dwell in the thought of you,
the hope for you,
the trust in your care for me,
and the love that you pour forth in my heart
all the days of my life
and all your heaven to come.