Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren in the Lord, let us turn our hearts this day to the words of the royal prophet, who cries out in the ninety-eighth psalm: "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises." These words were first uttered in the temple courts of old Jerusalem, where Israel, freshly delivered from the hand of her enemies, lifted up a new song to celebrate the mighty acts of the Most High. The psalm proclaims not only the victory already won but the coming judgment of the world in righteousness, when all nations shall see the salvation of our God. In the days of the apostles, the same spirit of praise passed into the assemblies of the faithful. St. Justin Martyr records how, even amid persecution, the brethren gathered to sing psalms and hymns, offering to the Father the sacrifice of thanksgiving through His incarnate Son. What was once the song of one chosen people has become the universal melody of the Church, for Christ has fulfilled the promise that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Hear how the great Augustine expounds this verse in his homilies on the psalms. The noise we make, he teaches, is not the empty clamor of the world but the heartfelt resonance of redeemed souls. When the tongue fails, the heart continues the song; when sorrow presses upon us, the memory of the resurrection turns lament into alleluia. St. John Chrysostom likewise urges that our singing be not with the lips alone but with the harmony of a life lived in charity, so that the whole earth, by the witness of holy living, joins the chorus. Thus the early fathers saw in this psalm a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy, where angels and saints together cry, "Worthy is the Lamb." The joyful noise is therefore both gift and command: gift, because the Spirit pours forth love that cannot be silenced; command, because we are summoned to cast aside fear and despair. In the face of trial, let the Church not murmur but break forth into song, for the Judge who comes is the same Savior who was lifted up for us. My children, take these words into your daily round. When you rise, let the first movement of the heart be praise. When evening comes, let the last sound upon your lips be thanksgiving. So shall the earth indeed make a joyful noise, and the fear that once bound you shall be swallowed up in the victory of Christ our Lord. #FearNot220 #FearNotUNPLUGGED #202of220 #Catholic