One of the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life was when I stood in the Sistine Chapel in Rome and looked up at the magnificent work of Michelangelo. One of the figures painted is that of the prophet Jeremiah, sitting silently, deep in thought, as he sadly remembers the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, recalling a happier time in Jerusalem.

Like Jeremiah, the writer of this Psalm is also remembering Jerusalem and the sadness the Jews felt when they were forced to leave it. Heavyhearted, unable to sing, they reflect and yearn for the day when they would be allowed to return to their beloved city.

We, like the Jews, are st rangers in a foreign land. It is very easy for us to los e sight of our “homeland” as we become so involved in the day-to-day experience of this life. We can learn a great lesson from the Jewish captives in that they never lost sight of their true home. We, like Abraham, should “look forward to the city . . . whose builder and maker is God.”

To believe in heaven is not to run away from life;
it is to run toward it.
- J. D. Blinco