Praying the Communion Antiphon
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Praying the Communion Antiphon |
A Time Set Apart – Tuesday Second Week of Lent
Recounting His Wonders
Communion Antiphon (Psalm 9:2–3)
I will recount all your wonders,
I will rejoice in you and be glad,
and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.
Thinking
About the Words
“I
will recount…”
This
is deliberate remembrance.
Lent
is often associated with penitence, but here the Church places praise on our
lips. Recounting means telling again — naming the ways God has acted.
Memory
strengthens faith.
“All
your wonders.”
Wonders
are not only miracles. They are moments of unexpected grace, quiet providence,
subtle protection.
Do
I notice them? Do I remember them?
“I
will rejoice… and sing.”
Praise
is not denial of struggle. It is confidence in God within it. When we pray this
line I will rejoice in you and be glad- Jesus is rejoicing in me and is glad.
Do I believe that really at the core of my being- Jesus rejoices in me.
And
notice: this is prayed at Communion.
As
we receive Christ, we are invited not only to repent — but to rejoice. The One
who has acted in history acts again in the Eucharist.
Lent
is not joyless.
It is grounded joy.
Reflection
- What
“wonders” in my life have I forgotten?
- Do I
recount God’s faithfulness — or only my struggles?
- How
might gratitude shape my Lenten journey?
- Is there
one specific grace I can name and thank God for today?
Notice
the rhythm this week:
Saturday
— perfection as love.
Monday — mercy in action.
Today — remembrance and praise.
Lent
is not narrowing. It is widening.
Prayer
O
Most High,
I remember Your wonders.
Teach me to rejoice in You,
even in the discipline of Lent.
OTHER
ASPECTS TO CONSIDER
The
Hebrew verb behind Psalm 9:2 is “saphar” — to tell, to declare, to
narrate.
It
does not imply a specific time span like “recently” or “long ago.”
It
carries the sense of:
- Counting
carefully
- Telling
in detail
- Making
something known by speaking it aloud
There
is something deliberate about it. It is not vague gratitude. It is instead specific
remembrance. Why? The Psalm says, “all
your wonders,” the time span becomes expansive.
It
includes:
- Salvation
history
- Personal
history
- Yesterday
- Childhood
- Moments
of rescue
- Quiet
providence
Recounting
therefore stretches across time and place both personally and as a community.
Recounting
in Scripture often means anchoring the present in remembered faithfulness.
Israel
constantly did this:
- “He
brought us out of Egypt…”
- “He fed
us in the desert…”
Recounting stabilises the heart.
Does Jesus
show us how to recount?
At the Last Supper
“This is my body… Do this in
memory of me.” The entire Eucharist is
structured around sacred recounting. The Mass is living remembrance- not just
remembering the past but Jesus is made present in the Eucharist for us
today-everyday. The scripture is alive and active every day. Have you had the experience of reading
scripture and a word/phase attracts your attention. You have a number of thoughts about it and when
you read the same scripture another day, you have different thoughts or that
phrase no longer jumps off the page.
This is scripture being alive and present.
When He heals
He often tells people: “Go and
tell what God has done for you.” He encourages testimony such as on the Road to
Emmaus. He recounts
the Scriptures.
He retells Israel’s story in light of Himself. He shows how to interpret events
through God’s action.
His own prayer
When
Jesus prays (John 17), He recounts:
“I have glorified you… I have completed the work…”
There
is reflection.
There is awareness of what the Father has done.
Why this matters for Lent
Recounting
is not just remembering sins.
It
is remembering grace.
Without
recounting, Lent can become:
- Self-focused
- Heavy
- Narrow
With
recounting, Lent becomes:
- Grateful
- Anchored
- Hopeful
Perhaps
the quiet invitation today is:
Not
only, “Where must I turn?”
But also, “Where has He already acted?”
Sometimes
we can be good at theological recounting. However, we can also under-recount
your own story of grace. Maybe that is part of today’s invitation.
Today’s
invitation in this antiphon may be not to analyse sin but rather to name the
wonder. From that wonder, the naming of sin may become easier.
Recounting
is not dramatic. It is steady. It is grounding.
During
Lent we have been very focused on:
- Turning
- Mercy
- Perfection
- Sinfulness
- Core
Today
the Church gently says:
“Now
remember the wonders.” This is because
the Church wants us to balance everything. When we recount grace, we are less
afraid of naming sin.
Because
we are no longer standing in condemnation. We are standing in relationship.
Recounting builds trust. Trust makes turning possible. This then is very Lenten
and of course very eucharistic. .
Action:
.
Write
down three wonders or as many wonders you wish to recount across your life or
perhaps since Lent has begun.
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