The psalm is appointe for Sunday being paired with John 2:1-11 the wedding at Cana.

 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
² You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
⁴ Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.

⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
⁶ May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

 

The following is adapted from “Christ in the Psalms” by Patrick Henry Reardon.

This psalm…is modest in its hopes.  It does not wish for wealth, or power or prestige.    Rather it speaks of eating the fruits of one’s labors.  It is not a wish for easy money, but for such resources as come from hard employment.  Indeed, the word used here…means labor in the sense of very arduous tasks, even pain…. The image evoked here is that of the fallen Adam, bending over his hoe to deal the uncooperative soil.  This is the blessing of the psalm, the simple joy of maintaining one’s own life; even at subsistence level.

And also the life of one’s family.  A man’s wife and children are blessings from God, here described with the metaphors of fruitful plants.  The blessing of this is the happiness found in the life of work and the circle of the family, all the way to old age and the vision of grandchildren.  God blesses His reverent and obedient servants.  Such things pertain to the peace of Jerusalem.

Prayer:

Lord from opened side the church was formed, and sanctified in your cleansing blood.  Make your Church a fruitful vine, with many children who will rejoice with you at your table and celebrate your goodness now and forever.