Podcast: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Hi and welcome to the Modern Psalmist Podcast. I’m Rebecca De La Torre.

This weekend we celebrate the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, and the beloved parable of the prodigal son. This is certainly one of my favorite parables, and all the readings for today proclaim God’s mercy toward humanity.

The psalm for this weekend is taken from chapter 51, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms. The response, however, is from today’s gospel in Luke chapter 15. Verse 18 is used for the response:

“I will rise and go to my father.”

This is an alternate version of Psalm 51, which happens to be the first psalm I ever composed, over 17 years ago for Ash Wednesday – the response being

“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned”

I like how this psalm was adapted to fit the parable of the prodigal son. All of us have experienced deep regret and the need to return to our heavenly father to plead for forgiveness and mercy.

The communion antiphon for today also proclaims God’s great mercy. Taken from Psalm chapter 36 verse 8, we read:

“How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men seek shelter in the shadow of your wings.”

I love the theme of mercy and forgiveness ro prevalent in our readings today. So much so, that I had trouble deciding which songs to feature, so I’ve selected two.

The first is “Misericordes Sicut Pater” and features a Latin ostinato refrain that means “Merciful like the Father”

There is one more song I would like to share that is an excellent fit for today’s readings, titled “Lead Me Back to You”. It’s one I wrote a few years ago when I felt so far from God and really wanted to experience a deeper, more intimate connection. I hope you enjoy it.

That was my original song “Lead Me Back to You” for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C. Recordings and sheet music of all the songs featured on this podcast can be found in the show notes or on TheModernPsalmist.com

Until next week, may God bless you abundantly!