A Feast for our Souls

“So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think upon you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:4-8)

When meditating on this passage a few months ago, I was especially struck by the verse “my soul is feasted.” I think it’s a beautiful way to describe prayer. According to Webster’s dictionary, to feast is “to gratify or delight as with a feast.” Webster’s describes a feast as “a rich and elaborate meal” or “anything that gives pleasure because of its abundance or richness.”

Prayer is nourishment for our souls. We were created to love and serve God, so no created thing can ever satisfy our deepest inner longings. It is only when we are in communion with God through prayer that our thirst for Him is quenched and our souls are “feasted.”

When I “meet” God in prayer, I discover his merciful love for me. Knowing his love fills me with joy and hope. It is in prayer and the sacraments that God gives me the grace I need to face the trials of life and to trust in Him and his love for me.

Another verse that struck me is “my soul clings to you.” According to Webster’s, to cling is to “hold fast … as by embracing [or] entwining.” To me, then, clinging to God means to become one with Him, allowing Him to live and work in and through me. As St. Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20)