Our Readings: The Psalm

Part two in my continued series on the readings Adam and I have chosen for our wedding--pending, of course, the priest's final approval.

Psalm (Psalm 118: 19-25*)-This is the choice we've given the least thought; for a descendant from the Martin family (my paternal grandmother's family), the choice seemed obvious. Psalm 118:24 is a really important verse of scripture for my family. My great-grandmother, Mamacora, used to ask her family daily, "Do you know what day it is?" "It's Saturday, Mama." "No! This is a day that the Lord has made. You shall rejoice and be glad in it." When she died at ninety-nine, hers was the only happy funeral I've ever attended. "Ms. Cora's finally gotten that promotion she's been waiting for," the preacher said. And he meant it. Adam and I hoped that, by choosing this reading, we'd be aligning ourselves with her holy and truly grateful attitude about life and God.

Open the gates of victory;
I will enter and thank the Lord.
This is the Lord's own gate,
Where the victors enter
I thank you for your answered me;
You have been my savior
The stone the builders rejected
Has become the cornerstone.
By the Lord has this been done;
It is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice in it and be glad.
Lord, grant salvation!
Lord, grant good fortune.
*a very long psalm for which I'm not quite clear about the division