Psalm 52 - Resistance

Mar 24, 2025

On our first day in Dublin, we saw three examples of resistance - one very present day, one in recent (last century+), and one many centuries ago. I see a theme of resistance in in Psalm 52 as it is a Psalm tied to the story of David’s flight from the persecution of Saul and how David always seemed to find a way to push back against Saul’s attacks. The Psalm begins by centering on the boasts of the people in power and speaks nothing but disdain for them.

All day long you are plotting destruction
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth.

And then the Psalm shifts into a judgment upon them and beginning a shift to lift up those who keep the ways of God and the ways of righeousness. It ends with a message of how, even when persecuted, oppressed, and attacked, the righteous will continue to grow and remain.

Resistance is like that. Often, the work of resistance against oppression and hatred feels like nothing ever changes. Actions continue to take place and injustice seems to reign supreme. Yet, the power of resistance be it by just a single individual or a group, is near impossible to fully extinguish. Seeds continue to be planted, growth continues even in places that seem like nothing can possibly ever change.

As we headed out on the streets of Dublin, we were greeted by a massive protest in support of Palestinians against the Israeli war in Gaza. At first, I thought it was just a small group on the streets but the groups kept coming, the signs and flags waving, and the chants growing louder. A few articles that I read that night shared that there were several thousand people marching in the streets. Those who were marching were not only Palestinians but people of different ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. I saw people marching on crutches, in wheelchairs, carring babies, holding hands of young children. All calling for freedom for those who are under oppression. And as you’ll see in the next part, these are calls that are very much at the heart of Irish identity, especially in the last 100+ years.

From there, we turned off the march route and headed to the GPO Musuem which remembers the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule. The museum shares the history behind what stirred for the people that led to the insurrection as well as the events of that Easter week and how it planted the seeds of the freedom that eventually came to Ireland. The people who participated were ordinary people - barristers, laborers, teachers, nurses - but people who had lived under occupation and wanted their own freedom. The 1916 Rising was not the only insurrection against the British but it was vital in building upon what had come before and what would come after. Even though it was a “failure” in that British rule did not end, it was a success in what it did for what was to come. Again, resistance...

And then to Trinity College for the Book of Kells Experience. The Book of Kells is one of the oldest illuminated manuscripts of the Gospels in existence and is an incredible example of dedication, persistence, artistry, and even resistance. As the original monks who worked on it began it at Iona in Scotland, they faced raids and brutality by Viking invaders in the 7th and 8th centuries CE. As they endured these, a group made a choice to take the manuscript and traveled across the Irish Sea to the coast of Ireland where they eventually settled at a new monastery that had begun in Kells. It was there that the manuscript was finished. Even there, the monks and the manuscript weren’t safe as they were attacked and the book disappeared. It was found months later missing its ornamental cover but the pages were still intact. In the 1600s it was eventually donated to Trinity College who continues to protect and preserve it today (resistance in this case against the elements). I was not allowed to photograph the actual book (which was opened to the opening parts of the Gospel of Luke) but here are some of the photos from the exhibit.

Each of these represent how the acts of resistance that we do today may not always result in the immediate changes we long for but that doesn’t mean that we stop. It means that we keep going and keep planting seeds for others to follow. The work continues.

Here are some of our remaining photos from Dublin from our first day there - The Old Library at Trinity, architecture of the city, The Dublin Spire, a pop into the Lego store, some amazing street sand art, and some food that didn’t look too good at the grocery.