The Introit for the First Sunday in Lent — Invocabit — is drawn from Psalm 91, a text rich in promise and protection.
This choral setting centers on the comfort and privilege of dwelling under the Lord’s shelter. But where do we find that shelter?
We find it in His house — the Church. This is where the Most High resides. As David declares in Psalm 26:8 (and as we are instructed to pray upon entering a church):
“Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells!”
Here, in the sanctuary, we receive all the graces of God:
- His protection from our enemy, the Devil
- His forgiveness of our sins
- His eternal sacrifice, made once for all and presented in the sacrament
- His spiritual nourishment through the preaching of the Word
- His real, bodily presence at the altar rail in the sacramental bread and wine
And we must remember how we arrived at this holy place — not by our own strength, but by His watchful care, mediated through the ministry of His angels:
For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
— Psalm 91:11–12
It is fitting, then, that when we kneel before our Lord and Maker, we echo the psalmist’s confession:
“I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
And with Peter we ask, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6)
We have no other refuge. Certainly not ourselves.
So as we enter the penitential season of Lent, Psalm 91 invites us to draw near — to the Church, to the sacrament, and to the presence of the Most High. Here we encounter the Lord. Here we find His protection. And here we are invited to dwell in His glory.