Many American males – though a declining number – offer their seats to women on MBTA buses and subways and address crowds with the feminine gender first, “Ladies and gentlemen.” With four daughters and five granddaughters, it bothers me to me to almost always hear “Brothers and sisters” rather than the reverse.

With all this in mind it was nice to come across a version of the 23rd Psalm that was somewhat different. This very popular psalm, accompanied by photos of loved ones, was frequently taken into battlefields on scraps of paper by soldiers to prop them up against the normal, horrifying fears that arise when their lives were at stake. Consider:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The version that struck a chord with me was composed by a Barbara Monda. Notice how it avoids a total masculine reference point as so many psalms, proverbs, and other stories from the Bible do.

“My Mother is my shepherd and I lack nothing. She lays me down in green grass and carries fresh water to me. I can rest in her watchfulness while my soul is restored. She leads me along the path to wholeness. Even when I feel lost in my own darkness, I do not give in to discouragement because I have her with me.”

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The National Kateri Center Martyrs Shrine has a Native American version:

“The Great Father above is a Shepherd Chief. I am His, and with Him I want not. He throws out to me a rope and the name of the rope is love, and he draws me to where the grass is green and the waters not dangerous. I eat and lie down satisfied. Sometimes my heart is very weak and falls down, but He lifts it up gain and draws me onto a good road. His name is wonderful.”

However you pray this psalm or others, have a happy and meaningful Palm Sunday.