Psalms 66:20 Meaning Blessed Be God

Avippaṭisāra: Freedom from remorse Avippaṭisāra is the ease of a heart carrying nothing it has to hide. Having just admitted that a cherished wrong kept close inside would have stopped any answer cold, the psalmist finds the channel open instead, and that openness is the whole reason for the blessing that follows. A clean window lets light pass in both directions; the prayer went up unhindered because nothing inside was standing in the way of it.

Pasāda: Bright confidence Pasāda is the clearness that settles over a mind turned toward what is worth trusting. A prayer that has not been turned away is felt from the inside as a face still facing you, and the heart steadies on that fact rather than on any proof. Stirred-up water left standing goes clear on its own, and a heart that knows it has been heard settles the same way.

Mettā: Loving kindness Mettā is goodwill with no edge to it and no favorite. Kindness that was never taken back held all the way through the refiner's fire and the deep water, and it rests on him still, unchanged by everything he passed through to arrive here. Sunlight falls on every field without choosing which, and kindness of that shape simply stays.

Kataññutā: Gratitude Kataññutā is knowing what was done for you and keeping it in plain view. Brought out at last into a wide place, the psalmist keeps the account straight, counting the rescue and naming its source in the same breath instead of walking off with it. A borrowed umbrella is easy to forget once the rain stops, and the person who still remembers who lent it is rare.

Anumodanā: Gladness spoken aloud Anumodanā is appreciation voiced, good met openly and out loud. "Blessed be God" is that exact motion: joy that will not sit quietly, turning back toward the one who gave it, so the last word of the song is a return and not a request. Thanking the cook while the meal is still warm is the ordinary form of it, said now, while the goodness is still being tasted.