Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Psalm for Sunday, June 3, 2012 (Holy Trinity)

 
Reflections

 
Psalm 33:  4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22


“The eyes of the Lord are upon
those who fear him ...
to deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.”

We have been chosen by God
to be his people.
God is all powerful --
“By the word of the Lord
the heavens were made.”
“For he spoke, and it came to be.”

Our 1st reading (Deuteronomy) reminds us
we are to keep his commandments.
And we do this because we hold Him in awe.  

Like a Good Shepherd He protects us from harm;
He puts up a hedge around us
and provides us with armor
in our battle against death and the evil one;
He feeds us when we go through
periods of spiritual hunger.  
He nourishes us and gives us
our daily spiritual bread.  

“Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield.”
It is said that even people who have no faith
have a longing in their hearts for God.
There is something missing in their lives.
For us who are believers,
we are dependent on the Lord –
we openly seek his help and his protection.
He is our shield in the spiritual battle
that we all have to fight.

We would be dead in our sins
without the Lord's protection,
defeated by the evil one
without the Lord's armor.
And when our hearts
are starved for God's presence,
when our bones are dry,
he nourishes us
and breathes life into our dry bones.
“Lord we have put our hope in you.”


“ Our soul waits for the Lord ….”
We are delivered from death,
kept alive in times of spiritual famine.
We can expect to receive his grace.
And for this, we praise the Lord.
As the psalmist says,
we know he will fill the earth with kindness
and that his kindness will be upon us.

“We have put our hope in the Lord.”
Jesus, in turn, puts his hope in us,
commanding us to go out
and make disciples of all nations.
As God's children (2nd reading),
we must be submissive
and abandon ourselves to his Plan,
just as Jesus tells us in the Gospel.

We have been given to Jesus
so that we may proclaim
the good news of salvation.
In this way we carry out the Lord’s works
and celebrate what the Psalm says:
“The Lord loves justice and right.”

Amen



Discussion Questions for Reflection


1.  Our Psalm Response this week is,
'Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.' 
Do you believe that you have been chosen by God
to be one of His children?   Explain.

2.  Our psalmist speaks of preserving us in spite of 'famine.' 
Have you gone through periods of spiritual hunger?  
How has your faith enabled you to regain your strength
and obtain nourishment?


6 comments:

  1. Yes, I believe I'm one of the chosen
    ....I've known a lot of wonderful, exceptionally good people, who just don't have the FAITH....which we all know is a gift!

    For most of us, when times are good, it's difficult to find the need/time for spiritual hunger. We do find that spiritual hunger in the difficult times when we seek out God and ask repeatedly for his help and support.

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  2. If I am to look back at my life and see where, as in the (Footprints prayer) where God has lifted me up it would be incredible. I am constantly hungry for a deeper knowledge of my faith and just when I think, I think) I am slowing down and could not learn more, He the one who died on the cross for us,Jesus our Christ brings me around and says son, I have a lot more for you to learn. Wow what an awesome God we have constanly nourshing us and training us for our encounter with the Father. Praises be to God.

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  3. If I am to look back at my life and see, (as in the Footprints prayer), where God has lifted me up, it would be incredible. I am constantly hungry for a deeper knowledge of my faith and just when I think I am slowing down and could not learn more, He the one who died on the cross for us, Jesus our Christ, brings me around and says son, I have a lot more for you to learn. Wow what an awesome God we have constantly nourishing us and training us for our encounter with the Father. Praises be to God.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrew9:06 AM

    God protects us. He protects us with the Holy Spirit and the son, Jesus. These three make up the Trinity and they protect us in our lives and they guide us through it too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. Yes, I'm one of His children chosen by God. At first I thought I chose God first, but later on I found out that God has chosen me first and asks me to go out and spread the Gospel (good news of salvation) around the world (John 15: 16). This is a privilege for me to be one of His children because I can seek his help and protection whenever I am engaged in a spiritual battle. His grace will always be upon me. Most of all, as His child, I'll inherit the Kingdom of God. Isn't that wonderful to know God chose me first?


    2. There was a time I was desperately longing for his presence, experiencing a period of spiritual hunger and dryness and darkness. I could keep alive by His Mercy and proclaiming my faith in Him and asking Him to deliver me from my sins and the evil spirits. With the armor of God, I could stand firm against the dark forces that tried to separate me from God.
    I was able to defeat them and regain my strength and restore my faith in God. Always remember that in times of crisis, we can place our hope in God because He is powerful and merciful.

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  6. Andrew8:33 PM

    God protects us. He protects us with the Holy Spirit and the Son, Jesus. These three make up the Trinity, and they protect us in our lives and they guide us through life too.

    ReplyDelete