Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Psalm for Sunday, May 13, 2012


Reflections

Psalm 98:  1, 2-3, 3-4
 
“Break into song, sing praise.”
The Lord makes all thing new,
and we are a new creation,
the work of his hands.
And so it is right that
we sing a 'new song' to the Lord,
who has done marvelous things for us. 

This is a Psalm of joy, originally
written to celebrate the return
of Israel from exile.
Today’s Gospel also speaks of joy --
our joy in keeping the Fathers’
commandments and imitating Christ.

The Psalm says,
“The Lord has made his salvation known;
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.”
This can be for us about Jesus' victory
over death and sin, so that we might live.
And how is salvation obtained;
how is the victory won?
It is won by God's holy arm,
his son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Victory is obtainable for us too,
if we keep the faith, give thanks to God, and praise Him. 

“The Lord has remembered his kindness
and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.”
What greater love can there be
than the love of the Lord?
(As put so profoundly in this
week’s 2nd reading from 1 John 4)

Our Psalm exclaims,
“All the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God.”
This verse and today's 1st reading
confirm that the gift of the holy Spirit
is for us Gentiles too.
For we are called to be baptized
in the name of Christ.
We too are appointed by Him
to go forth and bear fruit,
to remain in the love of the Lord,
and to do his will.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection 

1.   Our Psalm Response is,
"The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power."  
How has the Lord shown his saving power to you personally?

2.   Our Psalm speaks of singing a new song,
of singing joyfully to the Lord,
and we are urged to break into song and sing praise.  
What is it about your faith and the Easter season
that makes you want to sing praise to the Lord?


6 comments:

  1. What is it about your faith and the Easter season that makes you want to sing praise to the Lord?

    I love singing at church or other ministries I am involved in because the the Lord has blessed me abundantly and I want to sing His praises. I often just out of the blue (Holy Spirit working) sing about the Lord and His awesome power to change my mood from ordinary to extraorindary. Here it goes... Can you hear it?...Our God is an awesome God he reigns from heaven and earth....

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  2. Andrew1:22 PM

    We put faith into God. He protects then because of our faith. He is protecter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What is it about your faith and the Easter season that makes you want to sing praise to the Lord?

    I love singing at church or other ministries I am involved in because the Lord has blessed me abundantly and I want to sing His praises. I often just out of the blue (Holy Spirit working) sing about the Lord and His awesome power to change my mood from ordinary to extraordinary. Here it goes... Can you hear it?...Our God is an awesome God he reigns from heaven and earth....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrew7:07 PM

    We put our faith in God. He protects us then because of our faith. He is our protector.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It can be hard for someone that has had a troubled life to feel welcome in any place. Something that I love about the Catholic church is that it is universal and for everyone. Therefore, those who don't feel welcome need to be invited by people like us. God is always there for everyone because he loves us so much.

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  6. 1. He called, bringing me into light from the darkness when I was still a sinner. By crucifying himself he saved me. And now He fills me with the Holy Spirit - our Counselor. I can remain in the love of the Lord. And He empowers me to do his works so that by bearing fruit my life will bring glory and honor to Him. We all know it is not easy to bear fruit with our own efforts. But at least I'm trying hard to bear fruit with the help of God. In this way Our Lord has shown me his saving power.

    2. The Lord has made his salvation known: This psalm of praise anticipates the coming of God. Jesus fulfilled this anticipation to come to save us, and revealed God's justice toward us. Because of Jesus' victory over death and sin, we were all saved too. He'll come again to rule over us as King of Kings and ruler above all. He was resurrected in his Glory. I believe in the Resurrection of the Body. That's why I shout for joy and sing to the Lord a new song and make music with my lips to Him.

    ReplyDelete