Reflections
Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
“Look to God that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush for shame.”
Where does our joy come from? How do we
obtain a joyful spirit? It comes from repenting
and returning to the Lord, like the Prodigal son
does in our Gospel reading. Only then can we
be embraced by the Lord. Having humbled
ourselves before Him, confessed our sins,
he takes us back. Like the Prodigal's father,
He watches for us each day, encouraging us
to lift our bodies out of our shame and return
to Him, to be reconciled, to be restored, in a
right relationship with the Father.
“My soul will glory in the Lord, that the poor may
hear and be glad.” The word poor is said to apply
to one who depends completely on God for his
deliverance and his very life. That’s where the
Israelites stood that day on the plains of Jericho –
totally dependent on God for deliverance, as in
our 1st reading this Sunday. And if the truth were
to be known, that’s where we stand even today,
when we are short of endurance along our
spiritual journey.
The psalmist recounts for us how he gained
deliverance, “I sought the Lord, who answered me,
delivered me from all my fears.” Despite the anguish
in the psalmist’s voice, there is also a powerful, joyful
spirit – “Look to God that you may be radiant
with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.”
Our Father watches for us each day, encouraging us.
He reconciles us and restores us, and He provides
the inner strength we need to complete our own
spiritual journey.
As St. Paul says, in our 2nd reading this Sunday,
we are reconciled to God through Christ, and
we become ambassadors for Christ.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist looks to God so that his face may
not blush for shame. Explain how you are overcoming
your own shame this Lenten season, by looking to the
Lord, repenting, and becoming radiant with joy.
2. The Psalm's verses talk about those who are poor
in spirit, totally dependent on God. Speak about how you
rely on the Lord for deliverance and are saved by the Lord.
The lyrics to a popular Christian song by the group, Casting Crowns, say:
ReplyDelete"Jesus, friend of sinners... break our hearts for what breaks yours..." The tears stream down my face every time I hear this song on my car radio. These are tears of shame. If sinners were good enough to be in the company of our savior Jesus, they should be good enough to sit at my table, shop where I shop, and attend school where my children do. Although I usually think I'm better than the Pharisees, how easy it is to slip into self-righteousness and judgment of others. I blush as I recognize my own hypocrisy. At this moment of tearful realization, this painful look in the spiritual mirror, I also feel intense joy. My desire to repent is sparked by the prayer "to break our hearts for what breaks Yours." At such moments, I can see the sin in my life clearly. I can feel it. I ask the Lord to help me cut out of my life all that is not pleasing to Him, especially during Lent. The Lord not only helps me do so, but welcomes me with open arms when I do so. In an instant, I am forgiven and my tears of shame are turned into tears of joy. Radiant joy!
On a more light-hearted note, the confessing and repentance of sin is also the best beauty secret that I know of. To be at peace with the Lord erases lines of worry and angst on your face. Your eyes are brighter and you can't help but smile -- another interpretation of becoming "radiant with joy".
Where does our joy come from? It comes from God, and Lent is the perfect time to take stock of ourselves, and work at becoming more Godlike. Think of a tree that observes the laws of nature.......a seed firmly rooted in fertile soil, becomes a sapling, and gathers the energy from the nutrients and the sun and the earth, and should, God willing, become a tree. God's law of love is also directed towards our completeness, and once again, God willing, we become as our creator intended us to be.
ReplyDeleteThe lyrics to a popular Christian song by the group, Casting Crowns, say: "Jesus, friend of sinners... break our hearts for what breaks yours..." The tears stream down my face every time I hear this song on my car radio. These are tears of shame. If sinners were good enough to be in the company of our savior Jesus, they should be good enough to sit at my table, shop where I shop, and attend school where my children do. Although I usually think I'm better than the Pharisees, how easy it is to slip into self-righteousness and judgment of others. I blush as I recognize my own hypocrisy. At this moment of tearful realization, this painful look in the spiritual mirror, I also feel intense joy. My desire to repent is sparked by the prayer "to break our hearts for what breaks Yours." At such moments, I can see the sin in my life clearly. I can feel it.
ReplyDeleteI ask the Lord to help me cut out of my life all that is not pleasing to Him, especially during Lent. The Lord not only helps me do so, but welcomes me with open arms when I do so. In an instant, I am forgiven and my tears of shame are turned into tears of joy. Radiant joy!
On a more light-hearted note, the confessing and repentance of sin is also the best beauty secret that I know of. To be at peace with the Lord erases lines of worry and angst on your face. Your eyes are brighter and you can't help but smile -- another interpretation of becoming "radiant with joy".