Reflections
Psalm 112: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (Read)
“Light shines through the darkness
to the upright.”
The Psalm inspires us to have a right
relationship with the Lord
(becoming 'upright.') Having done so,
having delighted in God's commands,
we begin to imitate Him and treat our
brothers and sisters as He would do.
“Light shines through the darkness to
the upright; he is gracious and merciful
and just.” These are heavenly qualities
(being gracious, and merciful and just),
and having God's light in our hearts
inspires us to do good works,
to “conduct our affairs with justice,”
“give to the poor lavishly.”
And as we measure out a good and
generous measure, our measure is returned
to us many times over. As the Psalm says,
we will be lifted up from within; our "horn
shall be exalted in glory."
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm's verses are in keeping with this Sunday's Gospel
and the reading from Isaiah. All three affirm that we people of
faith are the 'light of the world' and are motivated to do good deeds.
Give an example of how your light shines through in the darkness.
2. Our psalmist speaks of a man whose 'heart is firm, trusting in
the Lord,' whose 'heart is steadfast.' In our world today, what makes
you firm of heart and trusting in the Lord?
I am a fearful person. I worry more than I worship. Sometimes, it might even be said that I worship my problems. And yet, God can touch my heart to be firm and steadfast -- a miracle in and of itself. I love verse 7 of this Psalm; my translation reads "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." I do not even know how to describe the transformation that occurs, but when fear takes over my thoughts, I consciously remind myself to be grateful. With intention, I look for the blessings, the positive circumstances for which to be thankful. My heart receives strength and calm through this exercise, each time.
ReplyDeleteI recall an episode when the school nurse called in the middle of the day to tell me my son had taken a fall during PE class. He was in so much pain that I could hear him crying in the background. My heart leapt out of my chest as I hurried to pick him up and possibly take him to the Emergency Dept. I didn't know what the injury could be. As I was driving, I thanked God that I was home to get the call. I thanked God that I lived near school. I thanked God that I was a stay-at-home mom who could just run to school instead of balancing work as well. As I was thanking God, I was almost at school and a peace and strength washed over me. I picked up my son who was slumped in the corner, ice over his knee. I had new-found strength to comfort him and help him to the car. As I did so, my husband, a physician, called to say he was coming home early. God is good! We went straight home instead of the hospital and had Dad examine son and conclude that the knee would be okay. This may be a very small story of how to remain steadfast, but I find it easy to learn from this concrete example, and it is a good reminder for me.