Reflections
Psalm 116: 12-13, 15-16, 17-18 (Read)
“I will take the cup of salvation and call on
the name of the Lord.”
This saving cup is the same cup that we share
each time we participate in the Liturgy of the
Eucharist. It is the cup of the blood that Jesus
shed to mark the new covenant with people
of faith.
We are saved by Christ; He is the divine victim.
Our psalmist asks, “How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?”
The Psalm affirms, “Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.” What could be more
costly than the death of God’s only son? Yet God
consented to the death of his Son because of his love
for us; God did not spare Him. Once again we ask,
“How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done
for me?”
Certainly we are all obliged to pay our vows to the Lord,
to give Him praise, to obey his commandments, and to do
his will. As the Psalm says, “My vows to the Lord I will pay
in the presence of all his people.”
We are to praise Him and worship Him in the presence
of the community. It is not just between us and God.
We are part of a community, and we are to acknowledge
Him and bow down to Him publicly. And we are to proclaim
the Gospel!
Our psalmist says, “O Lord, I am your servant, you have
loosed my bonds.” We are made free by becoming the
Lord's servant. That is how it is when we follow his
commandments and do his will. It is not something that
binds us. Rather, it is something that sets us free.
We take delight in serving the Lord.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmists asks, "How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?"
Explain how you would answer this question.
2. When you "take the cup of salvation," do you receive our Lord's saving power?
Say how you respond when you eat His body and drink His blood.
“How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” The answer is simple…..”We shouldn’t even try." We could never hope to duplicate what He did for us. BUT, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be properly grateful, and continue our thanks and appreciation. We show Him by example/by our deeds in the kind of lives we are living.
ReplyDelete"How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?"
ReplyDeleteThis should be a no brainer. I can give more of my time in prayer and worship; however, I somehow struggle to give my time fully to the Lord who has blessed me and has done good for me.
The Lord has been good to me and I owe Him a lot; why do I waste the time I could be giving to the Lord by getting caught up in electronic devices? It's easy to find excuses and push things off till later, but our Lord does not deserve this treatment. Forgive me Lord.
He has shown me His power to answer prayers and has helped me during times of need. The least I can do to show Him Thanks and Praise is to give Him my attention. I ask for your prayers that I move forward with my plan of starting my day with the Lord and giving Him my full attention.
Another way I can repay our Lord, is through trusting in Him. Although I pray and lift up my concerns, there are times that I still question and have doubts. Does this mean I don't fully trust that our Lord will answer my plea? I need to Trust, and believe; He always reassures me in the end.
Recently, I was in a situation where I was concerned and occupied all day with worry that I had given some personal information to the wrong person. I prayed, yet worry still consumed me. Just today I came across information that confirmed it will be fine. Thank you Lord, for once again showing me that I need to fully Trust that you will take care of me.
This Sunday June 7th is the Feast of Corpus Christi - Celebration of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus himself established the Eucharist for us on His Last Supper so that we could take Holy Communion until He comes again.
ReplyDeleteThe Eucharist protects us from the devil's hand. Jesus says in John 6:54, "Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." Jesus made a new covenant with people of faith. In return we gain Salvation because we remain in Him and He remains in us. How blessed we are! On our part we have to acknowledge Him and to proclaim the Gospel. And thank and praise Him for saving us from sin and death.
Jesus nourishes my soul whenever I receive Holy Communion. It is truly spiritual food for me. I worship Him for what He has done for my Salvation. I do not feel abandoned. I feel saved and loved because He remains in me through Holy Communion. I receive His saving power as well.