Monday, April 25, 2016

Psalm for Sunday, May 1, 2016


Reflections


“May God be gracious to us 
and bless us; may God's face 
shine upon us.”

So much that God does for us is 
contained in this opening verse of 
the Psalm.  God gives us his grace 
through his son Jesus, who is our 
Savior.  And we all want God’s 
blessings, as the Psalm says. 
Since the time of Moses, God’s 
chosen people have reached out 
for God’s blessings.

God gives us material blessings –
all our treasure and gifts are from 
Him.  And thankfully, He gives us 
spiritual blessings as well – 
as St Paul tells us, to each individual
the manifestation of the spirit is given 
for some benefit. (1Corinthians 12:7)

No wonder that we Gentiles were 
attracted to the faith, when St Paul 
and St Barnabas were traveling 
through the towns and visiting
the early churches.

And what could be better than 
to have God's face shine upon us, 
as the psalmist says. We have a hint 
of what the radiance of God's face 
may be like in Sunday's 2nd reading, 
where St John speaks of the light of 
God's glory that shines in the
city of heaven. (Revelation 21:11)

By ministering to the Gentiles, 
the 'way' of the Lord became known
upon earth among all the nations, 
as the Psalm says. Indeed the
Psalm predicts that God’s saving 
power shall be known among all 
the peoples. Thankfully,
that includes us.

Today we join with our psalmist 
and the members of the early 
church in praising God –
“May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

   
1.  Our psalmist asks that God will let His face shine upon us.   
Tell of how you have felt the radiance of God when He is present to you.

2.  The Psalm prays that the Lord's 'way' be known among
all nations.   
What have you done personally to encourage others to follow the 'way' of the Lord? 



2 comments:

  1. NONE OF US are perfect. When God challenges us, He gives us special graces and insight to meet and beat the challenge. But it’s up to each of us, to rise up and seek God’s special support especially in a time of crisis. God doesn’t expect us to solely depend upon ourselves. He expects us to turn to Him or one of His angels, which at that moment, could be a spouse, a neighbor, a relative, a friend, who is ready and able to provide that special assistance we need at that point in time. That means, “WE" must be pro-active in reaching out for that support

    ReplyDelete
  2. What could be better than to have God's face shine upon us?

    St John speaks of the light of God's glory that shines in the city of heaven. But I thought about how I could receive God's radiant face that shines upon me personally.

    First of all, I have to accept God's grace through his son Jesus, who is our savior, because Jesus is the source of my life and joy. I have to obey his commandant: love my neighbor, spread Jesus's good news, and do charitable works.

    Most of all, I have to confess my sins. If I do so, joy and contentment will fill my soul in the midst of hardship. In this way I can feel peace and feel the Lord's presence. I am able to walk with Him in love

    I can encourage others to follow the way of the Lord so they also can experience the goodness of the Lord. He will also give me a spiritual blessing, which is the Joy that comes from inside of me no matter what kind of circumstance I might be in. When I share that gospel with others, God's face shines upon me.

    Let's make God's face shine upon us!

    ReplyDelete