Psalm for Sunday, September 6, 2020

Reflections

Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9  (Read)


"Oh that today you would 

hear his voice."
 
Knowing God's will is hard enough; discernment is a gift from God.  But even if we are 

gifted enough to be able 

to discern God 's will, 

how do we get the courage and 
conviction to actually do His will?  
  
In Sunday's first reading Ezekiel is enjoined 
by the Lord to warn the wicked among
the house of Israel and try to turn them from
their ways. (Ezekiel 33: 7-9)
In the Gospel, too, Jesus instructs the disciples
how to deal with a brother who sins against
a disciple. (Matthew 18: 15-17)
 
Doing the will of God must have been difficult 
even for the prophet Ezekiel.
How much more so is the will of God 
a challenge for ordinary people like us?
Even the disciples must have been in awe 
of what Jesus was commanding them to do.
 
Our spiritual history is full of occasions
where the faithful were known to have
hardened their hearts and refused to listen
to God's voice, though they had seen
His works, as our psalmist mentions.
But after all, He is our God, as the Psalm says,
and we are the people He shepherds.
 
Our job is to kneel before the Lord who
made us and to carry out His will the best
we can.   And if we are careful to listen to 
His voice, He will empower us to do His will, 
just as Jesus empowered the disciples 
to rise up to the challenge of the Great 
Commission and to become ordinary men 
performing extraordinary deeds.
 
Amen

  

Discussion Questions for Reflection

 
1.  Our psalmist encourages us not to harden our hearts if we hear God's voice.   Do you find it difficult sometimes to carry out God's will in your life even if you believe He is speaking to you?   Give an example.
 
2.  The Psalm reminds us that we are like sheep and the Lord is our shepherd.   Are you willing to be just an ordinary sheep among His flock?  If so, what does it mean to you to be shepherded by the Lord?

Psalm for Sunday, August 30, 2020

Reflections

Psalm 63:  2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9  (Read)

“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God."

This prayer of longing was written at a time 
when David was in the desert, a place where physical thirst was all around him, and the earth was parched, lifeless and without water.  But David is writing also about a spiritual thirst that overwhelms him and reminds him of the emptiness of life without God.

David meditates on those happier moments 
when he was close to the Lord, when his soul was satisfied as with the riches of a banquet, and when he took shelter in the shadow of the wings of God.

We too go through times of spiritual deprivation
when we are away from God and indulge in 
sinful practices that separate us from Him.  
At those times, like a penitent sinner, we experience 
our deepest longing for the love of the Lord, and 
we seek out His loving embrace.  As our psalmist 
says, at times like that our soul clings fast to the Lord.   
We bless Him, we glorify Him, we praise Him.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist seeks the Lord because his soul thirsts for Him.   
Give an example of a time when you have thirsted for God's 
presence and blessing in your life.

2.  The Psalm speaks of gazing toward the Lord in the sanctuary.
Tell of a time when you have gazed at the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament 
Chapel of your parish and how you could see His power and His glory.

Psalm for Sunday, August 23, 2020

Reflections  

Psalm 138:  1-2, 2-3, 6, 8   (Read)

“Lord, do not forsake the work of your hands.”

Our psalmist David composed this prayer 

of a grateful heart. “I will give thanks to you, 

O Lord, with all my heart.”

David is grateful because his petitions 

are answered by the Lord. “For you 

have heard the words of my mouth.”  

The Lord's answers to our psalmist's 

prayers have come at a critical time, 

a time when David is seeking to build 

up his strength.

David speaks of a divine rescue -- “When I 
cried out, you answered; you strengthened 
my spirit.”  Perhaps we’re all in need of a 
spiritual rescue of the type David describes.

And it isn’t because of any of the psalmist’s virtues 
that he obtains salvation. It is a result of God’s loving
fidelity. “Lord, your love is eternal.” Our God does not 
forsake the work of His hands, though as St Paul says
in Sunday's 2nd reading, “Who has given the Lord 
anything that he may be repaid?” (Rom 11:35) 

Unworthy as we are, and though the Lord is exalted,
He watches over us in our lowly state.  And thanks
be to God, His kindness endures forever.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist speaks of a divine rescue when he was in great need of the 
Lord's Providence.  Give an example of when you have cried out to the Lord 
and He has answered your cry.

2.  The Psalm's verses deal with an age old mystery--the Lord is exalted, 
yet the lowly He sees.   How do you reconcile the apparent contradiction between God's heavenly dwelling and His concern for us lowly humans?

Psalm for Sunday, August 16, 2020

Reflections 

Psalm 67: 2-3, 5, 6, 8   (Read)

"So may your way be known upon earth;

among all nations, your salvation."

No wonder the Gentiles (people like us) 
were attracted to the faith when St Paul
and Barnabas were traveling through
the towns, visiting the early churches, 
and ministering to the Gentiles.  

The apostles were doing as Jesus did 

when He encountered the Canaanite 

woman in the region of Tyre and Sidon  

(Gospel, Mt 15:21-28).
Though she was not a member of the 

house of Israel, Jesus recognized how 

great was her faith, and the woman's 

daughter was healed from that hour.

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.

So much that God does for us is sung

in the Psalm's verses, which pray,

"May God have pity on us and bless us;
may He let his face shine upon us."

 God gives us His grace through His son Jesus,
   who is our Savior. 
 

God gives us material blessings – 
    all our treasure and gifts are from Him. 
 

He gives us spiritual blessings  – 
    we know these as fruits of the spirit. 

Today we join with the members of the early church 

in praising God – “May the peoples praise you, God; 

may all the peoples praise you."

Amen

 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm petitions God to 'Let His face shine upon us.'  In what way 

do you believe that God has let His face shine upon you?

2.  Our psalmist calls for God's salvation to be known among all the nations.  

How are you evangelizing to those who do not know His saving grace?

Psalm for Sunday, August 9, 2020

Reflections 

Psalm 85: 9, 10, 11-12, 13-14   (Read)

“I will hear what God proclaims;

glory dwelling in our land.”

Our psalmist knows the importance 

of listening carefully for the voice 

of the Lord.  For as Elijah discovers 

in Sunday’s 1^st reading, God is not 

in the wind, nor the earthquake, 

nor the fire. Rather, God appears 

to Elijah as a tiny whispering sound.  

(1 Kings 19)

We too must listen attentively for 

the voice of the Lord and be careful 

not to miss His presence among us. 

How do we seek Him out?

Where do we find the Lord?

We find Him when we read and study

his Word, his living Word,

as fresh now as it was thousands

of years ago. For His Word is 

as penetrating as a two edged sword, 

able to separate bone from marrow.

His Word convicts us, 

pointing the way to salvation.

As our psalmist says, 

“Near indeed is His salvation 

for those who fear Him.”

Our psalmist prepares the way of the Lord --

“Truth shall spring out of the earth,”

(when the Messiah is born).

The goodness and blessings 

that the psalmist speaks about 

are fulfilled in Christ. 

For our Savior is truly, 

“Glory dwelling in our land.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist affirms that he will hear what God proclaims.  Tell of how you listen 

for the voice of the Lord and what He is saying to you.

2.  The Psalm proclaims that truth shall spring out of the earth and there will be 'glory 

dwelling in our land.'   Speak of how our Lord appears before you and how He is 

present to you.