Psalm for Sunday, November 5, 2023

Reflections


Psalm 131: 1, 2, 3   (Read)

"In you Lord, I have found my peace."



















Our psalmist David writes about his 
childlike trust in God.  His soul is stilled.   
He is “like a weaned child on its mother’s lap.”

     David is so unlike the priests of Israel 
     described in Sunday’s first reading,  

     who do not listen and are contemptible
     in the Lord’s eyes.  (Malachi 1: 8-10)

     Instead, David listens and submits 
     completely to God in all humility.  
     His heart is not proud, nor are his eyes 
     haughty.  He is so unlike the scribes 
     and the Pharisees described by Jesus 
     in Sunday’s Gospel.   (Matthew 23: 2-6)

     Our psalmist does not busy himself 
     with great matters or concern himself 
     with things beyond his reach. 
     By humbling himself, he will be 
     raised up, as the Gospel promises.

     (Matthew 23:  11-12)

     Our psalmist is in the care of the Lord,

     and he is being cared for as those in 
     the Church of the Thessalonians were – 

     “as a nursing mother cares for her children”

     (1 Thessalonians 2:7)

     There is a message for us, too, in the 
     Psalm’s final verse – David says we are 
     to hope in the Lord, now and forever.  
     That is all we need as believers – 
     the message is simple –  trust in the Lord 
     like a child and learn to do His will.

     Amen

    Discussion Questions for Reflection

      1.   Our psalmist calls for us to be like a child and trust in the Lord unconditionally.

     Give an example of how you are able to do so.
     
      2.   David says he has found his peace in the Lord and that his soul is stilled 
      and quieted.   Speak of how you have been able to find peace.

    

Psalm for Sunday, October 29, 2023

Reflections                         

Psalm 18: 2-3, 3-4, 47, 51  (Read)

“The Lord Lives!”

The Psalm is saying that the Lord 
is present to us, here and now, just as 
He was when He delivered David 
from his persecutors.

The really key revelation for us is 
that the Lord lives.  He lives among us; 
He is present in the Word.  Jesus is
in fact the Living Word; He is present 
on the inside of us through the holy 
Spirit.  He is alive in the Eucharist. 
He humbled himself to share in our 
humanity, so that we might have a 
share in His divinity!

So Jesus is alive and well, standing 
by us as our “rock of refuge, our 
shield, our saving horn.”  We join 
with David in praising God and loving 
Him with all our heart and all our mind, 
as Jesus reminds us to do in the Gospel.
(Matthew 22: 37)

How do we apply the Psalm's verses to 
our lives?  We turn to our Lord to equip 
us for the battles that we fight against the 
evil one.  Jesus becomes our fortress!

In this Psalm we hear David, crying out 
to the Lord, as one cries out to his savior.
“My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, 
my saving horn, my stronghold.”  David 
has just emerged after being saved 
by God from his enemies.  David has been 
rescued by that same God of compassion 
and mercy that is present to us.

David praises his savior in language that 
is familiar to us as his spiritual descendents,
“The Lord lives!  Blessed be my rock! 
Exalted be God my savior!”

For David has been delivered from the 
forces of evil that surrounded him.
And that same deliverance is available to
us, so long as we surrender ourselves 
to God and love God with all of our heart 
and soul and strength.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm affirms for us that our Lord lives!  Tell of how 
the Lord is present to you in your daily life.  How does He reveal 
Himself to you?

2.  Our psalmist extols God our savior, and speaks of the Lord
as the horn of salvation.  When and how do you turn to the Lord
as your rock of refuge?

Psalm for Sunday, October 22, 2023

Reflections  


Psalm 96:  1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10   (Read)

“Awesome is He; give to the Lord the glory due His name!”

The Psalm is a message to Israel’s neighbors, and to the rest of the world, that there is one true God.  “Tell God’s glory among the nations; among all peoples God's marvelous deeds."

The Israelites have returned from exile and have been brought back from near death as a people.   The remnant has survived, and the Israelites have been delivered by the one and only God.  

And so they sing a “new song,” celebrating the
“newness of God” that comes with the joy of 
praising Him as sovereign.  “Sing to the Lord a 
new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands.” 
As the Psalm says, we are all summoned to 
adoration of our sovereign.  We are called 
to give Him glory and praise.

In this Sunday's first reading the prophet Isaiah confirms 
there is no other God besides Him. (Isaiah 45: 5)
The gods of other nations are mere idols, and they 
all do nothing, says our psalmist.  But our God made 
the heavens; He is to be praised and feared. 

And how do we praise Him?
How do we give the Lord the glory due His name? 
We engage in works of faith; we undertake a labor 
of love for Him, as St. Paul tells us in today's 
2nd reading. (1 Thessalonians 1: 3)

All peoples are invited to recognize our God,
and pledge to obey Him.  “Say among the nations, 
“The Lord is King; the world will surely stand fast, 
never to be shaken.”   

And having acknowledged that God is sovereign, 
how should we and all the nations behave?  
The Gospel tells us how --  Jesus says,
“Repay to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22: 21)
And we understand our calling,
“Give to the Lord the glory due His name!” 

Amen
 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm exhorts us to "Sing to the Lord a new song."  
How does your song go when you sing praise to God?  What 
do you have to say to the Lord?

2.  Our psalmist encourages us to "Give the Lord glory and honor."  
We are called to give glory to God in the works of faith that we do.  
Speak of how you give God the glory in what you do.

Psalm for Sunday, October 15, 2023

Reflections

Psalm 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6  (Read)

“I shall dwell in the house of the Lord 

all the days of my life.”

It is said that this wonderful prayer 

was written at the end of King David’s 

life. We are with David as he passes 

from death to life on God’s holy 

mountain.

Isaiah says the Lord will provide 

a feast of rich food and choice wines 

on His holy mountain. (Isaiah 25: 6)

Our psalmist tells us, 

“The Lord prepares a table before me;

He anoints my head with oil, 

my cup runneth over.”

Isaiah says that God wipes away our 

tears.  King David tells us, 

“Even though I walk through the valley 

of death, I shall fear no evil,  for you are 

with me.” 

What greater companion 

would we want as we face death?

St Paul agrees  --  his strength comes 

from the Lord, through Jesus, who 

empowers him.   (Philippians 4:13)

This is the same Lord who shepherds 

us in the Psalm.  

“He restores my soul.” 

David sets the tone for what is to come --  

Jesus becomes the good Shepherd, 

leads us beside still waters,

guides us along the right path.

With the Good Shepherd as our guide, 

if we walk with Him, we are sure to be 

among the chosen ones, and we are 

sure to be clothed in the right clothing

when we arrive on God’s holy mountain.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  King David, our psalmist, is confident that he will dwell in God's house for all 

the days of his life.  What draws you to God's heavenly mansions and what gives 

you confidence that you will live there?

2.  The Psalm's verses reassure us that we are God's sheep and our Lord is our 

Good Shepherd.  Are you one of His sheep, and in what way are you gaining repose in His pastures?

Psalm for Sunday, October 8, 2023

Reflections

Psalm 80: 9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20    (Read)

"O Lord, take care of this vine."  

The Psalm is a prayer to restore the Israelites to God’s vineyard.   
The chosen people have lost God’s protection; God has removed 
the hedge that He put up around them.

“God brought a vine out of Egypt and planted it.”  But what kind 
of fruit did God’s vineyard bear?  The prophet Isaiah says in 
our 1st reading that despite all of God’s efforts, nothing but wild
grapes was produced. (Isaiah 5:2)    And so God broke down the
vineyard’s walls, letting, “The boar strip the vine, and the beast 
feed upon it.” 

There is a message here for all of us who do not bear fruit or 
use our resources wisely.  We could lose God’s protection, 
and we may not be able to defend ourselves from the evil one 
that prowls around like a roaring lion. 

We, like the psalmist, need to beg for God’s mercy.
“Turn again, O Lord of hosts, attend to this vine.”
If we’re not careful, the kingdom will be taken away 
from us, as it was in the Gospel, and given to a people
that will produce its fruit.  (Matthew 21: 43)  
We, like the Israelites, need to be restored.  The Psalm's
verses pray, “Give us new life,  and we will call on your name.”

Where does our hope for revival come from?
It comes from our Savior, sent by the Lord, our cornerstone,
“The son of man whom God himself made strong.”
In Him we are restored. As the Psalm says, “Lord of hosts 
restore us; let your face shine upon us, 
that we may be saved.”

Amen 
 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm says, “Lord, take care of this vine; then we will no more withdraw 
from you.  Give us new life, and we will call upon your name.”  Have you noticed 
at times when we stray off His path how the Lord tugs at each of us so that 
we return to His ways.   Give an example from your own experience.

2.  Our psalmist is writing about the scattered people of Israel, but his words may 
apply to each of us in our separation from God.   In what way are you inspired by the Psalm's verses to repent and seek renewal?