Reflections
Psalm 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4 (Read)
“The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”
“Break into song, sing praise.”
The Lord makes all thing new, and we are a new creation,
the work of His hands. And so it is right that
we sing a 'new song' to the Lord,
who has done marvelous things for us.
“The Lord has made His salvation known;
in the sight of the nations He has revealed his justice.”
For us this can be about Jesus' victory
over death and sin, so that we might live.
And how is salvation obtained?
How is the victory won?
It is won by God's Holy arm,
His son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Victory is obtainable for us too,
if we keep the faith, give thanks to God, and praise Him.
Our Psalm exclaims,
“All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
This verse, and today's 1st reading
confirm that the gift of the Holy Spirit
is for us Gentiles too. (Acts 10:44-45)
For we are called to be baptized
in the name of Christ.
And as Jesus says in today's Gospel,
“It was not you who chose me,
but I who chose you.” (John 15:16)
We too are appointed by Him
to go forth and bear fruit,
to remain in the love of the Lord,
and to do His will.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm Response is, "The Lord has revealed to the nations his
saving power." How has the Lord shown his saving power to you personally?
2. Our Psalm speaks of singing a new song, of singing joyfully to the Lord,
and we are urged to break into song and sing praise. What is it about your faith
and the Easter season that makes you want to sing praise to the Lord?
Reflections
Psalm 22: 26-27, 28, 30, 31-32 (Read)
“Let the coming generation be told of the Lord."
The verses of this Sunday's Psalm are uplifting
and speak of the promise of salvation --
“The lowly shall eat their fill,”
(We who are poor in spirit are to live
life abundantly) and,
“May your hearts live forever!”
(We can count on the Lord for salvation.)
And praying these verses we recall that
the suffering of the righteous man
has brought about something good
in our human world.
“All the ends of the earth
will worship and turn to the Lord.”
“The generations to come
will proclaim to a people yet unborn
the deliverance you have brought.”
Our hope returns,
and we join with all the families of nations
in giving thanks to God,
who rules the world and dispenses justice.
Jesus says in today's Gospel,
“You can only bear fruit if you remain in me.” (John 15:4)
And how do we remain in Him?
The psalm says, “I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear the LORD.”
(We are to keep His commandments.)
Finally, our psalmist commits
that his descendants will serve the Lord,
“The generation to come will be told of the Lord.”
Here we are inspired by this Sunday's 1st reading,
where Barnabas reports that Saul
spoke out boldly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:27)
What better way for us to bear fruit,
than to speak out boldly for our faith,
to our children and grandchildren.
“To him my soul shall live.”
The Psalm ends with a reversal of
the righteous man's condition;
life is restored and the whole world
celebrates His deliverance.
What better Easter message is there than that?
And what more inspiring words for the early
Church as it reaches out to proclaim
the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says, "I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear the LORD." Does this verse inspire
you to confirm your faith boldly and take up God's praise
in the company of your fellow believers? Discuss.
2. The Psalm ends with an uplifting call for us to proclaim
the Lord's truth to the next generation. Describe how
you have answered the Lord's call and how you go about
telling others about God's love.
Reflections
Psalm 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 (Read)
“The stone rejected by the builders
has become the cornerstone.”
This Sunday's Psalm is an Easter song.
The psalmist speaks of our savior, our cornerstone.
Our savior is Jesus, and though He appeared
weak and beaten on the cross,
He became victorious over death.
The psalmist speaks of that same irony,
“The stone rejected by the builders
has become the cornerstone.”
The Psalm tells us we are to, “Take refuge in the Lord.”
Though mortals may disappoint us,
the Lord will not leave us discouraged.
Better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put one's trust in princes.
Little children know instinctively whom to trust --
they know where the love is coming from.
And we are the same;
as children of God, we put our trust in the Lord.
He is the Good Shepherd.
Where else would we turn?
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.”
It is none other than the Good Shepherd who comes
in the name of the Lord, to care and protect us sheep.
(See also today's Gospel, John 10:11-18).
Our calling is only to listen for His voice
and to follow Him.
Who else knows us as He does,
or is willing to lay down his life for us?
The psalm recalls for us
the paschal mystery of Christ,
who is crucified, resurrected,
and then exalted as the capstone of our faith.
God has shown his love for his people --
Jesus’ risen presence among us
is living proof of God’s enduring love.
Our psalmist confirms this, “God’s love endures forever.”
The Lord’s deliverance is cause for joy.
God’s love is empowering, as the psalm suggests,
This is how we pass from death to life.
We may not have been
one of those who saw Christ
after He rose from the dead,
but He is no less real to us.
There is no doubt that
God's divine intervention
was at work in Christ’s resurrection.
As the psalmist says, we know that,
“By the Lord has this been done,
it is wonderful in our eyes.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist reminds us more than once to trust God,
not mortals or princes. Even though you may not have seen
the Lord in person, do you have any difficulty trusting in one
you have not seen? Explain.
2. The Psalm says, 'Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.' This verse is used
in scripture to welcome Jesus. Discuss how you
have welcomed Jesus into your life.
Reflections
Psalm 4: 2, 4, 7-8, 9 (Read)
“The Lord does wonders for his faithful one.”
This Sunday's Psalm is about trust in God. Our psalmist David
is filled with desire for God's mercy, and invites us to pray,
“When I call, answer me; O my just God, hear my prayer.”
David reminds us the Lord works wonders for the faithful,
“The Lord does wonders for his faithful one.”
Part of keeping our faith must surely be keeping our Lord’s
commandments, as we are reminded to do in this Sunday's
second reading, “Whoever keeps his word, the love of God
is truly perfected in him.” (1 John 2:5)
What more could we ask for? Is it necessary that the risen
Jesus show us his hands and feet, or that we touch his flesh
and bones as in Sunday's Gospel? (Luke 24:39-40)
Our psalmist reminds us it is inside our hearts where
the Lord’s presence does the most good.
“You put gladness into my heart.”
If our hearts are made clean, and our sins are forgiven
by the Easter sacrifice and resurrection of God’s only son,
who or what can stand in our way?
What the Lord Jesus has done for us will give rise to
action on our part. For just as the disciples were witnesses
of what came to pass more than 2000 years ago,
so too are we called to witness for the Lord.
We are called to keep His word,
and to open our minds, so that we too can
better understand the scriptures.
We ask the Lord, “Let your face shine on us.”
And then we must go about doing His work!
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm Response this week is, "Lord, let your face shine on us."
What does it mean to you the have the 'light of His countenance' shine
upon you?
2. Our psalmist repeatedly petitions the Lord to answer him and
to hear him. Have you also prayed as David did for the Lord to hear
your prayer? What has been the result?
Reflections
Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (Read)
“By the Lord has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.”
Once again we visit this powerful psalm
of praise and thanksgiving. This time the
verses stress the enduring love that God
has for us – so much so that despite the
part we played in crucifying his Son,
God went ahead and carried out His plan
to save us. Jesus’ risen presence among us
is living proof of God’s enduring love.
“God’s love endures forever.”
We may be 'hard pressed and falling,' but the
Lord comes to our help. As the psalmist says,
the Lord is our strength. He is present to us,
just as He was in those early days of the church
described by St Luke in this Sunday's first
reading (Acts 4:33), and in Sunday's Gospel
(John 20:19-23).
We may not have the awesome experience that
St Thomas had when he physically put his hand into
the Lord’s side and his fingers into the nail marks on
Jesus' hand, but our Savior is with us.
“The Lord has become my savior.” We are victorious
over death. The Lord’s deliverance is cause for joy.
Just when we were down, the Lord raises us up.
“I was hard pressed and falling, but the Lord came to my help.”
“The joyful shout of victory is heard.” We are on firm ground
after all – Christ has become our cornerstone, as our psalmist
reminds us. Christ has become a source of strength for us,
despite His apparent weakness that day on the cross,
when He died a shameful death.
Only the Lord could have done this remarkable thing:
“By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.”
This is cause for rejoicing -- “This is the day the Lord has made.”
Along with the disciples and the early church,
“Let us be glad and rejoice in it.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist praises the Lord because the stone that was
rejected
has become our cornerstone. Why do you think God would permit his Son
to undergo a shameful death in order to make Jesus the cornerstone of our faith?
2. Our psalm begins by stressing over and over that the mercy of God endures
forever, and this Sunday's Response also says, 'His love is
everlasting.' Describe
how these verses strengthen your faith and inspire you to trust in the Lord.
Reflections
Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 (Read)
“I shall not die, but live.”
Today's Psalm is an Easter song that marks
the procession of the pilgrims going up
to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles.
The Psalm begins with a call to praise
that starts the procession, “Give thanks
to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”
Israel is continuously put to the test,
humbled and then delivered. In so doing,
Israel discovers its calling to be a people
of God and to bear witness to the nations.
Jesus makes this calling his own,
and in the Psalm we read prophetic
verses that recall the paschal mystery
of Christ, who is rejected and then exalted,
and who becomes the foundation stone
of the new people of God, “I shall not die,
but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
As the psalmist says, “The right hand of
the Lord has struck with power; the right
hand of the Lord is exalted.” Our days of
mocking our Savior are over; we no longer
hurl insults at him. “The stone the builders
rejected has become the cornerstone.”
Our savior has risen.
“By the Lord has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Response is, "This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad." On this Easter Sunday,
explain what is the basis of your joy and gladness and how your
life is affected by our exalted Savior.
2. Our Lord, rejected by the 'builders' of his time,
has become the 'cornerstone' of our lives. What does it mean
to you to build your faith on the resurrection of Jesus?
Reflections
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (Read)
“They have pierced my hands and my feet.”
David writes this psalm almost as though
it were planned to be part of the Passion of Christ.
The Psalm's theme is that the sufferings
of the righteous man will restore life to humanity.
The Psalm indeed becomes the prayer of Christ
at the time of His crucifixion and speaks of the
suffering that our Savior experienced on our behalf,
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
People are the same today as they were back then,
when Jesus was being led to the cross. We scoff at him;
we mock him; we wag our heads; and hurl insults at him.
Why?
Because he becomes contemptible in our eyes.
He reminds us that we are a sinful people;
He convicts us; He catches us in the lie;
He embarrasses us; He exposes us;
He accuses us of being hypocrites.
He holds us to a higher standard;
He speaks directly to God;
He claims to be God's Son,
and we reject him for this, and mock him.
We do not move to assist him.
Let God rescue him,
“He relied on the Lord; let God deliver him;
let God rescue him, if he loves him.”
These are the same words used by those who conspired
against Jesus when he was dying on the cross. (Mark 15:
31-32)
They did not realize that the suffering and death
of an innocent servant would restore life for sinful man.
The words they spoke were to be fulfilled, not by Jesus
coming down from the cross, but by sinful humanity like us
being delivered, forgiven, and lifted up.
The Psalm describes the Passion of Christ, and we know
that what seemed like a moment of weakness for Christ
became a source of strength for the rest of us.
God reverses this righteous man’s condition –
“But you, O Lord, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.”
Hope returns, the righteous man is delivered,
And he celebrates his deliverance--
“I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him.”
Because Jesus humbled himself and accepted death
on the cross, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9)
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The psalmist speaks of those who scoff at him and mock him.
In what way can you identify with those who scoff at our Savior
and mock him with parted lips?
2. The Psalm Response is, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned
me?"
Why do you think our Lord would have uttered these words at the time
of his Passion? What had changed for God's son? Had God changed?
