Psalm for Sunday, September 23, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 54: 3-4, 5, 6, 8   (Read)
 
"O God, by your name save me." 

 

The psalm is a prayer sung by David at a time when 
he was being hunted by King Saul.  David was in 
great peril, threatened by the “ruthless.” He says, 
“The ruthless seek my life; they set not God before 
their eyes.”

I may not be threatened by King Saul and his troops,
but I am surely under threat by satan and his band 
of fallen angels.  And where does the threat come from?
Is it from outside?   Or is it from within?  
For all my proclamations of trust in God, I can sense
the wavering inside of me which besets us all.

Just as David turns to the Lord for protection, so too 
should I pray to the Lord to save me.  David prays, 
”O God, by your name save me.”  For me that name 
is the name of Jesus.  Where else would I turn for a 
shield in time of battle?   Or a sword in time of peril?
With Christ present as my helper, I can turn back the 
evil which lurks within my heart.

David writes about the 'haughty men' who have risen 
against him.   Am I one of them?  Am I one of those
described in this Sunday's first reading who resent
the just one? (Wisdom 2:12)   Am I part of the crowd
who condemn Jesus to a shameful death to test if He 
is truly the son of God?

Are jealousy and selfish ambition lurking within me,
causing disorder and every foul practice, as St James 
warns us in Sunday's second reading? (James 3:16)   
Am I like the disciples on that journey with Jesus through 
Galilee who were arguing about who is the greatest?

If so, then I too had better call upon the name above all 
names to save me, as David does.  I had better pray that 
I will approach God in proper humility and pray that I shall
'undertake to become the last of all and the servant 
of all.' (Gospel, Mark 9:35)

“God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life.”
I had better receive Him;
I had better gain His peace to quiet the battle within.
I had better keep my eyes fixed on the Cross;
I had better be open to rescue and redemption.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist is fighting against forces that threaten him; he says, 
"The ruthless seek my life."   Are you aware of powerful forces, external 
or internal, that put your faith in jeopardy?   Explain.

2.  The Psalm says, "The Lord upholds my life."  Speak of how your life 
is sustained by the Lord when you are under threat physically or spiritually.

Psalm for Sunday, September 16, 2018

 

Reflections

Psalm 116:  1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9   (Read}

“He has freed my soul from death."





It is said that Jesus called out this prayer 
on the night He was betrayed, and went 
to His death with these words on His lips.

The psalm is a simple prayer of thanks to 
God that the psalmist might have used after 
escape from the “snares of the netherworld,” 
as he called upon God, “O Lord save my life!”

But unlike the psalmist, our Savior does not 
ask to escape death; instead He begins to
teach the disciples that the Son of Man must 
suffer greatly and be killed.  Jesus summons 
the crowd and begins to preach on the redemptive
value of His death, saying that 'whoever loses his 
life for my sake will save it.' (Gospel, Mark 8: 31-35)

Having become the prayer of Our Lord on the night 
of his Passion, the Psalm says to us believers that 
there is hope, that we too will “walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.”

In Sunday's first reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds 
us that the suffering servant is not disgraced, is not 
put to shame. (Isaiah 50:7)   It is that same spirit of 
defiance in the face of death that empowers the 
suffering servant to set his face like flint, knowing
that the Lord God is his help.

Because we are little and “brought low,” we depend 
on our God to “incline His ear” to us when we call.  
We cannot raise up ourselves; we are at the mercy 
of God's grace.  We cannot become divine, and 
therefore God in His love for us became like us
and inclined Himself to our humanity

For this we are grateful, and we join with the 
psalmist who celebrates as we do, “For the Lord 
has freed my soul from death.”

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist says that the "Lord has freed my soul from death."  Speak about how the Lord has worked in your life to give you hope that you are saved and raised you up away from the "cords of death."

2.  The Psalm says, "The Lord keeps the little ones."  Are you one of His 'little ones?'  Explain how by humbling yourself you have a better chance of being pleasing in the 
eyes of God.

Psalm for Sunday, September 9, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 146:  7, 8-9, 9-10   (Read)

“The Lord raises up those who were bowed down.”

 
Our psalmist is singing about God's 
promises to the oppressed, the hungry, 
the prisoner, the blind, and those of us 
who are bowed down in one way or another.

We could all benefit by being set free in the 
Spirit or healed so that we are no longer 
blinded.   Then we too would no longer be 
lame, but would be able to “leap like a stag,” 
as the prophet Isaiah foresees in this 
Sunday's 1st reading.  (Isaiah 35:5-6)

The Psalm is telling me that I really need 
to humble myself if I want to be raised up 
with Jesus.  That may be hard to do if it 
means I have to swallow my pride and put 
aside worldly concerns.   But it I truly want 
to be set free from the sins that bind me, 
then I need to repent and bow down before 
the Lord, accept my brokenness, and seek 
his grace.  Only then will I begin 
to have a right relationship with the Lord.

And where do I turn to be lifted up and made whole again?  
I turn to the Lord.  Where else are the promises of our God 
fulfilled but in the healing ministry of Jesus, as this Sunday's 
Gospel tells me.  (Mark 7:31-37)   Who else has the grace 
and the mercy to heal me?

Christ carries out the promises of the Psalm – He sets us 
captives free and gives sight to us so we can truly see.
The Lord raises me up when I am down – He sustains me – 
with real food and drink.

So I can pray this Psalm, not only in honor of the heavenly Father,
but also in honor of Christ Jesus, whom God exalted.  
“The Lord shall reign forever, through all generations.”

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist says, "The Lord sets captives free."   In what ways are you captive, 
and how has the Lord set you free?

2.  The Psalm proclaims, "The Lord gives sight to the blind."  In what areas of your 
life were you not able to see things clearly, and give an example of how the Lord 
has enabled you to regain your sight.

Psalm for Sunday, September 2, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 15:  2-3, 3-4, 4-5   (Read)

“One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”

 

Our psalmist David tells us how we may climb the 
holy mountain of God and live in the presence of the Lord. 
And in a similar way, in Sunday's first reading,
Moses tells the Israelites how to take possession
of the promised land. (Deuteronomy 4:1)

The way forward for the Israelites and for us is twofold --
love God and love neighbor.   If I truly love the Lord,
then my heart will not be far from Him, and I will keep 
His commandments.   If I love the Lord, He will remain
in me.  How else would I expect my heart to remain pure?   
When my heart is pure, I do no harm to my fellow man; 
and I think the truth in my heart.

St James tells us to be doers of the Word; we are to 
keep ourselves unstained by the world.  (James 1:22, 27)
And Jesus reminds us in the Gospel that it all starts
from inside.  It is within our hearts that evil thoughts 
reside.  The things that come out from within are 
what defile us.  (Mark 7:15, 20-23)

So, if I am right with the Lord and my heart is close 
to Him, then I will not slander with my tongue,
nor take up a reproach against my neighbor.   
Nor will I do harm economically to my neighbor.
If I do these things, as our psalmist says, I shall 
never be disturbed, and I will live in the presence 
of the Lord.

Amen
 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.   Our psalmist says whoever thinks the truth in his heart will live in 
the presence of the Lord.   How do you go about preparing your heart 
so that you are able to receive the Lord?

2.  The verses of the Psalm remind us not to slander, nor to blame our 
neighbor, nor to harm our fellow man, nor to hurt him economically.   
Explain how you are motivated by your faith to become a doer of the Word.

Psalm for Sunday, August 26, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 34:  2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21   (Read)

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Once again we revisit this psalm of thanksgiving.  And for the third consecutive Sunday the Gospel challenges us to stop murmuring and stand up for our faith.

And the question is the same, “Do I truly believe
that Jesus is the living bread that came down
out of heaven and that whoever eats His flesh
and drinks His blood will remain in Him and
will live forever?”

Like Joshua, am I prepared to take a stand and
declare,  “As for me and my household we will
serve the Lord.”  Joshua commits himself and
his family to serve the Lord.  (Joshua 24:15)  
What better commitment would there be for me,
in our time?

Where would I go if I did not serve the Lord? 
To whom would I turn without my Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ?  I thirst for Jesus, and I would be parched
and dry without Him in my life.  I must stop murmuring
about how difficult it may be to accept His words
and declare that Jesus is truly the Holy One of God.
Who else would hear my cry, as our psalmist says,
or confront evildoers on my behalf ?

“Many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers
them all.”   We are all afflicted.  Our Spirit may be
crushed (as the psalmist says), but “God watches over
all our bones.”

“When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all
their distress he rescues them.”  Who else would listen
to my cry?  If I cry out to the Lord, He will hear me and
rescue me from all distress.  Where else would I turn?

I have the Lord as my ally in my fight against the evil one.
And with Him on my side victory is certain.  “The Lord
confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them
from the earth.”

So the teaching is clear –  “Let His praise be ever in my mouth,
and let my soul glory in the Lord.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  If we truly serve the Lord, we can be confident that 'He will watch over
all our bones,' as the Psalmist says.  Explain how your faith has given you
peace and strength in the face of your afflictions.

2.  We are engaged in a spiritual battle with the evil one and his helpers,
but our Psalmist says that the Lord will confront evildoers and destroy them.
Tell of how you have been able to defeat evil with the Lord on your side.

Psalm for Sunday, August 19, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7   (Read)

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

We visit this encouraging psalm again this 
Sunday perhaps because the Lord wants us
to participate fully in the Eucharist and we 
need to hear it again.  Why are the same 
verses repeated?  Perhaps because they 
reinforce so well the powerful message of 
the Gospel, in which Jesus tells us that if 
we are to be raised up with Him, we must 
eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.
Perhaps it is because we struggle with what 
Jesus says, as the Jews did at the time.
We are told that even the disciples had 
difficulty accepting Jesus' words. 
(John 6:51-58)

The message is simple, as our psalmist reminds us – 
we must taste the goodness of the Lord if we are to 
truly allow our soul to glory in the Lord.  In today's 
first reading Wisdom invites us too to obtain life by 
eating of her food. (Proverbs 9:5-6)

We are to feed on Jesus if we are to have life.  If we 
eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will live forever.  
It is His humanity that enables us to eat of His flesh 
and His blood.  And it is by the grace of God that we 
are thus able to obtain a share in His divinity.  This is 
far more that our ancestors' manna. This is truly the 
bread of life.

By sharing in His body and blood, we glorify the Lord, 
and as our psalmist says, we become 'radiant with joy.'
Our faces no longer blush with shame.  We are a new 
creation.  The Lord is present to us.   We remain in Him 
and He remains in us.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm reminds us of the power of the Eucharist.  We must taste 
the goodness of the Lord if we want to be delivered from all our fears.  
Speak of how the Eucharist raises you up physically and spiritually.

2.  Our psalmist encourages us to 'glorify the Lord' and to 'let our soul glory 
in the Lord.'   Explain how your faith has enabled you to draw closer to God 
by being filled with the Spirit.

 

Psalm for Sunday, August 12, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 34:  2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9   (Read)

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” 

What does Jesus tell us to do in this week’s Gospel? “Whoever eats this bread [my flesh] will live forever.” (John 6:51)  However difficult Jesus’ words may have been for the Jews to accept (or for us), the psalmist is right when 
he says, “Blessed the man who takes 
refuge in Him.”  Where else would we 
turn when we are in distress?

The Psalm says, “When the afflicted man called out, 
the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”
Just as the Lord answered Elijah and delivered him 
from his despair (1 Kings 19:4-8), so He delivers us from 
whatever has bogged us down spiritually.

The psalmist prays, “My soul will glory in the Lord,
that the poor may hear and be glad.”  The word poor 
is said to apply to one who depends completely on God
for his deliverance and his very life.  That’s where Elijah 
stood that day in the early stages of his long journey,
totally dependent on God for the strength to walk the 
walk that was planned for him.  (1 Kings 19:4-8).
And if the truth were to be known, that’s where we stand 
even today, when we are short of endurance
along our spiritual journey.

The psalmist recounts for us how he gained deliverance,
“I sought the Lord, who answered me, and delivered me 
from all my fears.”  Despite the anguish in the psalmist’s 
voice, there is also a powerful, joyful spirit – “Look to God 
that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not 
blush with shame.”

Where does our joy come from?  How do we obtain a 
joyful spirit?  It comes from repenting and returning to 
the Lord.  Only then can we be embraced by the Lord.
Having humbled ourselves before Him, confessed our
sins, He takes us back.

He watches for us each day, encouraging us.   
He reconciles us and restores us in a right relationship 
with the Father.  And He provides the inner strength and 
the nourishment we need to complete our own spiritual journey.
Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist tells us how to obtain a joyful spirit, "Look to the Lord 
that you may be radiant with joy."  Describe how the Lord has given you 
inner joy in the course of relieving you from your afflictions.

2.  The Psalm says that the angel of the Lord 'encamps' around those 
who fear Him and delivers them.  Speak of how your faith has been 
a source of strength and deliverance in the face of difficulty or persecution.