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,
do we have the courage and conviction
to actually carry out His will?
In our first reading Ezekiel is enjoined
by the Lord to warn the wicked among
the house of Israel and try to turn them
from their wicked ways (Ez 33:7-9).
In the Gospel, too, Jesus instructs the disciples
how to deal with a brother who sins against
a disciple (Mt 18:15-20).
Doing the will of God must have been difficult
for the prophet Ezekiel; how much more so
is the will of God a challenge for ordinary
persons 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 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?
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 hungered 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.
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 our 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?
Reflections
Psalm 67: 2-3, 5, 6, 8 (Read)
“May God bless us, and may He let His face shine upon us.”
So much that God does for us is contained in the
above verse from this Sunday's Psalm:
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.
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.
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?
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 our 1st 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.
Reflections
Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-16, 17-18 (Read)
“The hand of the Lord feeds us;
He answers all our needs.”
We are like sheep, dependent on our
Good Shepherd to give us nourishment.
As the prophet Isaiah says,if we heed the
Lord, we shall eat well, and we shall delight
in rich fare. (1st reading, Isaiah 55:1-3)
Just as Jesus fed five thousand men from a few
loaves and two fish, so Jesus feeds a multitude
of us even today. We too are among the hopeful
ones who look to the Lord for our food in due season.
“The eyes of all look hopefully to you; you give them
their food in due season.”
The Lord satisfies the desire of every living thing,
as our psalmist says. He opens wide His hand for us.
His presence is shown in the help, nourishment,
and salvation that He shows to us. We are dependent
on our Lord to feed us. He nourishes us physically,
spiritually, and emotionally.
We are His faithful ones, and we praise God and give
Him thanks because of His divine attributes of
compassion and love. Our psalmist dwells on the
everlasting nature of God, on His love and presence
throughout all time, and we are called to praise the
Lord forever and ever.
Our psalmist reminds us, “The Lord is good to all and
compassionate toward all His works.” We know this
inherently because we live our lives along an unending
stream of divine love.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says the Lord gives us our food in due season.
Tell of how you have been fed by the Lord and nourished by Him.
2. The Psalm's verses affirm that the Lord is full of
compassion
and love for every living thing. Speak of how God's love has
changed your life and made you a better person.
Reflections
Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 (Read)
"Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them."
Our psalmist is in prayer, expressing his love
for the Lord's commands, and promising to keep
His words.
We may not have the wisdom of Solomon,
but we have enough discernment to recognize
how powerful the Lord's decrees can be in our
spiritual lives. Just as the law of the Lord
is precious to our psalmist, so too is the law
of the Lord central to our lives and to our faith.
Our psalmist says that the Lord's decrees are
wonderful, and therefore he observes them.
We may not always think of the law as wonderful,
(some people may consider it restrictive), but
if we learn to do His will, we find that we are
liberated, set free from the sin that drags us down.
We choose life instead of death.
Doing God's will (keeping his commandments)
isn't easy, but having received His grace, and having
been granted discernment to know right from wrong,
good from evil, we can follow Him with conviction.
Our 'yes' will mean 'yes' to the Lord; and our 'no'
will mean 'no' to the devil and his minions.
Having decided to do His will, we take delight in
keeping His statutes; they are like honey to us.
And the blessings we receive are part of what
God has prepared for those who love him.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says he observes the Lord's commandments
because they are wonderful and they shed light. Explain why
you are committed to follow the Lord's decrees.
2. The Psalm assures us that we go forward if we follow God's
precepts, and in so doing we avoid every false way. Speak of
how God's commandments protect you on your journey of faith
and draw you closer to God.
