Reflections
Psalm 123: 1-2, 2, 3-4 (Read)
“Our eyes are fixed on the Lord.”
We are called to serve God and to do
His will, as Jesus did. And so our eyes
must be on God, that we may know His
will for us, and that we may serve Him
and our neighbor as well.
Where else would we turn?
To be measured by men?
To get direction from anyone else?
Like the prophet Ezekiel, our success is
measured by doing God’s will and
following His direction in our
lives. (Ezekiel 2: 2-5)
Our psalmist says, “We have our fill of contempt;
we have our fill of insult from the proud.”
For it is the arrogant ones who rely only on
themselves, giving little thought to God.
Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was not
respected in his home town; he was rejected
by his townspeople and neighbors. (Mark 6: 4-5)
Is that what we face from family or friends,
when we do the Lord’s work or proclaim his
Gospel? If so, then we are united with Christ,
and like St Paul, we can be content with insults,
hardships, persecutions and constraints.
The Lord's grace is sufficient for
us. (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist calls for us to fix our eyes on the Lord.
Describe how you focus on the Lord in your faith journey.
Tell how you are able to discern God's will for your life.
2. Our psalmist says he is fed up, having been the object
of contempt and mockery from the arrogant ones around him.
Even Jesus was mocked in his native village. Tell of how you
deal with insult and persecution when you proclaim the Gospel.
Reflections
Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13 (Read)
"I praise you Lord, for you raise me up;
you kept me from going down into the pit.”
God is in the business of healing, as our
first reading says. (Wisdom 1:13)
God did not make death, nor does He rejoice
in the destruction of the living.
“His divine favor lasts a lifetime.”
Just as Jairus' daughter is saved from death
in this Sunday's Gospel (Mark 5:41-42),
we too are able to be saved from going down
into the pit. We too are eligible for a spiritual
resurrection if our faith is strong.
We may be rebuked by God for disobeying Him.
We are, after all, his wayward children,
and He loves us as a Father loves his own.
God's compassion and mercy are with us not
only in this life, but in eternity. “Divine anger lasts
but a moment; divine favor lasts a lifetime.”
Our Lord Jesus himself was raised up from the pit
by the Father, even though Jesus bore the weight
of our sins. God’s anger over the sins of all men
that Christ took upon himself, lasted but a moment.
The joy of resurrection comes to us at dawn, after a
terrible night, as it came to those early followers of
our Savior. “At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.” And that alone is reason
enough to change our “mourning into dancing,”
“to clothe us with gladness.” We are prompted
to “sing endless praise to the Lord.”
“O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist praises God for having rescued him and brought
him 'up from the netherworld.' Tell about how you have been saved
from your enemies, the devil
and his companions.
2. The Psalm says that the anger of the Lord lasts but a
moment.
Have you been rebuked by the Lord? If so, what did you learn from this,
and in what way are you
grateful for being corrected by the Lord?
Reflections
Psalm 107: 23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31 (Read)
“The Lord hushed the storm to a gentle breeze,
and the billows of the sea were stilled.”
In the Psalm God saves the afflicted from the storms of life.
And in this Sunday's 1st reading, the Lord addresses Job
out of the storm and reminds him that God alone can say,
“Here shall your proud waves be stilled!” (Job 38:11)
In today's Gospel, Jesus saves the disciples from their storms
of doubt that day on the Sea of Galilee. (Gospel, Mark 4:39)
The disciples were like those described in the Psalm:
“Some went off to sea in ships; they saw the
works of the Lord, the wonders of God in the deep.”
When we are facing the storms of life, where do we
turn to be delivered from our distress? We cry out
to the Lord, as the Psalm says, “In their distress, they
cried out to the Lord, who brought them out of their peril,
and stilled the waves of the sea.”
Storms at sea were a constant threat to the disciples,
several of whom made their living as fishermen.
In today's Gospel, the disciples are filled with awe and
say to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind
and sea obey?” (Mark 4:41)
That same power that delivered the disciples from the
storm that day on the Sea of Galilee is available to us,
to strengthen us as we trade in deep waters and are
tossed about.
We all rejoice when we are saved by the Lord.
As the psalmist says, “They rejoiced that the sea grew calm,
that God brought them to the harbor they longed for.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. In the Psalm the Lord hushed the storm and saved those
who sailed the sea. Describe how God has intervened in
your
life and saved you from distress.
2. Our psalmist says that God brought those sailors to the
harbor they longed for after the sea grew calm. Tell how our
Lord
has brought fair winds and following seas to your life and given
you
the direction you desire.
Reflections (by J Kim)
Psalm 92: 2-3, 13-14, 15-16 (Read)
"Lord, it is good to give thanks to you."
Displaying an attitude of gratitude. Sending a
thank-you note.
Saying your "please and
thank you’s.” Such are lessons we
teach our
children as we train them in what is socially proper. If
only we would spend as much time considering what is proper in the
spiritual sense.
God our Creator is all-deserving and worthy of our praise.
A well-known prayer guide pinpoints five essential elements
of
prayer. Adoration, Confession, Petition, and Intercession,
are ALWAYS followed by Thanksgiving. Psalm 92:1 is often
quoted in support: "It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praise to your
name, Most High."
Also to be noted is the use of the word "sing" in that first
verse.
The Lord loves to hear our voices in song. Thus, hymns of any
sort are an integral part of worship. Something about singing
focuses our hearts on Jesus and softens his heart to accept
our prayerful pleas.
Our Abba Father gives us our days in 24 hour increments.
Could we handle any more? His grace is enough for each day;
the psalmist writes, "It is good to proclaim your kindness at
dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night."
The cedar of Lebanon is a mighty and beautiful tree referenced
throughout Scripture. In this Sunday's first reading, a small
cedar
shoot is replanted and compared to a "majestic cedar" as it grows
strong
with its roots firmly planted. (Ezekiel 17:22-23) The Psalm
says, “The just
one shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of
Lebanon shall he grow."
Later, the psalmist writes, "They shall bear fruit even in old
age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be." Living in a righteous manner,
with the foundations of our beliefs firmly rooted, we too are called
to have the strength and fruitfulness of the cedar, even unto the
very end of our earthly lives.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. "Lord, you are holy indeed. It is right to give you thanks
and praise."
These are familiar words to any Mass-goer. How do you
sincerely give thanks
to the Lord in your daily life?
2. How can you become more like the upright palm tree or the majestic and
firmly-rooted Lebanese cedar? Do others see you as a just and righteous person
through your everyday speech and actions? What can you change about
yourself so that you, too, can "bear fruit even in old age?"
Reflections
Psalm 116: 12-13, 15-16, 17-18 (Read)
“I will take the cup of salvation and call on
the name of the Lord.”
This saving cup is the same cup that we share
each time we participate in the Liturgy of the
Eucharist. It is the cup of the blood that Jesus
shed to mark the new covenant with people
of faith.
We are saved by Christ; He is the divine victim.
Our psalmist asks, “How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?”
The Psalm affirms, “Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.” What could be more
costly than the death of God’s only son? Yet God
consented to the death of his Son because of his love
for us; God did not spare Him. Once again we ask,
“How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done
for me?”
Certainly we are all obliged to pay our vows to the Lord,
to give Him praise, to obey his commandments, and to do
his will. As the Psalm says, “My vows to the Lord I will pay
in the presence of all his people.”
We are to praise Him and worship Him in the presence
of the community. It is not just between us and God.
We are part of a community, and we are to acknowledge
Him and bow down to Him publicly. And we are to proclaim
the Gospel!
Our psalmist says, “O Lord, I am your servant, you have
loosed my bonds.” We are made free by becoming the
Lord's servant. That is how it is when we follow his
commandments and do his will. It is not something that
binds us. Rather, it is something that sets us free.
We take delight in serving the Lord.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmists asks, "How can I repay the Lord for all the
good He has done for me?"
Explain how you would answer this question.
2. When you "take the cup of salvation," do you receive our
Lord's saving power?
Say how you respond when you eat His body and drink His blood.
Reflections
Psalm 33: 4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22 (Read)
“The eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear him; to deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.”
We have been chosen by God to be
his people. God is all powerful,
“By the word of the Lord the heavens
were made; “For He spoke, and it came to be.”
This Sunday's 1st reading reminds us we are
to keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 4:40)
And we do this because we hold Him in awe.
Like a Good Shepherd He protects us from harm.
He puts up a hedge around us and provides us
with armor in our battle against death and the evil one.
He feeds us when we go through periods of spiritual
hunger. He nourishes us and gives us our daily bread.
“Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and
our shield.” It is said that even people who have
no faith have a longing in their hearts for God.
There is something missing in their lives.
For us who are believers, we are dependent on
the Lord. We openly seek his help and his
protection. He is our shield in the spiritual battle
that we all have to fight.
We would be dead in our sins without the Lord's
protection, defeated by the evil one without the
Lord's armor. And when our hearts are starved
for God's presence, when our bones are dry,
He nourishes us and breathes life into our dry
bones. “Lord we have put our hope in you.”
“Our soul waits for the Lord.” We are delivered
from death, kept alive in times of spiritual famine.
We can expect to receive his grace. And for this,
we praise the Lord. As the psalmist says,
we know He will fill the earth with kindness
and that his kindness will be upon us.
“We have put our hope in the Lord.”
Jesus, in turn, puts his hope in us,
commanding us to go out and make disciples
of all nations. (Matthew 28:19)
As God's children we must be obedient
and carry out his commission.
We have been given to Jesus so that we may
proclaim the good news of salvation.
In this way we carry out the Lord’s works
and celebrate what the Psalm says,
“The Lord loves justice and right.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm Response this week is, 'Blessed the people the Lord
has chosen to be his own.' Do you believe that you have been chosen
by God to be one of His children? Explain.
2. Our psalmist speaks of preserving us in spite of 'famine.' Have you
gone through periods of spiritual hunger? How has your faith enabled you
to regain your strength and obtain nourishment?
Reflections
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (Read)
“Lord, send out your Spirit.”
“If you take away their breath, they perish;
when you send forth your spirit, they are created.” Animated by the Spirit, the divine Breath, we who are His creatures sing of the glory of our Creator.
“When you send forth your Spirit, you renew
the face of the earth.” God is the source of all natural life. So also the Holy Spirit is the source
of all supernatural life. We are nothing without the divine Breath, “When you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust.”
It is this same creative Breath which came down on the
disciples in that locked room that St Luke speaks of in
this Sunday's 1st reading. (Acts 2:1-4)
The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to go forth
and proclaim the Gospel boldly to men of all nations,
speaking different tongues.
We too are called to be baptized in the Spirit, and
to receive the divine Breath of the Lord. Having been
baptized in the Spirit, we are a new creation, and are
called to glorify the Lord in what we do. In this way,
as the Psalm says, “May the Lord be glad in his works.”
Fortunately, for us too, the Spirit is manifested in
each of us for some benefit, as St. Paul reminds us
in our 2nd reading. (1 Corinthians 12:7)
All we have to do is accept Christ and believe in Him.
Then we too will have the gift of life.
Without the breath of God, we are nothing. Just as
the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples at Pentecost,
so too are we empowered by our Creator. The presence
of the Holy Spirit within us is how we share in the divinity
of Christ.
Without the breath of the Holy Spirit, we have no spiritual life.
But thanks to God's gift, we are a new creation, and we are
baptized into Christ. And that alone gives us reason
to praise God. As our psalmist says, “Pleasing to him be
my theme; I will be glad in the Lord.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm reminds us that we are dependent on the Lord for our
very breath. Tell about what makes you aware of the 'divine Breath' in your
life.
2. Our Sunday Psalm Response is, 'Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the
face of the earth.' Is the Holy Spirit doing a work in you? Are you a 'new
creation?'
Speak about your baptism in the Holy Spirit.
