Psalm for Sunday, February 23, 2025

 

Reflections

Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13   (Read)

“The Lord redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.”

Our psalmist sings the praises of a divine 
and loving God, who surrounds us with 
compassion, pardons our sins, heals our ills.
He nurses no lasting anger; He has not dealt 
with us as our sins deserve.  Our duty is 
to remain faithful to the Lord, and to treat 
His anointed ones with love and compassion, 
as He would do.

This Sunday's Gospel teaches a powerful and 
difficult lesson – We are to be merciful to our 
enemies by imitating the Father.  The Psalm 
tells us how, by being “Merciful and gracious, 
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.”

Who can love their enemies, and do good to them?
It will be difficult if we allow our earthly nature 
to rule us.  Just as “God has not dealt with us 
as our sins merit,” so must we imitate God and 
have compassion on those we would typically 
want to condemn.

We cannot imitate God without a share in Christ’s 
divinity, and in turn being empowered by the holy 
Spirit within us.  Only then will we have the kind 
of compassion the psalmist speaks about,  “As a 
father has compassion on his children, so the Lord 
has compassion on the faithful.”

If we love the Lord, it will show in our hearts, and 
the old things will then pass away.  The Psalm says 
it well:  “As far as the east is from the west, 
so far has He put our transgressions behind us.”

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalm speaks of a loving and compassionate God,
who does not deal with us according to our sins.   Are you able
to treat those who have harmed you in the same way?  Explain.

2.  The verses of the Psalm remind us of the power of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, "As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He put our transgressions behind us."  Relate how the
Sacrament works for you to put your sins behind you.

Psalm for Sunday, February 16, 2025

 

Reflections

Psalm 1: 1-2, 3, 4, 6   (Read)

"Blessed are they who trust in the Lord."

                                                          

The Psalm sets before us a life

choice -- nothingness, righteous or 

sinfulness, self reliance or 

trust in God, good or evil, 

wickedness or love.  Those 

who deaden their conscience 

for their own ends have no 

other future but ruin.  

The righteous are blessed,

for they are separated from sin.  

The righteous are able to stand fast 

and enhance their spiritual life.  

The wicked are completely 

powerless spiritually for they are 

like chaff that is borne away even by 

the slightest breeze.  

How do the righteous obtain their strength 

in the midst of evil?   They meditate on God's 

law day and night, they delight in the law of the 

Lord.  What does this mean for us?   We are to 

keep God’s word in front of us, use scripture 

as a guide to how we should live our lives.  

Scripture is an instrument of God, and when 

we pray to God he will answer us in the pages 

of the Bible. 

In Sunday’s first reading Jeremiah says, 

“Cursed is the one who puts his trust in 

human beings, whose heart turns away 

from the Lord.  Blessed is the one who 

trusts in the Lord.”   However we seek the 

fellowship of other men, we should 

not put our trust in them.  

When we trust in the Lord we become 

well planted and able to weather the storms of life. 

By contrast the wicked have nothing to anchor

them; they are like chaff which the wind drives away.  

They are on their own, whereas the Lord watches over 

the way of the just.  But the way of the wicked vanishes.  

And in Sunday’s Gospel Jesus himself proclaims 

the beatitudes and assures us that He is on the 

side of those who are at present poor, hungry, 

or mourning, or persecuted.  Their only hope is 

in God.  Whereas those who are filled now, and 

for whom it is all too easy to forget God, are in 

danger of losing all and becoming hungry.

Jesus provides the food which does not run out, the 

drink that does not run dry.  Nothing can disturb us 

if we put our faith in God; nothing can make us happy 

if we turn away from God.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  How do you go about anchoring yourself in God's word in order

to stand fast in the face of the wicked forces that abound?

2.  Speak of how you have trusted in the Lord and how He has 

provided you with strength and happiness.

Psalm for Sunday, February 9, 2025

 

Reflections

Psalm 138: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8   (Read)

“Forsake not the work of your hands.”                                   

Our psalmist David composed this
prayer with 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 
David's prayers have come at a
critical time, a time when our
psalmist 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 who has given 
the Lord anything that he may be repaid?  
Unworthy as we are, and although the Lord 
is exalted, He watches over us in our
lowly state.  And thanks be to God, his 
kindness endures forever.  St Paul says 
the same thing in today's 2nd reading, 
“But by the grace of God I am what I am.”
(1 Corinthians 15:10)

Our psalmist reminds us: all God has 
to do is stretch out his right hand, and 
we will be saved.  “You stretch out your 
hand, your right hand saves me.”  
In like manner, in today's Gospel our 
Lord Jesus reaches out to Simon Peter, 
who is empowered to become a true 
apostle and a catcher of men by following 
the Lord.  (Luke 5:10)

Our psalm concludes with a grateful and
affirming theme, showing how Peter
probably felt,  as he fell on his face 
at the feet of the Lord that day by the Lake of Gennesaret ... 

“The Lord is with me to the end,

Lord your love endures forever,

never forsake the work of your hands.” 

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist affirms, 'When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.'   Speak of your own experience
when you were in need of the Lord's help to build up your spiritual vigor.

2.  David pleads with God, 'Forsake not the work of your hands.'  As a child of God, tell of how you can expect the Lord to love you forever unconditionally.

Psalm for Sunday, February 2, 2025

Reflections


Psalm 24: 7, 8, 9, 10   (Read)

“Lift up, O gates, reach up,
that the king of glory may come in!”

Scripture tells us that even the heavens 
cannot contain Him, yet our Lord is
content to build a house within our
hearts.  Our own bodies become temples
of the Lord, and we must throw open
the gates of our hearts and let Him enter.
He is the king of glory!

The psalm celebrates Christ's ascension into
the holy city of Jerusalem, and reminds us
that He is 'mighty in battle,' able to defeat
whatever dark forces are present within us.
We herald His coming, our gates our lifted,
'that the king of glory may come in.'  He is
'strong and mighty' and will protect us from
all our enemies, external and internal.

The psalm reminds us we are to prepare
to receive our Lord.  We must be clean of
hand and pure of heart; we must 'reach up
our portals' to a higher level if we are truly
to become a temple of God.

The Psalm is guiding us to prepare ourselves
from within, so that we are made ready to
receive Him when He comes.  Our psalmist
tells us that those who love the Lord and those
who seek God's face will receive Him.  Just as
Jesus is consecrated to the Lord in this Sunday's
Gospel, just so must we be consecrated before
we can receive Jesus in our hearts.  When we are
ready, we can join with the psalmist and say
confidently, 'It is the Lord!'

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm twice urges us to lift up our gates that the king of glory 
may come in.   What are you doing to prepare a place for the Lord 
in your heart?

2.  Our Lord will build a house within our hearts if we allow Him to do so.  
Once your body becomes a temple of the Lord, how will this change 
your behavior?

Psalm for Sunday, January 26, 2025

 

Reflections


Psalm 19: 8, 9, 10, 15

“Let the words of my mouth and
the thoughts of my heart meet with 
your favor, O Lord, my rock and
my redeemer.”

Where does the power come from 
to keep us on track, to speak the 
right words, think the right thoughts? 
It comes from the Lord, our rock 
and redeemer.  And how does it come to us?  Through the Word, the inspired Word of God.

It is through the Word that we know 
His commandments, and through this 
Psalm that we know His law is a source 
of refreshment, a source of joy.  When 
we follow the Lord’s commands, there 
is a joy that is stirred up in our hearts.
“The precepts of the Lord are right, 
rejoicing the heart.”

His statutes do not bind us, they set 
us free.  As in the days of Ezra, the 
reading of the law should not make us sad, 
but be a source of rejoicing. 

If we are to imitate the divine life,
everything we need to know is found in 
God’s law.  The Word is the source of 
wisdom; it is where power is found.
And it is where the statutes of God 
are spelled out.  

The Lord's statutes serve as our 
instruction manual for life.  But they 
are not just a dry set of rules that we 
cannot hope to follow; 
God's commandments refresh our souls.

The Word and the statutes endure forever;
They are refreshing to the soul; 
They enlighten the eye;
They bring much reward.
And as Christ says in the Gospel, 
the scripture is fulfilled in our hearing. 
Give us ears to hear!

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalm response this Sunday is 'Your words, Lord, 
are Spirit and life.'  In what way are you impacted along 
your faith journey by the words of our Lord?

2.  Speak of how the Lord's commandments are useful in 
carrying out the plea of our psalmist, 'Let the words of my 
mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before you.'

Psalm for Sunday, January 19, 2025

Reflections 

Psalm 96: 1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10  (Read)

“Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all
the nations!”

Today's psalm is a song of Israel, the
chosen people, brought back from exile. 
Their joy and praise is understandable.  
The prophet Isaiah says that God calls
them, “His Delight, His Espoused.”
(Isaiah 62:4) 
No wonder they want to “Sing to the
Lord a new song,” and tell of God’s
glory and His marvelous deeds.

We are all summoned to adoration of
our sovereign God.  We are called to
give Him 'glory and praise,' as our
psalmist says.   And we are called
to bring gifts as we enter His courts.

But no matter how precious our own
offerings may be, they are no match
for the gifts of the Spirit that each of us
receives, and which St Paul speaks
about in this Sunday's second reading. 
Each of us receives these spiritual gifts
individually, and they are given through
the Spirit to us for 'some benefit.'  
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

In this Sunday's Gospel our Lord Jesus
uses His marvelous gifts to turn water
into wine at the wedding in Cana and so
reveals His glory. (John 2:1-11)
Even today the Lord provides real food
and real drink for us, in the Eucharist. 
What better nourishment could there be
in our lives?  As the psalm says, we are
called to be grateful and, “Give to the Lord
the glory due His name,” to bow down
to the Lord, and to tremble before Him.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist encourages us to, 'Sing to the Lord a new song."
What is it about your faith that makes you want to sing praise to the Lord?

2.  The Psalm urges us to, 'Proclaim His marvelous deeds to all the nations.' 
How will you go about proclaiming the Gospel to those around you in your family and your community?

  

Psalm for Sunday, January 12, 2025

Reflections

Psalm 29: 1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10   (Read)

“The God of glory thunders.”

The Psalm is about the splendor and the 
power of God.  “Give to the Lord the glory 
due God’s name.  Bow down before the 
Lord’s holy splendor.”  The Psalm speaks 
of the voice of the Lord “thundering” over 
the waters.   “The voice of the Lord is 
power; the voice of the Lord is splendor.”

God's awesome voice was heard over the 
Jordan River that day when the heavens 
were torn open and the Holy Spirit descended 
upon Jesus just as He was being baptized.  
What could be more powerful than the voice 
of God declaring, “This is my beloved Son, 
with whom I am well pleased.” (Gospel, Luke 3:22)

What happened at the Jordan River that day 
was to fulfill what God said to the prophet Isaiah – 
“Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen 
one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have 
put my spirit.”  (Isaiah 42:1)

The baptism of our Lord may have happened 
over 2000 years ago, but on that day God 
anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, 
the power to serve the faithful (people like us), 
and to do battle on our behalf with the 
devil. (Acts 10:38)

From that time forward we too became eligible 
to serve the Lord as His chosen ones.   Isaiah 
tells us what our spiritual mission is to be:  
like Jesus, we are to be a light to the nations, 
and open the eyes of the blind (those who do 
not know the Lord).  (Isaiah 42:6-7)
And imitating Jesus, we are to bring out 
prisoners from confinement (those who may 
be imprisoned by sin).  What better way 
would there be for us to serve the Lord?

Amen


 Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm's verses speak of the power and splendor of the voice 
of the Lord, thundering over the waters.   Have you heard God's powerful 
voice speaking to you, anointing you as one of His chosen ones?  Explain.

2.  Our psalmist encourages us to give God the glory due His holy name.  
Tell of how you give God the glory in your activities and your everyday life.