Psalm for Sunday, February 15, 2026

Reflections   (by J. Kim)

    

Psalm 119: 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34   (Read)

“Blessed are they who follow the law

of the Lord.”

Our psalmist is in prayer asking for many things.  He asks, "Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law."  We may not think of the law as wonderful, 

but rather may consider it restrictive and harsh, 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.

The Lord reveals to us very clearly how to live a life that is "happy" and full of peace.  "Happy are those who observe God's decrees, 

who seek the Lord with all their heart." 

However, with man's sinful nature, we are
likely to fall far short.  God never intended
to justify anyone through the Law of Moses. 
Rather, the law shows us where we are sinful.
Fortunately for us, God sent his son among us 

to redeem us from those sins   

If we are not sure where sin lurks in our lives,
then our prayer becomes the words of the
psalmist, “Give me discernment, that I may
observe your law and keep it with all my heart.” 

The closer we walk with the Lord, the brighter
He shines his goodness into the darkest corners
of our minds and hearts.  And it's exactly the
purity of our innermost thoughts and motives
that matters most to the Lord.  Even the Scribes
and Pharisees were good at following the law
with their actions.  The Gospel asks us to delve
further than that, and make following the law
about the condition of our inner selves.

(Matthew 5: 17-37)

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection  

1.  Our psalmist affirms that those who walk in the law of the Lord, those 

who observe His decrees, will be happy and blessed.   Based on your own experience, how does our Savior lift you back up and restore you when you  stumble?

 2.  The Psalm's verses petition the Lord to instruct us in the way of His  statutes.  Tell of how you receive guidance and discernment from 

the Lord that will help you observe His law and keep it with all your heart.

Psalm for Sunday, February 8, 2026

 

Reflections 

Psalm 112: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9     (Read)

“Light shines through the darkness 

for the upright.”

The Psalm inspires us to have a right relationship with the Lord by becoming 'upright.'   Having done so, having delighted in God's commands, we begin to imitate Him and treat our brothers and sisters 

as He would do.

“Light shines through the darkness for the upright; 

he is gracious and merciful and just.”  

These are heavenly qualities 

(being gracious, and merciful and just),

and having God's light in our hearts 

inspires us to do good works, 

to “conduct our affairs with justice,” 

“give to the poor lavishly.”

And as we measure out a good 

and generous measure, our measure 

is returned to us many times over.  

As the Psalm says, we will be lifted up 

from within; our "horn shall be exalted 

in glory."

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm's verses are in keeping with this Sunday's Gospel
and the reading from Isaiah.  All three affirm that we people of
faith are the 'light of the world' and are motivated to do good deeds. 
Give an example of how your light shines through in the darkness.

2.  Our psalmist speaks of a man whose 'heart is firm, trusting in
the Lord,' whose 'heart is steadfast.'   In our world today, what makes
you firm of heart and trusting in the Lord?

 

Psalm for Sunday, February 1, 2026

Reflections

Psalm 146: 6-7, 8-9, 9-10   (Read)

"Blessed are the poor in spirit."

The Psalm is about trusting in God,
the one who made us. “Happy those 

whose hope is in the Lord, the maker 
of heaven and earth.”  Why do we 
trust in God and not princes of this 
world?  Because, “He keeps faith 
forever,” and, “He gives food to the 
hungry."  Who among us is not hungry
for a closer relationship with The Lord?

In Sunday's first reading, 

the prophet Zephaniah tells us,

"Seek the Lord all you humble of  

the earth.”  (Zephaniah 2: 3)    
St Paul in our second reading assures 
us, God is not going to call the wise, 
the powerful, or those of noble birth.
Rather, he calls the lowly, the weak, 

to shame the strong. 
(1 Corinthians 1: 26-28)

The message is clear – The Psalm is 

telling us we really need to humble ourselves
if we want to be raised up with Him. 
That may be hard to do if it means we have 

to swallow our pride and put aside worldly 
concerns.  But it we truly want to be set free
from the sins that bind us, then we need to 

repent and bow down before the Lord and 
seek his grace.  Where else are the promises
of our God fulfilled but in the healing 
ministry of Jesus?  Who else has the grace 

and the mercy to heal us?

So we can pray this Psalm, not only in honor 

of the heavenly Father, but also in honor of 
Christ, 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, January 25, 2026

Reflections

Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14     (Read)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

The Psalm is about trusting the Lord and our desire to spend the rest of our days in His presence. The Psalm says, "One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

Perhaps this desire to be with 
the Lord is what inspired Simon 
Peter and his brother Andrew 
that day by the Sea of Galilee, 
when they left their father and 
their nets to follow Jesus and 
be his disciples (Sunday's Gospel).
Surely, Peter and Andrew recognized 
Jesus as their own personal light 
and their own personal Savior.  
As the Psalm says, "The Lord is 
my light and my salvation."

As we grow older, we too take steps 
on our journey to be with the Lord, 
to enter His house.  Recall that Jesus 
said, “My house has many mansions.”  
It is no accident that older people
want to go to daily Mass and be with 
the Lord as much as possible.  They 
are called to that promise of eternal 
joy when they may “gaze on the 
loveliness of the Lord” all the days 
of their lives.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Two verses of the Psalm assure us that we should not fear, or be afraid 
of anyone, so long as the Lord is our refuge and our salvation.  How do you apply these verses to your daily life?

2.  Our psalmist asks, "To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord."   Where is the house of the Lord, and how do you believe you will get there?

Psalm for Sunday, January 18, 2026

Reflections 

Psalm 40:  2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10   (Read)

“He put a new song into my mouth.”

Our psalmist David waits for the Lord, to reach out to Him, to make God hear his cry.  We are like that.  We are weak on our own; we need the Lord’s strength 
to be delivered from our sinful ways.

As the prophet Isaiah says, God is our
strength (Isaiah 49:5).  We put our trust
in Him.  Our God is an awesome God.
“Many shall look on [our God] in awe
and trust in the Lord.”  We are called to be
God's holy people, as St Paul tells us 
(1 Corinthians 1:2).

Our psalmist says, “He put a new song into
my mouth.” In response we sing a new song
unto the Lord.  For us, having waited for
the Lord, it is no longer the same old tune
or the same old us.   We are in fact a new
creation, singing out the good news.
Where does our joyful spirit come from?
It comes from the Lord, and we are called
to share what He has given us and to do
His will.

We are called to follow Christ.
Obedience isn’t an unpleasant chore for us;
instead, as the Psalm tells us,
“To do your will is my delight.”

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm Response this Sunday is, "Here am I, Lord;
I come to do your will."  Speak of how you discern God's will
in your life, and tell how you are carrying out what God wants 
you to do.

2.  Our psalmist David says, "God put a new song into my mouth."  
Have you too had a conversion in your walk with the Lord?  Tell of 
your own experience.

Psalm for Sunday, January 11, 2026

 

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 after He was baptized.  What 
could be more powerful than the voice of God 
declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom 
I am well pleased.” (Gospel, Matthew 3:17)

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.

Psalm for Sunday, January 4, 2026

 

Reflections 

Psalm 72: 1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13   (Read)

“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

 

The Psalm is a prayer for our newborn King,

a Messiah who will be like the “rain coming 

down upon the fields, like showers watering 

the earth.”  Our psalmist prays that our 

newborn King will be anointed by God with 

divine judgment and empowered to rule the earth.

The prophet Isaiah in our 1^st reading predicts that

the light of the Lord will cause our hearts to overflow,

and the riches of the sea to be emptied out 

before us. (Isaiah 60:5) 

Our psalmist also speaks of abundance 

that will flourish in the King's days. 

But the Messiah is among us, to do more than 

bless us materially; the Savior has come to make

our burdens easy, to share our afflictions. 

“The lives of the poor He shall save.”

We see the light, just as the prophet Isaiah said 

we would.  (Isaiah 60:1) 

In the Psalm, the mystery is revealed 

to us, poor in spirit though we are:

“He rescues the poor when they cry out [as we do],

the afflicted who have no one to help.”

This is what our Good Shepherd Jesus is sent to do, 

to shepherd God’s people. This is why we join the 

Magi in paying homage to our newborn King, and 

join with our psalmist in singing,

"Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist mentions 'afflicted ones' and 'the afflicted' in two of the Psalm's verses.  Are there times when you can identify yourself as an 'afflicted' one?   Tell what remedies are available to you that are mentioned in the Psalm.

2.  The Psalm says, 'Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.'   Using the verses of the Psalm, explain why 'all kings' would want to pay homage to our Lord.