Psalm for Sunday, October 11, 2026

 

Reflections
 

Psalm 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6    (Read)

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,   
 I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

The Psalm's words are a source of peace                                            
for us, a source of strength, a source of healing. 
The Lord provides for us,
“There is nothing I shall want.”

The Lord restores us, for we tend to go astray
like sheep.  We belong under the care of
the Good Shepherd, who is guardian of our souls.
Jesus assures us that we who enter the sheepfold 
through Him will be saved and will find pasture.

Jesus promises to raise us up and to destroy death,
our biggest enemy.  Our psalmist promises that 
we are to be anointed by the Lord, “You anoint my 
head with oil, my cup overflows.”  We are made 
ready to go forth on our journey of eternal life 
with the Lord.

Like a Good Shepherd, Jesus says He should 
not lose anything of what the Father has given Him,
but that He should raise it on the last day.  (John 6: 39)

We lack nothing when we trust in the Lord.
We fear nothing.  Having been rescued by our Savior, 
and now counted among His obedient sheep, 
we are groomed to enter the Kingdom 
and dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm promises a heavenly banquet at a time when we
are faced with our greatest enemy, death.  "You spread the table
before me in the sight of my foes."   Speak of how you are 
comforted by the Psalm's verses.

2.  Our psalmist assures us that our Lord is the guardian of our
souls and that we shall have eternal life with Him.  Explain how 
confident you are that you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm for Sunday, October 4, 2026

 

Reflections

Psalm 80: 9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20    (Read)

"O Lord, take care of this vine."  

The Psalm is a prayer to restore the Israelites to God’s vineyard.   
The chosen people have lost God’s protection; God has removed 
the hedge that He put up around them.

“God brought a vine out of Egypt and planted it.”  But what kind 
of fruit did God’s vineyard bear?  The prophet Isaiah says in 
our 1st reading that despite all of God’s efforts, nothing but wild
grapes was produced. (Isaiah 5:2)    And so God broke down the
vineyard’s walls, letting, “The boar strip the vine, and the beast 
feed upon it.” 

There is a message here for all of us who do not bear fruit or 
use our resources wisely.  We could lose God’s protection, 
and we may not be able to defend ourselves from the evil one 
that prowls around like a roaring lion. 

We, like the psalmist, need to beg for God’s mercy.
“Turn again, O Lord of hosts, attend to this vine.”
If we’re not careful, the kingdom will be taken away 
from us, as it was in the Gospel, and given to a people
that will produce its fruit.  (Matthew 21: 43)  
We, like the Israelites, need to be restored.  The Psalm's
verses pray, “Give us new life,  and we will call on your name.”

Where does our hope for revival come from?
It comes from our Savior, sent by the Lord, our cornerstone,
“The son of man whom God himself made strong.”
In Him we are restored. As the Psalm says, “Lord of hosts 
restore us; let your face shine upon us, 
that we may be saved.”

Amen 
 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm says, “Lord, take care of this vine; then we will no more withdraw 
from you.  Give us new life, and we will call upon your name.”  Have you noticed at times when we stray off His path how the Lord tugs at each of us so that we return to His ways.   Give an example from your own experience.

2.  Our psalmist is writing about the scattered people of Israel, but his words may apply to each of us in our separation from God.   In what way are you inspired by the Psalm's verses to repent and seek renewal?

Psalm for Sunday, September 27, 2026

Reflections

Psalm 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9     (Read)

“Good and upright is the Lord, 
who shows sinners the way.” 

We are blessed to have a God 
who does not disregard us.

On the contrary, He is 
a caring, compassionate God, 

willing to humble Himself 

to share in our humanity, 

so that we might share in 
His divinity.  Who else would 
have such regard for sinners, 

for believers who disobey Him?

The Lord is talking to all of us 
here; we are all sinners.  
Jesus was criticized for 
consorting with sinners, 
but He replied that 

the sick (people like us) 

are the ones who need a 
physician.  We are all able 
to benefit from the healing 
power of Jesus.

Our psalmist says,  “Make known 
to me your ways, Lord; 

teach me your paths.” 
The prophet Ezekiel, in Sunday's
first reading, tells us that 
if we follow the Lord's way,

we will be able to turn away 
from sin and avoid death.

(Ezekiel 18: 31)

The psalmist prays to God, 

“Remember no more the sins 
of my youth; remember me only 
in light of your love.”  

And in Sunday's Gospel,  
Jesus tells us how a young 
man became right with God 
after having disobeyed Him.   
(Matthew 21: 31)

And where does the power come from 

to turn away from sin?  

It comes from the Lord, “He shows 
sinners the way.”   It is He who 
encourages us when our tongues confess, 

“The Lord guides the humble rightly, 

and teaches the humble the way.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  As the Psalm says, our Lord shows us sinners the way; we pray that 
He will teach us His paths.   What leads you to follow the Lord's truth?

2.  Our psalmist petitions God to remember not the psalmist's frailties or 
the sins of his youth.   How is the Lord's compassion shown in your life?

Psalm for Sunday, September 20, 2026

 

Reflections

Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18   (Read)

“Great is the Lord and highly to be praised.”

When we reflect on what 
God has done for us,

we remember that God 
has always done good

things for us.   That is 
God's nature.  As the Psalm 
says,  “His greatness is 
unsearchable.”  And so 
we pray this psalm to 
bless, praise, and exalt 
the heavenly Father in 
His perfection and in 
His works.

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 
within an unending stream 
of divine love.

“The Lord is near to all 
who call upon him.”

His presence is shown 
in the help, nourishment, 
and salvation that He shows 
to us.  The prophet Isaiah 
urges us, “Seek the Lord 
while He may be found, 
call Him while He is near.”

(Isaiah 55: 6)

We praise God because of 
His divine attributes

of compassion and love.

And fortunately for us, 
the Son shares fully in 
the perfection and works 
of the Father.  So we also 
sing this psalm in honor of 
Christ our Savior, Who shares 
fully in the perfection of God,

and in the works of the Father,

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist assures us, 'The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.'   
This verse requires us to make the extra effort to reach out to God if we want to be in His presence.  Tell of how you have reached out to the Lord and what has been the result.

2.  The Psalm calls upon us to praise His name forever and ever.  Say how you go about praising the Lord in your daily life.  Give examples.

Psalm for Sunday, September 13, 2026

 

Reflections

Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12   (Read)

"Not according to our sins 
does He deal with us."

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, as we are His children, and to treat His anointed ones 

with love and compassion, 
as He would do.

We are to be merciful to our enemies 
by imitating the Father.  The Psalm 
tells us how:  

“Merciful and gracious is the Lord,

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 have compassion on those

we may be inclined to condemn.

We cannot imitate God without a share 
in Christ’s divinity, by allowing the Holy 
Spirit within us to guide us.  Only then 
will we have the kind of compassion 

the psalmist speaks about.

As the Psalm says, God’s love towers over us

if we are his 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, September 6, 2026

 

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,
can we have the courage and conviction
to actually do His will?   Today more than
ever we need to hear His voice.  As God the
Father said, “This is my beloved Son
with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

In the Gospel, Jesus instructs the disciples
how to do all they have been commanded.  
As followers of Jesus, we too are to do all 
that we are obliged to do.

Doing the will of God must have been
difficult even for the disciples, hand picked
by our Lord himself.  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.

“Harden not your hearts.”
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 after all, 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
when 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?
  

Psalm for Sunday, August 30, 2026

 

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 thirsted 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.