Reflections
Psalm 40: 2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
This Psalm is a prayer of gratitude
and of obedience to the Lord.
Our psalmist David answered God’s call
when he said, “Here I am,”
in much the same way as does young Samuel
in our first reading.
Samuel waited expectantly
for the Lord to speak to him –
he was ‘all ears’
when he heard the Lord’s voice,
and he grew up serving the Lord
and following God.
Our psalmist says,
“He put a new song into my mouth.”
For us too it is no longer the same old tune
or the same old we. 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, which is our delight.
In the Gospel reading
Andrew recognizes Jesus as the anointed
and is drawn to him.
Andrew and his brother Simon
truly become members of Christ.
They are joined to the Lord
and have become one spirit with him,
as St. Paul proclaims in our 2nd reading.
We too are called to follow Christ
and to do his will.
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. In this beautiful Psalm our psalmist speaks of
waiting, waiting for the Lord. Tell what it means to you
to have waited for the Lord, and what has been the result
of your presenting yourself to the Lord?
2. Our psalmist is delighted to do God's will;
he says to God, "your law is within my heart!"
Have you also felt the Lord's pleasure
when you obey him and serve him? What does
it mean to you to say God's law is within my heart?
God wants us to be able to hear the call through vocation or when anyone in our daily lives need help.
ReplyDeletea k said,
ReplyDelete"When we wait for God, we are waiting for him to give us the next step in life. Everything depends on God and His schedule. We might want something right away, but God knows when it's the right time to give us something."
Blogger poster said,
ReplyDelete"l. Tell what it means to you to have waited for the Lord, and what has been the result of your presenting yourself to the Lord? ?
a. To me, waiting for the Lord means to stay in His presence and to listen to him patiently. He'll hear my cry and rescue me from the snare of sins and sufferings. And it means to obey and serve him.
b. Obedience is like a trial and suffering and an unpleasant chore for me. But, after a time of trial and waiting, to do His will I'm blessed. He puts a new song into my mouth. I'm filled with joy and peace from the Lord due to my obedience and serving him. In that way, I will become a new creation, singing out the good news.
2. What does it mean to you to say God's law is within my heart?
We are called to follow Jesus Christ, our Lord, and to do his will and to share what he has given us. O my God, to do your will is my delight.
Andrew said,
ReplyDelete"God calls us even when we don't expect it."
God watches over us every single point of our lives. He watches us when we struggle or when we thrive. I especially feel the Lord's presence during my ballet classes. The only way I do 15 hours a week of dance and still love it, is through the Lord. When I dance, it is not me.... It is God dancing through me. It is in this way that the Lord shines through me. This is how I know when God is calling me. When He is, He is telling me to dance for Him.
ReplyDelete