Reflections
Psalm 137: 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6This Psalm is a song of the chosen people in exile in Babylon.
As our 1st reading (2nd Chronicles) tells us, the Lord became angry with the Israelites because of their many infidelities.
And when they mocked the messenger of God, God allowed them to be carried off to Babylon as slaves.
“By the rivers of Babylon, we sat mourning and weeping.”
But they could not forget Jerusalem
and the covenant God had made with them.
“If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right hand wither.”
And more important, God did not forget them.
It is the same way with us.
We sin against God and he allows us to be carried off
into a kind of self imposed exile,
where we separate ourselves from him for a time.
“But how could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?”
When our hearts are hardened by sin,
how could we sing a song of the Lord?
When we are in the darkness because we prefer
the darkness, how could we sing a song of the Lord?
When we are separated from the Lord
and indulging in things of the world,
how could we sing a song of the Lord?
It is only when we are in the light,
then can we sing a song of the Lord.
As our 2nd reading (Ephesians) tells us,
“Even when we [are] dead in our transgressions,
[God] brings us to life with Christ.”
And the Gospel reminds us in a powerful way that
although we are a wicked people who hate the light,
God sent his Son not to condemn us,
but to save us and lead us into the light.
That is how we free ourselves from our own spiritual exile.
And that is how we too can say as the psalmist says,
”May my tongue stick to my palate
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem beyond all my delights.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. This Sunday's Response is, "Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!"
When you are separated from God because of sin,
have you noticed how it becomes difficult to praise and worship Him?
In a way your tongue becomes silenced for a time.
Explain how you can get your voice back and start again singing a song of the Lord.
2. Our psalmist tells us that it was difficult for the Israelites
captive in Babylon to sing the songs of Zion in a foreign land.
Is it sometimes difficult for you to speak of your faith
in the company of non-believers? If you are being persecuted
by a world that does not acknowledge you as one of its own,
how do you overcome your reticence and speak boldly of your faith?
I feel that is exactly how you start getting your voice back is to sing: I love to sing about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, Mary. My favorites are Abba Father, The Servant Song, Ave Maria, and countless others we sing at church. It fires you up for the Lord. You know when you sing you pray twice.
ReplyDeleteI feel that is exactly how you start getting your voice back is to sing: I love to sing about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, Mary. My favorites are Abba Father, The Servant Song, Ave Maria, and countless others we sing at church. It fires you up for the Lord. You know when you sing you pray twice.
ReplyDeleteWhen Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they tried to run and hide when God was looking for them. That's natural; it's human nature. When we bad mouth a neighbor, we want to stay away and not talk to them. In the same manner, we separate ourselves from God when we sin against him. To get back with God, we need to pray, admit fault, and ask for forgiveness. As Catholics, we are blessed because have the powerful Sacrament of Confession for serious sins.
ReplyDeletel. When I am in bitterness and sorrow over something for a time, it is hard for me to get my voice back to praise and worship God. Why ? My heart is already hardened by my sins. Sin is a block between God and me. Unless I confess my sins before God and ask for forgiveness and reconcile with him again, my tongue will be kept silenced. We are a wicked people who like to walk in darkness. And so we must repent and repent over and over again to get God's grace. He'll set us free. Then finally I'll have my voice back again and can sing a song of the Lord.
ReplyDelete2. First, I'll pray and ask God to give me the strength and wisdom to overcome this kind of situation. As a Catholic I was being persecuted by our fellow Christians--Protestants. Some of them regard Catholics as a different sect. Talking with them made me frustrated and furious. At the same time they made me confused. In times like this I usually kept quiet, not because of my lack of faith. But there is no point to argue with them about it. I'm hoping someday I'll be the person who professes my faith boldly in front of my enemy.