Reflections
Displaying an attitude of gratitude. Sending a thank-you note. Saying your "please and thank you’s”. Such are lessons we teach our children as we train them in what is socially proper. If only we would spend as much time considering what is proper in the spiritual sense.
God our Creator is all-deserving and worthy of our praise. A well-known prayer guide pinpoints five essential elements of prayer. Adoration, Confession, Petition, and Intercession,
are ALWAYS followed by Thanksgiving.
Psalm 92:1 is often quoted in support:
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, Most High."
Also to be noted is the use of the word "sing" in that first verse.
The Lord loves to hear our voices in song.
Thus, hymns of any sort are an integral part of worship.
Something about singing focuses our hearts on Jesus and softens
HIS heart to accept our prayerful pleas.
Our Abba Father gives us our days in 24 hour increments.
Could we handle any more? His grace is enough for each day;
the psalmist writes, "(It is good...) to proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night."
The cedar of Lebanon is a mighty and beautiful tree referenced
throughout Scripture. In the first reading, a small cedar shoot
is replanted and compared to a "majestic cedar" as it grows strong
with its roots firmly planted. The Psalm says,
“The just one shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow."
Later, the psalmist writes, "They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be ...."
Living in a righteous manner, with the foundations
of our beliefs firmly rooted, we, too, are called to have
the strength and fruitfulness of the cedar, even unto the
very end of our earthly lives. The psalmist uses
the imagery of being solid, he speaks of the Lord as "my rock."
Living in a righteous manner, with the foundations
of our beliefs firmly rooted, we, too, are called to have
the strength and fruitfulness of the cedar, even unto the
very end of our earthly lives. The psalmist uses
the imagery of being solid, he speaks of the Lord as "my rock."
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. "Lord, you are holy indeed. It is right to give you thanks and praise .... "
are familiar words to any Mass-goer. How do you sincerely
give thanks to the Lord in your daily life?
2. How can you become more like the upright palm tree
or the majestic and firmly-rooted Lebanese cedar?
Do others see you as a just and righteous person
through your everyday speech and actions?
What can you change about yourself so that you, too,
can "bear fruit even in old age?"
Thanks to daughter Jaiun for being guest editor this week and for writing this week's post on Psalm 92, this inspiring psalm which stirs us to give thanks to God.
ReplyDelete1. I believe the Lord takes pleasure when we study His Word each day and when we worship Him by starting our day thanking Him by attending morning Mass and receiving Him in our mouths and hearts. For me, I am raised up by praising Him, and as the Psalm says, 'proclaiming His kindness at dawn and His faithfulness throughout the night.' I also believe that 'celebrating the Psalms' is a way of thanking Him for all that He does by appearing to us in His Word.
2. We can't bear fruit without being pruned of our dead branches by the Lord, who by His love straightens out our crooked ways and guides us on the path less traveled. We may be rooted in our faith, but we cannot grow sturdy and vigorous without being nourished by the Lord, who feeds us through His body and blood and corrects us through His Word. I am thankful to the Lord for strengthening my faith even as I age; you never outgrow your need for the Lord. It is no accident that older people are drawn to attend Mass on a daily Mass and spend more time with the Lord. Their journey on this earth is drawing to a close, but their eternal walk with the Lord is just ahead of them, and they want to be sure they are 'planted in the house of the Lord' forever.
1. What does it mean to really give Thanks? To some, just the words "Thank You" are enough: however, our Lord deserves more than mere words, but actions as well. We need to show our sincerity by following His examples and living our lives so others see Him shinning through. From a personal experience, I became aware of how words of Thanks are sometimes not enough. It is more meaningful to show by our actions how grateful we are. In the same way I believe God wants us to not only Thank Him in prayer, but show our Thanks by how we live our lives. "Actions speak louder than words," it is easy to say Thanks, let us work on showing our Thanks through our actions.
ReplyDelete1. What does it mean to really give Thanks? To some, just the words "Thank You" are enough; however, our Lord deserves more than mere words, but actions as well. We need to show our sincerity by following His example and living our lives so others see Him shining through. From a personal experience, I became aware of how words of Thanks are sometimes not enough. It is more meaningful to show by our actions how grateful we are. In the same way I believe God wants us to not only Thank Him in prayer, but show our Thanks by how we live our lives. "Actions speak louder than words." It is easy to say Thanks; let us work on showing our Thanks through our actions.
ReplyDeletel. First of all, we are created to please and honor God, our Creator. He is worthy to receive our praise and thanksgiving each day. I, as a daily Mass-goer, worship the Lord with a grateful heart for the gift of life as I age. The life which is given to me now seems to be a kind of miracle. Whenever I go through tough times, he assures me with the comforting words, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." In this we find rest for our souls. I am protected from doing evil. Without His Grace I won't be saved. That's why I give Him thanks and praise for what He has done for me.
ReplyDelete2. I think how we could become more like the upright palm tree or firmly-rooted Lebanese cedar is by praying to God, giving our time and talents, and by studying His Word every day and putting His Word into actions. The Bible says that faith without actions is dead. Our faith and our actions are working together. So, we can see a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone (James 2: 24). Since I know that our faith will be made complete by what I do, I can give glory to our Lord through my deeds and kind words and loving behavior towards others. Let's show our faith by what we do. And I'll try hard to change myself to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control ) even in my old age.
We all need something to help us while we grow and live on earth. Someone on earth might not always be with us. That is why the Lord is important to keep close to us. He strengthens us and will keep us safe. All we need to do is live life according to his will and he gives us guidance.
ReplyDeleteYesterday afternoon we went to Mass at St. Mark's, and thanked God, and sang His praises, and asked for a safe and spirit filled trip to see friends, family, and relatives at our big reunion. Thank you God for our many good friends. We know we are blessed.
ReplyDelete