Reflections
Psalm 114 (116): 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9“He has freed my soul from death.”
It is said that Jesus sang this prayer
on the night He was betrayed, and
went to His death with these words
on His lips.
The psalm is a simple prayer of thanks
to God that the psalmist might have
used after escape from the “snares of
the netherworld,” as he called upon God,
“O Lord save my life!”
But unlike the psalmist, our Savior
does not ask to escape death; instead He
begins to teach the disciples (in the Gospel)
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and
be killed. Jesus summons the crowd
and begins to preach on the redemptive
value of His death, saying that 'whoever
loses his life for my sake will save it.'
Once this psalm becomes the prayer of
Our Lord on the night of his Passion,
it says to us believers that there is hope
that we too will “walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.”
The prophet Isaiah (in our 1st reading)
reminds us that the suffering servant
is not disgraced, is not put to shame.
It is that same spirit of defiance in the
face of death that empowers the suffering
servant to set his face like flint, knowing
that the Lord God is his help.
Because we are little and “brought low,”
we depend on our God to “incline His ear”
to us when we call. We cannot raise up
ourselves; we are at the mercy of God's grace.
We cannot become divine, and therefore
God in His love for us became like us
and inclined Himself to our humanity
For this we are grateful, and we join with
the psalmist who celebrates as we do,
“For the Lord has freed my soul from death.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says that the "Lord has freed my soul from death."
Speak about how the Lord has worked in your life to give you hope
that you are saved and raised you up away from the "cords of death."
2. The Psalm says, "The Lord keeps the little ones."
Are you one of His 'little ones?' Explain how by humbling yourself
you have a better chance of being pleasing in the eyes of God.
As I sit at my computer this evening, only hours from my surgery tomorrow morning, I'm preoccupied with the surgery and how it will all go. I know there will be pain, and yet I do not fear death because I have been raised all my life to believe death will lead me to a better place. As Catholics, we havebeen freed up by our belief in the after life with our good Lord. My prayers go out for my good friends Barry and Beth, and that all will go well with their procedures.
ReplyDeleteThe supernatural changes take place in me gradually. I didn't know when or how it happened. I was angry, annoyed and unhappy whenever my husband ignored me. Sometimes he didn't respond to my questions; instead he covered his ears with his two hands saying that my voice was too loud, that's why his ears were hurting. My feelings got hurt badly. At the same time I was prone to carry grudges against him and I remembered his offenses for days. I remained bitter for what he did wrong to me. Now I know how to handle the situation well. I forgave him saying that, "I renounce Satan and his evil spirits and his works in the name of Jesus Christ." With the help of the Holy Spirit I manage to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I do quite often ask the Holy Spirit to help me be patient toward my husband and neighbor. I can control my tongue and temper and swallow my pride these days in order to please God. As for myself, in order to remain in joy and peace, I obeyed God out of respect for his word. And then He calls me by my name by reminding me that I'm one of his 'little ones.' I came to realize that walking in the Holy Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit are very crucial in our Christian life to live humbly and to please God joyfully.
ReplyDeleteAs the mother of one teen and one 'tween, daily conversation at home revolves around "trouble-maker drama" at school. It's easy to ask my children, "What would Jesus do?" But when my own behavior doesn't match the answer, my kids are quick to call me on it. Indeed, a heavy cross to bear right now is trying to 'love an enemy'. One particular family in our midst remains extremely competitive with ours and knows how to rattle my "mama-bear" nerves. When I let the resentment build and succumb to thoughts of revenge and ill-will, I am entangled in the "cords of death" mentioned in verse 3. Nothing in my flesh wants to forgive. So, not in my strength, but in the Lord's can I rise above it and model that love for my children. Jesus can touch our hearts to be like His so that we can really see others in love. I am not seeking deep friendship with this family, but I know that I can be at peace with them. In this way, the Lord has worked to "free my soul from death". I am not there yet, but I know that my heart is moving in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteAs the mother of one teen and one 'tween,' daily conversation at home revolves around "trouble-maker drama" at school. It's easy to ask my children, "What would Jesus do?" But when my own behavior doesn't match the answer, my kids are quick to call me on it. Indeed, a heavy cross to bear right now is trying to 'love an enemy.' One particular family in our midst remains extremely competitive with ours and knows how to rattle my "mama-bear" nerves. When I let the resentment build and succumb to thoughts of revenge and ill-will, I am entangled in the "cords of death" mentioned in verse 3. Nothing in my flesh wants to forgive. So, not in my strength, but in the Lord's can I rise above it and model that love for my children. Jesus can touch our hearts to be like His so that we can really see others in love. I am not seeking deep friendship with this family, but I know that I can be at peace with them. In this way, the Lord has worked to "free my soul from death." I am not there yet, but I know that my heart is moving in the right direction.
ReplyDelete