Reflections
Psalm 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
“The Lord has done great things for us.”
The Psalm speaks about the joyous
return of Israel from exile and captivity.
“The Lord has restored the fortunes of
Zion.” As we hear in our 1st reading from
the Book of Baruch, Jerusalem is to take
off her robe of misery and to put on the
splendor of God forever. Truly,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
But there is more -- as the Psalm says,
“The Lord has done great things for us
as well. What could be more wonderful
than what Christ does for us, in leading
us out of our spiritual captivity in a sinful
world, to a place of splendor where the
Father dwells. We are restored by the
Lord’s grace, and our spiritual dryness
is filled with the baptismal waters, like
the dry stream beds of the Negeb.
But we must do our part – the sowing
of tears is a time of repentance for us.
It is just as John the Baptist proclaims
in the Gospel – we must be baptized in
repentance, for the forgiveness of our sins.
And what is the sign of true repentance?
It is when one produces good fruit by
what we sow. As the Psalm says,
“Those who go forth weeping, carrying
sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy,
carrying their bundled sheaves.”
Finally the Psalm reminds us that the
truly great thing the Lord has done for us
is to send His only begotten Son to be by
our side. Jesus’ presence is a guarantee
of a spiritual harvest that leads to our
own salvation.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist reminds us, 'We are filled with joy,' because
the Lord has done great things for us! Tell of how these verses
speak to you during this Advent season of the arrival of our incarnate Lord.
2. The Psalm says, 'Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.'
Describe how repentance has led to salvation in your spiritual life.
We should all be filled with peace and joy with the arrival of Advent Season. If not, why not? What's blocking the joy? It's the time of year to get back to basics ... to the birth of the Christ child and all the love, joy, hope, and innocence that the season should inspire. This time of rebirth is a time to get close to God, and we should make a strong commitment in that direction. God Bless!
ReplyDeleteAnother charity letter crossed my desk today. In this season of giving, many non-profit organizations are sending out their pleas for financial support. I was going to toss this one, feeling a little overburdened by the sheer number of solicitations I had received. But then, I saw the familiar words written in a teal-colored bold-print: "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3 (NIV) I continued to read that letter; the group was funding/ organizing medical missions throughout the world. The Lord was really talking to me, for, at the same time I was reading the letter, my Bible was open to Psalm 126, so that I could prepare for an upcoming Bible Study! My conclusion is that the Lord has blessed each of us to be a blessing to others. To share our blessings, is to be filled with joy, especially during Advent.
ReplyDeleteGod has and always gives us great things in our lives. We do not always recognize these great things he has given us, and that is a fault of ours. God has given us life and even His son to our lives. Jesus' salvation is a great thing to have because we always know that we can be forgiven for our sins and that God will always love us. That is always a comfort for me in my life.
ReplyDeleteGod has always proven that if we wait just a little longer, we will be rewarded. This happened countless times in the Bible, specifically to the Israelites. Why then do we not have patience? Why must we always desire more? Human tendencies cause these, and it can only take time and perseverance to wait for God to deliver or bring relief.
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