Psalm 27: 1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
“Come, says my heart, seek God’s face;
Your face, Lord, do I seek!”
Our psalmist, David, puts into words what we feel in our hearts, which is
to seek a right relationship with
the Lord. We are drawn to the Lord;
we wish to speak to Him face to face,
to be in His presence, to listen to
His Word, and to serve Him faithfully.
We may not have the faith of
Abraham (1st reading), but we know
that a right relationship with the Lord
is key for us, because without that
face to face relationship, we have
little chance of salvation. Our psalmist
knows the critical importance of salvation:
“Do not forsake me, God, my savior.”
Few of us will be able to speak directly
with God, but God makes himself
accessible through His Son, Jesus,
as described in St Paul’s letter to the
Philippians (2nd reading). St Paul promises
that our own bodies will be changed,
to conform with Christ’s glorified body.
This is how our own transfiguration
takes place.
What can we do to be sure we share
in Christ’s glory? St Paul tells the
brothers in Philippi, “Stand firm in
the Lord.” And our psalmist agrees:
“Wait for the Lord, take courage,
be stouthearted, wait for the Lord.”
What better way for us to stand firm
in the Lord than to commune with Him
in prayer, to worship Him, to be
transformed by Him, as were those disciples
that day when Jesus was transfigured
on the mountain. Having been transformed,
we, like the disciples, will be emboldened
in our faith -- 'Of whom should I be afraid?'
In our day to day battles against evil forces,
we need not fear any one, for He is our refuge.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist seeks God's face. Does your heart seek
a right relationship with the Lord? Speak of how you are drawn
to the Lord and how He makes himself accessible to you.
2. The season of Lent can be a time of transformation for us.
But we cannot change our hearts by ourselves; we all need
the Lord's help, as does our psalmist, 'You are my helper;
cast me not off.' Tell of how you are becoming a better person
with the help of the Lord.
2. Tell of how you are becoming a better
ReplyDeleteperson with the help of the Lord.
To be a better person is to LOVE:
Love God, Love Jesus,Love your neighbor and Love yourself because your parents chose life, a life to love, serve and prepare for the coming of the Lamb.Amen
2. Tell of how you are becoming a better
ReplyDeleteperson with the help of the Lord.
To be a better person is to LOVE:
Love God, Love Jesus, Love your neighbor, and Love yourself because your parents chose life, a life to love, serve and prepare for the coming of the Lamb. Amen
Lent is a time of prayer, and reflection, on how we are doing in our relationship with the Lord......and, what can we do to improve this relationship? How about taking more time out of our busy lives for prayer? And, when we are praying, are we also listening to the Lord? How about spending more time in locations where we feel closer to the Lord, and more at peace with Him? For some of us that's in a church. For me, it's also in the beauty of nature, or in a garden. In our backyard garden, we have a plaque on which it is written, "One is closer to God in a garden, than any place else on earth".
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago there was a time I experienced the fear of death when I suffered from depression and sickness. I felt darkness had enveloped me. I carried much baggage on my shoulders. I dreaded my life. The devil took me captive so that I became frightened. Until that time, I considered myself as a good Christian, with unwavering faith and confidence in God. The Spirit of Pride which God hates the most, got me. With or without knowing it I had habitually looked down on people around me. I had attitude problems. As a consequence of this, I did not bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteGod got my attention through trials and struggles. I started to examine my conscience. At the same time, I felt as if God had forgotten me. I asked prayer warriors to pray for me. I repented of my past sins, aware of where I was standing with God at that moment of my life. I was truly seeking the presence of God and a right relationship with God. I desperately needed God's help to reassure me again that He is my Savior. I knew all along that I've been saved by His Grace, not by my works.
Psalm 27 came to my mind -- "He is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" I repeated and memorized this verse. As a weapon I used it to resist the devil. My mind was a battlefield against dark forces. Through prayer, reading His Word each day, and by confessing my sins with a contrite heart, He restored my faith and my personal relationship with Him. And also He expelled the darkness from my heart. I feel no more the
fear of death and fear of hell. Instead I see the goodness of the Lord. In this way I'm being transformed little by little into the image of God, by His mercy.
It is hard to feel God's presence in our modern world. We all wish that everyone would understand us. We get caught up in things that make us forget who we are. Slowly we turn away from God and unknowingly forget him. I myself have felt this since I started high school and have much more responsibility. Prayer is a wonderful experience that enables us to feel close to God. We all should decide for ourselves what we need to do to become closer to God, but prayer is the simplest and best answer.
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