Reflections
Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23“This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.”
Jesus’ risen presence among us
is living proof of God’s enduring love.
“God’s love endures forever.”
The Lord’s deliverance is cause for joy.
Just when we were down, the Lord raises
us up. The joyful shout of deliverance
is heard. We are on firm ground after all –
Christ has become our cornerstone.
In the Psalm we read in advance of the
Paschal Mystery. Christ, who is rejected
and then exalted, becomes the foundation
stone of the new People of God --
“I shall not die, but live and declare the
works of the Lord.” This is Jesus speaking
about His own resurrection and about His food –
which is to do the work of the Father.
As the psalmist says, “The right hand of the
Lord has struck with power; the right hand
of the Lord is exalted.” Our days of mocking
our Savior are over; we no longer hurl insults
at Him.
Our savior has risen. “By the Lord has this
been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.”
'The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in
the tents of the victors.' The psalm celebrates
a great victory over death. This victory is
delivered by the Lord’s right hand, a clear
notice in advance of the power of the Son of God.
Our risen Savior has defeated death and the
grasp that sin has on us. And having been saved,
what is our commission? Luke tells us in
the 1st reading -- we are to preach to the people
and testify that Jesus is the anointed one.
Christ has become our cornerstone. “The stone
the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
Christ has become a source of strength for us,
despite His apparent weakness that day on the cross,
when He died a shameful death. Only the Lord
could have done this remarkable thing:
“This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm speaks of a great victory over death, 'I shall not die, but live.'
Tell of how you share in Christ's victory over death and what this means to you.
2. Having been saved from death, the psalmist says he will 'declare the works of the Lord.'
Speak of how you are empowered by our Lord's resurrection to go forth and proclaim the Gospel.
Some may think of it as coincidence or that I am crazy and reading too much into it, but I truly believe that God is trying to tell me to start taking care of myself. For several months sometimes everyday, it seems like everywhere I am I hear the word Cancer. I come across it in TV commercials and shows, on the radio, magazines, even real life people, for everywhere I turn it appears to me in some form. I don't know what to make of it, but I believe God is telling me that I need to make changes to my lifestyle or I too will develop some form of cancer. I need to make changes in my life not only physically, but also spiritually so that I have strength to proclaim the Gospel. "I shall not die, but live," God is calling me to be a better Christian and live according to his commandments.
ReplyDeleteSome may think of it as coincidence or that I am crazy and reading too much into it, but I truly believe that God is trying to tell me to start taking care of myself. For several months sometimes everyday, it seems like everywhere I am I hear the word 'cancer.' I come across it in TV commercials and shows, on the radio, magazines, even real life people, for everywhere I turn it appears to me in some form. I don't know what to make of it, but I believe God is telling me that I need to make changes to my lifestyle or I too will develop some form of cancer. I need to make changes in my life not only physically, but also spiritually so that I have strength to proclaim the Gospel, "I shall not die, but live." God is calling me to be a better Christian and live according to his commandments.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to the commentator who has fear about developing cancer. We can know that there is no need for such fear because 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." Our job is to receive God's perfect love wholeheartedly, most importantly, the death and rising of His Son. Jesus Christ conquered all evil, all sickness, all death, and all fear.
DeleteI have heard it said that "feeding the faith starves all fear to death." How do we feed our faith? The Bible is full of examples throughout the Old and New Testaments. For example, Ephesians 6 is the well-known passage on spiritual armor. In v. 16, we learn to "put the shield of faith in one hand and wield the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, with the other." Belief coupled with knowledge of favorite Scripture is one of our most powerful weapons in warfare. Our favorite psalmist David writes in Psalm 27:13-14, "What would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living! Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord." (This was the Responsorial Psalm only a few weeks ago.) I think the key word here is "EXPECT" the Lord and all of his goodness to be showered upon you.
Scary thoughts of doom, devastation, and death... can also be called "evil forebodings" -- EXPECTING bad things to happen before they do. One of the enemy's most recognizable tools is flipping the truth; he is the father of lies, after all. He wants us to be hopeless when God wants us to be full of expectation and hope. Here is where I agree with commentator "Tim," who says, "I share in Christ's victory because I believe." Let us remember this week's Psalm and that Easter is a time to rejoice and be glad. The Lord has won the battle over darkness for us. We must remember and actively accept this Biblical truth as our own.
I share in Christ's victory over death, because I believe! This gives me the ability to face death without the fear and panic of the many non believers. I see death as the natural process, and the great reward for a life well lived. Carol and I each want to be the one to go first! It's the living that scares us, especially in bad health!
ReplyDeleteAlleluia alleluia, Happy Easter! He died for many as ransom and has risen so that we can share in His resurrection. He defeated satan. Jesus won victory over death. We human beings will have eternal life. After our physical body dies we'll live forever with Him. That's good news for us. He shed his precious blood in order to cover our filthy sins. Now God only sees Jesus blood not
ReplyDeleteour sins. And so we all become coheirs and have an inheritance of heaven. That's why I'm rejoicing in the Lord.
In reality as I get older there are days I don't feel like rejoicing when my mood is low and down and the situation is out of my control. I make a lot of excuses not to be glad in Him. That's the devil's trick. I force myself to rejoice in Him, because God has given me this day to live on earth serving Him, and He wants me to have an abundant life as well. No matter what, by believing in Him and by trusting His guidance for our eternal destination makes our faith stronger. And God wants us to be His parts: His hands and feet and mouth and His body. We're called to claim
the good news!
Jesus wants all people to know that he has risen. Through trusting in him, we can never fear death because it cannot touch Jesus' saving hand. Jesus defeated death by rising. All people have been saved from sin. It means a lot to me when we think Jesus defeated death. It is something that happens to everything naturally, but Jesus defeated the process of death. All people can now have eternal life in heaven.
ReplyDelete