Reflections
Psalm 40: 2, 3. 4, 18
“Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the Lord.”
Our psalmist waits for the Lord –
to reach out to Him. He begs
the Lord, “Lord, come to my aid!”
Just as Jeremiah was lifted out
of the cistern (1st reading), so too
was David drawn out of the pit
of destruction. We are like that.
We are weak on our own;
we need the Lord’s strength to be
delivered from our sinful ways.
We put our trust in God.
Our God is an awesome God.
“Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the Lord.”
Our psalmist says, “He put a new
song into my mouth.” For us, too,
it is no longer the same old tune.
We are in fact a new creation, joyfully
singing out the good news.
Where does our joyful spirit come from?
It comes from the Lord, and we are called
to share what he has given us and to do
his will, which is our delight.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm recalls for us that
we place our trust in the Lord. Speak
of how you have been lifted up and
delivered by God.
2. Our psalmist says that the Lord
has put a new song into his mouth.
This reminds us that we are a new creation
in the Lord. Tell of how you have been
reborn in the Spirit.
ReplyDeleteWe've been blessed by the Lord. Who could have possibly guessed, when we were in our 20s, that "not-for-profits" would have such an impact on our future lives! Catholic Relief Services, Mano-a-mano, Habitat for Humanity, The Red Cross, and Interfaith Community Services. Carol and I both had an opportunity to serve and grow together. We have been blessed!
He certainly has put a song in our mouth. He is our help and deliverer.
ReplyDeleteMy life these days was miserable, full of anger. I have been brooding over ungratefulness for my efforts. I worked hard, really hard for my age. On the other hand I was amazed at my ability to do so. It was God who gave me strength to do so every day. I told myself I couldn't put up with this kind work any more. I deserve better than this. When I looked around, watching lots of people working hard to earn the money for their livelihood, I felt I'm blessed somehow. It all happened during our moving transition period. Quite often I lost my temper. So did my husband. Even though it was a kind of unbearable situation for both of us, I felt again I'm blessed because of having someone whom I could yell at, and he is still with me. During the house moving period, our patience and love have been tested.
ReplyDeleteWhat is true love? I looked at Corinthians 13:4. I read it over and over again. When I admitted my wrongdoing and my wrong attitude towards others, the Holy Spirit touched me. He has put a new song in my mouth. We determined to build a new relationship between us with new vision and new beginning at our new home.
Because of relocating our residence, my husband and I could not serve God right away as liturgical ministers at our new parish. On top of it, our new priest announced that anyone who was married outside of the Catholic Church would not be allowed to serve God in this church. We were shocked to hear that, since our whole family was baptized in the Catholic Church long after
our marriage in a Protestant ceremony. All these years I refused to be remarried in the Catholic Church. I have strongly resisted it. I am ecumenical. Fortunately our new priest was willing to marry us. I was also willing to obey this time without any objections. I decided to give in and not to seek my own interests, for my husband's peace of mind. After our wedding ceremony I felt joy in my heart. My husband's hardened heart seemed to be melting away. Once again we became a newly wedded couple. I realized when I die to myself God puts a new song in my heart. In conclusion, Love is not quick-tempered; it does not seek its own interests; it does not brood over injury; it bears all things. When we know these truths and put them into action, God will put his love songs into our mouth and we'll become
a new creation. Praise God ! Finally I got a certificate of Catholic marriage.