Reflections
Psalm 117: 1, 2
“Praise the Lord all you nations;glorify Him all you peoples!”
This Sunday we sing this briefest of Psalms
that inspires us to rise up and praise
the God of Israel, and having done so,
to go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
Just as Isaiah proclaims in our 1st reading,
we are comforted that God reaches out to us
no matter what our language, no matter
we live in the distant coastlands, no matter
we have never heard of God or seen His glory.
Isaiah says it this way, “They shall proclaim
my glory among the nations.”
St. Paul cites this psalm in Romans 15 when
he exhorts the faithful to minister to the Gentiles.
We too are called to reach out to those who are
distant from us spiritually, even though they may not
be distant physically, some of whom may even be
within our midst.
And what inspires us to proclaim the good news?
It is as our psalmist says, “God's love for us is strong;
His faithfulness is forever.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalmist is inspired by the power
of God's love toward us. Speak of how
God's love and mercy have done a work
in your life.
2. The Psalm prompts us to witness to
those who may be distant from us spiritually.
Give an example of how you proclaim the
Good News to those who may not know God.
How about Pope Francis encouraging the youth to get out there and evangelize; to help the poor and the needy and throw caution to the wind. Too often we get weighed down by the pomp and ceremony, rules and regulations, how we have to conform. This Pope is like a breath of fresh air....a good Pope to follow.
ReplyDeleteThis lady who is one of my relatives does not know God. She used to worship Buddha. She was distant from me spiritually even though she is my clan. I did not know how to reach out to her. First I prayed to God for her conversion. God gave me an idea.
ReplyDeleteI bought a Catholic Bible for her to read. Hoping God touches her heart when she reads the words, I handed it to her with a smile. No matter how often I tried to witness about God to her, she turned her face away. However, the last time I met her she said to me, "I still keep that bible you gave to me." I thought that'll be the beginning, God'll take care of the rest.