Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17 (Read)
“You turn man back to dust.”
Our Psalmist describes us humans
as miserable creatures, whose lives are
dismally brief. We are like the “changing
grass, which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.”
What hope is there for us humans
whose lives are cut short in our sleep?
Our sinful nature incurs the righteous
anger of the Lord. “The corruptible body
burdens the soul.” (1st reading)
What are we to do?
We are to take refuge in the Lord,
as the Psalm says. We are to pray that
we may gain wisdom of heart, as our
Psalmist says. We are to ask for God's
favor in our lives. We are to humble
ourselves and to learn to fill our limited
days by doing the Lord's will in our lives.
However fleeting our lives, we pray that God
will “prosper the work of our hands,” that
we will know the will of God and act upon it.
We are to pray through the dark night that
God will fill us at daybreak with his kindness,
for this will be the day of our salvation.
We are to have a right relationship with
the Lord, believe in His Son, who took upon
Himself our weak human form, so that
we would know what it means to bear our
cross as He did for us. Christ took on the
earthen shelter of human flesh in order to
show us how to let go of it.
It is no accident that older believers are
counted among those who attend daily Mass.
For as they approach the end of their brief lives
on earth, their days more and more are filled
with the hope of being part of God's kingdom forever.
All of us look forward to the day when we may
sing for joy in God's presence and be filled with
the love of the Lord. As the Psalm says, “May the
gracious care of the Lord our God be ours forever.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm speaks of 'numbering our days aright.'
What are you doing to make your days on earth count
for something in the eyes of the Lord?
2. Our Psalm carries a strong message that our human
lives are fleeting but that God is eternal. How are you
preparing to be in God's presence forever?
I'm just glad that I read this. I liked how it says life can be a struggle, it is short, and how we should spend our very short, problematic lives doing good things for God.
ReplyDeleteI find today's Psalm dismal and pessimistic. It's true our lives are short, and for each of us there's a fair share of both the good and the bad. But, God the Father gave us the road map with the 10 Commandments, and our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the personal example of how to live, and suffered more personal hardship than all of us put together, and, the Holy Spirit is here with us today and tomorrow to help us on our way each day. There's Hope!
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