Reflections
Psalm 29: 1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 (Read)
“The God of glory thunders.”
The Psalm is about the splendor and the power of God.
“Give to the Lord the glory due God’s name. Bow down
before the Lord’s holy splendor.” The Psalm speaks
of the voice of the Lord thundering over the waters.
“The voice of the Lord is power, the voice of the Lord
is splendor.”
That same awesome voice was heard over the Jordan
River that day when the heavens were torn open and
the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus just after he was
baptized. What could be more powerful than the voice
of God declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom
I am well pleased.” (Gospel, Matthew 3: 13-17)
What happened at the Jordan River that day was to fulfill
what the Lord said to Isaiah (Sunday's lst reading, Isaiah 42),
“Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with
whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit.”
The Lord's baptism may have happened over 2000 years
ago, but for us that was a life changing moment.
God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power
that day, the power to serve the faithful (people like us),
and to do battle on our behalf with the devil. (See also
Sunday's 2nd reading, Acts 10: 34-38)
From that time forward we too became eligible to serve
the Lord as His chosen ones. Isaiah tells us what our
spiritual mission is to be; like Jesus, we are to be a light
to the nations, and open the eyes of the blind (those who
do not know the Lord). And imitating Jesus, we are
to bring out prisoners from confinement (those who may
be imprisoned by sin). What better way would there be
for us to serve the Lord?
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm asks us, as sons of God, to give to the Lord
glory and praise. Tell of what you are doing to serve the Lord
and adore Him within your family and your community.
2. Our psalmist speaks of a powerful, majestic God, who
speaks with a mighty, thundering voice. How is God's majesty
at work in you, and how have you been empowered to be a good
witness for the Lord?
We are eligible to serve the Lord as His chosen ones. Some things we both do together, and some we do separately. Carol participates in weekly Bible study and says the rosary daily. I do the food drives, and spend a lot of time doing Interfaith work....some 4 and 1/2 hours today. We are firm believers that we, His Chosen Ones, are His hands, feet, and voice in this crazy world of ours. It is sad, but true, that the evil one is alive and doing as much harm as possible in our world. God depends on us....let's help Him.
ReplyDeleteGod reveals His awesome power. The voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic. The God of glory thunders. Meanwhile, the Lord gives peace and strength to His people. The scene from Jesus' baptism by the Holy Spirit at the Jordan River, before He started His public ministry, made me think that we also should be baptized first in the Holy Spirit like Jesus, if we want to be a truly good witness for the Lord. And then, God will bless us with strength so we can be empowered to be a true witness for Jesus.
ReplyDeleteLately I was involved as a prayer warrior. I was asked to pray for those who were sick seriously. Most of them were healed miraculously through our prayers. I experienced that prayer worked wonders. God worked out everything for good in a mysterious way. I praise Him for answering our prayers. God gives me confidence I'll get my prayer answered no matter what. At least I can serve Him by praying for others who are in agony. God's miraculous healings were a life changing moment for me.