Reflections
Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 (Read)
“The right hand of the Lord has struck with power.”
The Psalm celebrates a great victory over death.
The victory is won by the Lord’s 'right hand,' a clear advance notice of the power of the Son of God.
“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works
of the Lord.” These could have been Jesus' own
words, speaking about His resurrection and His
food, which is to do the work of the Father.
Our risen Savior has defeated death and the power
that sin has over us. And we live on in His kingdom. Having become yoked to Jesus, we willingly praise God and follow His direction in our lives.
We may ask, “Having been saved, what are we
obliged to do? What is our commission?”
In today's 1st reading, St Luke tells us what we are
commissioned to do – we are to preach to the people
and testify that Jesus is the one anointed by God.
We are an Easter people; Christ has become our
cornerstone. As the psalmist says, “The stone the
builders rejected has become the corner stone.”
The mystery is that 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. Our psalmist affirms, "I shall declare the works of the Lord."
Tell what this verse means to you. How are you going about
doing the work of the Lord?
2. The Psalm declares, "The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone." Speak about how our Savior
is like a rock in your life and how you build your life around
Jesus.
The stone rejected by the builders was chosen by God, the chief builder, to be the capstone. Jesus Christ was rejected and crucified by his own people. But God who is building the spiritual house has chosen Jesus Christ to be the capstone of that building made up of all the believers in Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteLike the stone that was rejected by the builders, what God has to offer may seem unpopular today. Many will not accept repentance of sins and complete lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives, but such offer is the only choice that will give us genuine salvation from our sins.
The unpopularity of what God has to offer tells us that to choose it requires genuine faith on our part and the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Therefore, we pray today, during this Holy week to accept you Oh Lord in our lives and to proclaim you our king, the capstone that keeps our building standing.
We love you O Lord, and we thank you for always being there for us.
Wow -- once again, I am inspired to write after Rudy H's comments. I agree especially with her point that what Jesus has to offer may be unpopular by the world's standards; it requires faith and action in order to accept, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteJesus is my personal rock. I can have a 'religious' life but feel far away from my Lord. He wants more than that for each of us. He wants to be our best friend, the person with whom we converse daily and share everything. When I walk with Him and act out the familiar WWJD... (What would Jesus do?), I feel light-hearted and secure.
When my heart is laden with unconfessed sin, and I act in a way that pleases man and not necessarily my God, I carry a heavy weight. Jesus is the capstone -- the center stone in the top of an arch, holding the whole arch together. Without Him, that arch comes tumbling down on me. I need His presence to steady the stones of sin and keep them away from me.
We are commissioned to preach to the people and testify that Jesus is the One anointed by God. He Himself testified He is the one, only Son of God through His Passion, Suffering and His blood shed on the Cross and His Resurrection. It's God's Glory.
ReplyDeleteGod made Jesus to become a Cornerstone of the Church. Based on His strong foundation and our faith in Jesus, we, each of us , become members of His body.
Realizing the fact I can share in His Glory, I am to be resurrected with Him after my death. Without believing in His Resurrection, our faith is dead.
His will for me is to testify and to witness to the people, "He is my Savior." Since I invited Him as my personal Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within me, guides my way. He convicts me when l have sinned and comforts me when I am depressed. He is the One I can turn to in time of trial, hardship and suffering. He already endured all these things for me. He is my hope, my joy. Like Him we will be resurrected.
Monday night at 6:00pm we went over to St. Mark's Church for their Easter confession that started at 6:30pm. The parking lot was 90% full. We went into the Church and it was about 70% full. Fr. George started the service with a few prayers and announced that 35 priests were there for confession!!!!!!!! By the time confessions started, the Church was absolutely bursting with people standing in the aisles etc, etc. It was simply amazing…it was a miracle to see that many parishioners there for confession. God is working through this Easter Service!!!!!!!!
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