Reflections
Psalm 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20 (Read)
“With the best of wheat he fills you."
God has been a provider to His people
ever since He created us. But the beauty
of His providence is that He provides for us
spiritually as well as physically. During the
Liturgy of the Eucharist, as the gifts are
being prepared, the priest says,
“Through your goodness we have this bread
to offer, which earth has given, it will become
for us the bread of life.”
We are nourished by the Eucharist, by the body
and blood of our Lord Jesus. And that is where
our life comes from, our hope, our salvation.
All we have to do is receive Him with a clean heart
and avoid partaking of the “table of demons” (1 Cor 10: 20).
Our Lord's body is real food, and when we eat it
we are given a share in the divine life. During
the Mass the celebrant prays, “By the mystery
of this water and wine may we come to share in
the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself
to share in our humanity.”
St Paul says in our 2nd reading we all “partake
of the one loaf” (1 Cor 10: 17). We share in
the bread of life, and our Savior's body is a
source of nourishment for us. This Sunday's
Gospel reminds us that Jesus is the living bread
from heaven. Praise God!
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm speaks of our Lord as being a good provider; He fills
us with the best of wheat. Speak of how you are nourished by the real
food of the Eucharist.
2. Our psalmist declares that God's word runs swiftly as the Lord sends
forth His command to the earth. These verses allude to the power of
God's word in our lives. Tell of how you receive the word of God and how
it affects you.
GOD AS MY PROVIDER
ReplyDeleteIt is hard for those of us this day and age to believe that God will still supply physical needs such as food, clothing, money etc. We are so efficient at supplying our own physical needs that we never (or rarely ) look to God for the practical things of life. God has been relegated to supplying only our spiritual and emotional needs.
But this is so contrary to a God who wants to supply ALL our needs according to HIS riches. It will only be too great a blessing for any one of us to be someday in that position where the bank account has failed, the back up support person is gone, our stocks have crashed, or a computer has just taken over the job that was so secure. It's then that "they who trust Him wholly - will find Him wholly true!"
God is the provider of Physical needs: If we follow God fully and obey His laws completely, then He has bountiful blessing to bestow on us.
God has for us as well many emotional and spiritual provisions:
- He provides us with answers when we need them.
- God provides us with the security that someone knows our every step and nothing can happen to us apart from His will.
- He gives us real peace.
- He provides us with a Father's care.
- He provides us with an inheritance far richer than our own families could give us.
The only question left is: Since God has provided us with so much, what are we commanded to do?
When I ate the bread and drank the wine during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, I once thought they were only symbolizing Jesus Christ's body and blood. Later on, God revealed to me they are the actual, living bread from heaven, in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. And so, whoever eats His bread and drinks His blood, we are given a share in the divine life. We'll be spiritually nourished by the real food of the Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteSaint Pio once prayed, "Stay with me, Jesus, I am weak, You are strong; without Your help I easily fall." It was his prayer after communion. He saw the real redeeming gift in the Body and Blood of the Eucharist. Matter of fact, Jesus' body and blood have become my spiritual food to grow into Him. I do the same prayer as Saint Pio prayed, "Stay with me." I am weak. I surrender myself to Him. I'm closer to Jesus Christ and stay in His presence after holy communion.
In Psalm 147 the Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Knowing all of this, I put my hope in His unfailing love for me. Truly, our Savior's body is a source of nourishment. These days I strive to learn more about His ways because His body and blood run through my body. Therefore I belong to Him.
Today He brought me to a true realization how to forgive those who have wronged me. To pray for them,to bless them, and not to curse my enemies are a very important part of the process of forgiveness. Because God can bring them to repentance with a sorrowful heart. And also, I hear my inner voice saying,"Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Praise God !
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