Reflections
Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (Read)
“By the Lord has this been done;
Once again we visit this powerful psalm
of praise and thanksgiving. This time the
verses stress the enduring love that God
has for us – so much so that despite the
part we played in crucifying his Son,
God went ahead and carried out His plan
to save us. Jesus’ risen presence among us
is living proof of God’s enduring love.
“God’s love endures forever.”
We may be 'hard pressed and falling,' but the
Lord comes to our help. As the psalmist says,
the Lord is our strength. He is present to us,
just as He was in those early days of the church
described by St Luke in this Sunday's first
reading (Acts 4:33), and in Sunday's Gospel
(John 20:19-23).
We may not have the awesome experience that
St Thomas had when he physically put his hand into
the Lord’s side and his fingers into the nail marks on
Jesus' hand, but our Savior is with us.
“The Lord has become my savior.” We are victorious
over death. The Lord’s deliverance is cause for joy.
Just when we were down, the Lord raises us up.
“I was hard pressed and falling, but the Lord came to my help.”
“The joyful shout of victory is heard.” We are on firm ground
after all – Christ has become our cornerstone, as our psalmist
reminds us. 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:
“By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.”
This is cause for rejoicing -- “This is the day the Lord has made.”
Along with the disciples and the early church,
“Let us be glad and rejoice in it.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist praises the Lord because the stone that was rejected
has become our cornerstone. Why do you think God would permit his Son
to undergo a shameful death in order to make Jesus the cornerstone of our faith?
2. Our psalm begins by stressing over and over that the mercy of God endures
forever, and this Sunday's Response also says, 'His love is everlasting.' Describe
how these verses strengthen your faith and inspire you to trust in the Lord.
To me it’s obvious that God felt that He had to have His Son make the supreme sacrifice……nothing else would be sufficient to wipe away the sins of the world. And, how does God do it? Only God could keep forgiving the sins we keep committing over and over, and over again. Praise God.
ReplyDelete"His love is everlasting." "His love endures forever." However your Bible reads, these are words of permanence. I feel such comfort in this unchanging nature of God and His love, in our ever-changing world.
ReplyDeleteAlso permanent is Jesus' resurrection and His living power. I can stray from my faith walk. I can sin. I can also repent and return to the stable, same, loving God as always. I am reminded of Hebrews 13:8, which says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." I praise my God for His steadiness, which is glorified in my unsteadiness.
Jesus' risen presence among us is living proof of God's compassionate love for us. St Thomas physically put his hand into the Lord's wounded side and with his fingers he touched the nail marks on Jesus' hand. He could not believe and trust unless he had touched and thoroughly examined Jesus' nail marks with his own hands and eyes. He was a suspicious one like us, so he had to see for himself. He admitted that Our Savior truly rose from the dead.
ReplyDeleteOur God raised Jesus up. And so He will raise us up as promised. Christ has become a source of strength for us. And so I feel like rejoicing, "This is the day the Lord has made." God has given us this day to live and serve Him.
The Lord's deliverance from eternal damnation is cause for joy and gladness. Jesus defeated the devil by shedding His precious blood for us. Who else would lay down his life for us? Only Jesus Christ, Our Savior. Because of Him, we inherit Heaven and become co-heirs. "Let us be glad and rejoice in it."