These reflections on the Psalms by Barry Lamont talk of how we apply the verses of the Psalms to our everyday life and how the Psalms can inspire us, convict us, teach us, and strengthen our faith.
Our psalmist is singing about God's promises to the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, and those of us who are bowed down in one way or another.
We could all benefit by being set free in the Spirit or healed so that we are no longer blinded. Then we too would no longer be lame, but would be able to “leap like a stag,” as the prophet Isaiah foresees in this Sunday's 1st reading. (Isaiah 35:5-6)
The Psalm is telling me that I really need to humble myself if I want to be raised up with Jesus. That may be hard to do if it means I have to swallow my pride and put aside worldly concerns. But it I truly want to be set free from the sins that bind me, then I need to repent and bow down before the Lord, accept my brokenness, and seek his grace. Only then will I begin to have a right relationship with the Lord.
And where do I turn to be lifted up and made whole again? I turn to the Lord. Where else are the promises of our God fulfilled but in the healing ministry of Jesus, as this Sunday's Gospel tells me. (Mark 7:31-37) Who else has the grace and the mercy to heal me?
Christ carries out the promises of the Psalm – He sets us captives free and gives sight to us so we can truly see.
The Lord raises me up when I am down – He sustains me – with real food and drink.
So I can pray this Psalm, not only in honor of the heavenly Father,
but also in honor of Christ Jesus, whom God exalted. “The Lord shall reign forever, through all generations.”
Amen Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says, "The Lord sets captives free." In what ways are you captive, and how has the Lord set you free?
2. The Psalm proclaims, "The Lord gives sight to the blind." In what areas of your life were you not able to see things clearly, and give an example of how the Lord has enabled you to regain your sight.
“One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”
Our psalmist David tells us how we may climb the holy mountain of God and live in the presence of the Lord. And in a similar way, in Sunday's first reading,
Moses tells the Israelites how to take possession
of the promised land. (Deuteronomy 4:1)
The way forward for the Israelites and for us is twofold -- love God and love
neighbor. If I truly love the Lord,
then my heart will not be far from Him, and I will keep His commandments. If I love the Lord, He will remain in me. How else would I expect my heart to remain pure? When my heart is pure, I do no harm to my fellow man; and I think the truth in my heart.
St James tells us to be doers of the Word; we are to keep ourselves unstained by the world. (James 1:22, 27)
And Jesus reminds us in the Gospel that it all starts
from inside. It is within our hearts that evil thoughts reside. The things that come out from within are what defile us. (Mark 7:15, 20-23)
So, if I am right with the Lord and my heart is close to Him, then I will not slander with my tongue,
nor take up a reproach against my neighbor. Nor will I do harm economically to my neighbor.
If I do these things, as our psalmist says, I shall never be disturbed, and I will live in the presence of the Lord.
Amen Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says whoever thinks the truth in his heart will live in the presence of the Lord. How do you go about preparing your heart so that you are able to receive the Lord?
2. The verses of the Psalm remind us not to slander, nor to blame our neighbor, nor to harm our fellow man, nor to hurt him economically. Explain how you are motivated by your faith to become a doer of the Word.
Once again we revisit this psalm of thanksgiving. And for the third consecutive Sunday the Gospel
challenges us to stop murmuring and stand up for our faith.
And the question is the same, “Do I truly believe that Jesus is the living bread that came down
out of heaven and that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood will remain in Him and will live forever?”
Like Joshua, am I prepared to take a stand and declare, “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” Joshua commits himself and his family to serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
What better commitment would there be for me, in our time?
Where would I go if I did not serve the Lord? To whom would I turn without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? I thirst for Jesus and would be parched
and dry without Him in my life. I must Stop murmuring about how difficult it may be to accept His words
and declare that Jesus is truly the Holy One of God.
Who else would hear my cry, as our psalmist says, or confront evildoers on my behalf ?
“Many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers them all.” We are all afflicted. Our Spirit may be crushed (as the psalmist says), but “God watches over all our bones.”
“When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.” Who else would listen to my cry? If I cry out to the Lord, He will hear me and rescue me from all distress. Where else would I turn?
I have the Lord as my ally in my fight against the evil one.
And with Him on my side victory is certain. “The Lord confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.”
So the teaching is clear – “Let His praise be ever in my mouth,
and let my soul glory in the Lord.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. If we truly serve the Lord, we can be confident that 'He will watch over all our bones,' as the Psalmist says. Explain how your faith has given you peace and strength in the face of your afflictions.
2. We are engaged in a spiritual battle with the evil one and his helpers, but our Psalmist says that the Lord will confront evildoers and destroy them. Tell of how you have been able to defeat evil with the Lord on your side.
We visit this encouraging psalmagain this Sunday perhaps because the Lord wants us to participate fully in the Eucharist and we need to hear it again. Why are the same verses repeated? Perhaps because they reinforce so well the powerful message of the Gospel, in which Jesus tells us that if we are to be raised up with Him, we must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.
Perhaps it is because we struggle with what Jesus says, as the Jews did at the time.
We are told that even the disciples had difficulty accepting Jesus' words. (John 6:51-58)
The message is simple, as our psalmist reminds us – we must taste the goodness of the Lord if we are to truly allow our soul to glory in the Lord. In today's first reading Wisdom
invites us too to obtain life by eating of her food. (Proverbs 9:5-6)
We are to feed on Jesus if we are to have life. If we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will live forever. It is His humanity that enables us to eat of His flesh and His blood. And it is by the grace of God that we are thus able to obtain a share in His divinity. This is far more that our ancestors' manna. This is truly the bread of life.
By sharing in His body and blood, we glorify the Lord, and as our psalmist says, we become 'radiant with joy.'
Our faces no longer blush with shame. We are a new creation. The Lord is present to us. We remain in Him and He remains in us.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm reminds us of the power ofthe Eucharist. We must taste the goodness of the Lordif we want to be delivered from all our fears. Speak ofhow the Eucharist raises you up physically and spiritually.
2. Our psalmist encourages us to 'glorify the Lord' andto 'let our soul glory in the Lord.' Explain how your faithhas enabled you to draw closer to God by being filled with the Spirit.
What does Jesus tell us to do in this week’s Gospel? “Whoever eats this bread [my flesh] will live forever.” (John 6:51) However difficult Jesus’ words may have been for the Jews to accept (or for us), the psalmist is right when he says, “Blessed the man who takes refuge in Him.” Where else would we turn when we are in distress?
The Psalm says, “When the afflicted man called out, the Lord
heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”
Just as the Lord answered Elijah and delivered him from his despair (1st reading), so He delivers us from whatever has bogged us down spiritually.
The psalmist prays, “My soul will glory in the Lord,
that the poor may hear and be glad.” The word poor is said to apply to one who depends completely on God
for his deliverance and his very life. That’s where Elijah stood that day in the early stages of his long journey,
totally dependent on God for the strength to walk the walk that was planned for him (1 Kings 19:4-8).
And if the truth were to be known, that’s where we stand even today, when we are short of endurance
along our spiritual journey.
The psalmist recounts for us how he gained deliverance,
“I sought the Lord, who answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Despite the anguish in the psalmist’s voice, there is also a powerful, joyful spirit – “Look to God that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.”
Where does our joy come from? How do we obtain a joyful spirit? It comes from repenting and returning to the Lord. Only then can we be embraced by the Lord.
Having humbled ourselves before Him, confessed our sins, He takes us back.
He watches for us each day, encouraging us. He reconciles us and restores us in a right relationship with the Father. And He provides the inner strength and the nourishment we need to complete our own spiritual journey.
Amen Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist tells us how to obtain a joyful spirit, "Look to the Lord that you may be radiant with joy." Describe how the Lord has given you inner joy in the course of relieving you from your afflictions.
2. The Psalm says that the angel of the Lord 'encamps' around those who fear Him and delivers them. Speak of how your faith has been a source of strength and
deliverance in the face of difficulty or persecution.
