Reflections
Psalm 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10 (Read)
“The Lord raises up those who were bowed down.”
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.
Reflections
Psalm 15: 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 (Read)
“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.
Reflections
Psalm 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21 (Read)
“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
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.
Reflections
Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (Read)
“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
We visit this encouraging psalm again 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 of the Eucharist. We must taste
the goodness of the Lord if we want to be delivered from all our fears.
Speak of how the Eucharist raises you up physically and spiritually.
2. Our psalmist encourages us to 'glorify the Lord' and to 'let our soul glory
in the Lord.' Explain how your faith has enabled you to draw closer to God
by being filled with the Spirit.
Reflections
Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (Read)
“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
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.
