Reflections
Psalm 33: 4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 (Read)
"Lord, let your mercy be on us,as we place our trust in you.”
Our Sunday Psalm is written in praise
of God’s power and providence.
It is the Lord’s design for his
people that stands through all
the generations. It is through
his plan that we are saved.
Our own feeble efforts count for
nothing. We must be submissive
and abandon ourselves to his providence.
And how do we know his plan?
This Sunday's lst reading (Isaiah)
graphically outlines what God has
in mind for his Son, that He be
'crushed for our offenses.' (Isaiah 53:10)
As unpleasant as this sounds,
that is how we are delivered from
death. Because Christ humbles himself for
our sake, becomes a slave to our sin,
there is hope for us, even in our time
of spiritual famine The psalmist has it right,
“The Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him,
to deliver them from death.”
In Sunday's 2nd reading, the Letter to the Hebrews
answers the question, “How can we approach the throne
of God?” The answer is with confidence, and then
we will find mercy and grace. (Hebrews 4:16)
The theme of the Psalm is the same, “The Lord’s eyes
are upon those who hope for his grace.”
It is said that even people who have no faith
have a longing in their hearts for God. There is something
missing in their lives. For us who are believers,
we are dependent on the Lord – we openly ask for
his help and his protection. He is our shield in the
spiritual battle that we all have to fight.
If we trust in the Lord, his eyes will be upon us,
and we can expect to receive his grace. And as
the psalmist says, through the Lord's grace we
are delivered from death, kept alive in times of famine.
And for this we praise the Lord. As the psalmist says,
we know He will fill the earth with goodness and his
kindness will be upon us. The Psalm ends on a positive
note, “Lord we have put our hope in you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The psalmist says, 'Our soul waits for the Lord.' Tell of how you have
a spiritual hunger for the Lord in your life, and explain how the Lord satisfies
your longing.
2. The psalm's verses state that, 'The eyes of the Lord are upon those who
fear Him.' Do you feel the eyes of the Lord upon you because you hold
Him in awe? Explain.
Spiritual hunger is a powerful concept for me. On the one hand, it compels me to read His word, to attend Mass, and embrace weekly Bible studies and prayer groups. When my soul needs nourishment, I am unstable and need to be fed. It's not unlike physical hunger, in which case I will make time to eat food when my body cries out for it.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, once satiated, how easy it is to be complacent for a while. Once I've been a "good girl" and touted peace and being "the bigger person" in conflicts, feelings of pride and worldliness can seep into my soul.
The negative can also find its way into my heart in the form of self-pity and discouragement. Pretty soon, I can find myself in a pit of starvation and failure. It's much like snacking on junk food even after I've eaten a healthy meal and then binging because I've ruined my diet anyway.
How do I keep my spiritual hunger at the right level? What is that perfect balance of being satisfied while staying on the path of seeking the Lord to fill me? I think the answer lies in Scripture, such as v.20, "We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield." He protects us from an extreme in our emotions and is our steady guide. He especially delights when we openly declare our expectant hope in him, as in v.22, "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Amen.
When we feel a void and there is something missing in our lives, and our hearts are longing for God, we are spiritually hungry for God. If our soul cries out for Him and we seek Him, He will fill us with goodness and kindness.
ReplyDeleteAnd His eyes are upon those who fear him because we are dependent on the Lord; He is merciful and full of love for us. We put our hope and trust in Him.
On our part, we must be submissive and we must not become a slave to our sin. To put my hope in God is one of the ways to satisfy my longing and thirst for God.
First of all I have to sit still in the presence of Him and meditate on His words and try to listen to His voice. And then He provides me with spiritual nourishment. In this way He will satisfy my hunger.
And My God will show me the way because His words are right, true, and reliable. He is worthy of my trust. I put my hope in Him because he is my help and my shield. Most of all He has mercy on me.
Everyday I find myself crying out to our Lord for something. Sometimes it is for a healing hand when I suddenly don't feel well, or a protecting hand for safety while driving. I feel comfort in knowing that God is there and hears me. When I am in the car, I satisfy my spiritual hunger by listening to Christian radio. When at Mass singing the hymns comforts me and fills my heart with joy.
ReplyDeleteMy teenage son has been questioning his faith, and although he still needs a lot of prayers for guidance, I believe the Lord is showing me how He is working on him. The Lord answers my prayers in many ways. Little things like, my son volunteering to be a leader for an upcoming retreat, and his girlfriend's mother happening to give him some Christian CD's. These are some examples of ways our Lord is working at filling my son's spiritual hunger.
Lord, continue to fill our spiritual hunger so that we may feel satisfied.