Psalm for Sunday, April 3, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24  (Read)

“I was hard pressed and falling, 

 but the Lord came to me as savior.” 

 

  

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 with His plan to save us.

Jesus’ risen presence among us is living

proof of God’s enduring love. Our psalmist

assures us, “God’s mercy endures forever.”

We may be hard pressed and falling, or

we may be spiritually sick and weakened

by sin. Are we really any different from those

Dr Luke speaks of in today's 1^st reading,

any less desperate or in need of the Lord's

healing power and presence in our lives?

(Acts 5:15-16)

Fortunately the Lord comes to us as Savior,

as our psalmist says. And the Lord is present

to us when we are frightened, as He was present

to those frightened disciples in the upper room.

(John 20:19-21)

Who would have been more hard pressed and

falling than they were before Jesus appeared

to them and blessed them and extended his

peace to them? That same source of strength

the psalmist speaks of is available to us –

all we have to do is believe and open our hearts

to receive his saving grace.

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 in today's 1^st reading

and in today's Gospel of St John.

We may not have the awesome experience 

Thomas had of physically putting our hand in 

the Lord’s side and our fingers into the nail 

marks on his hand, but He is with us.  

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 has been my Savior.”

“The joyful shout of victory is heard.”  The verses of 

the Psalm confirm that we are on firm ground after all.

When Thomas put his fingers into the Lord's side,

it was clearly a moment of epiphany for Thomas

and for us as well. Thomas was struck with awe, 

and came to believe in the risen Lord. What does 

it take for us, though we have not seen, to get down 

on our knees and say, “My Lord and my God.”

(John 20: 24-28)

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.  As the Psalm says, “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.  Have you ever been 'hard pressed and falling,' as was our psalmist?   

Describe how the Lord has been your strength and courage in times of trouble.

2.  As the Psalm says, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.'   Speak of how our Savior has become the rock you can rely on in your life.

Psalm for Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23  (Read)

“This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad.”

Jesus’ risen presence among us

is living proof of God’s enduring love. 

As the psalmist says, “God’s love endures 

forever.”  The Lord’s deliverance is cause

for joy.  Just when we were down, the Lord 

raises us up. The joyful shout of deliverance

is heard. We are on firm ground after all –

Christ has become our cornerstone.

In the Psalm we read in advance of the

Paschal Mystery. Christ, who is rejected

and then exalted, becomes the foundation

stone of the new People of God --

“I shall not die, but live and declare the

works of the Lord.” This is Jesus speaking

about His own resurrection and about His 

food, which is to do the work of the Father.

The Psalm says, “The right hand of the

Lord has struck with power; the right hand

of the Lord is exalted.” Our days of mocking

our Savior are over; we no longer hurl insults

at Him.

Our savior has risen. “By the Lord has this

been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.”

“The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in

the tents of the victors.” The Psalm celebrates

a great victory over death. This victory is

delivered by the Lord’s right hand, a clear

notice in advance of the power of the Son of God.

Our risen Savior has defeated death and the

grasp that sin has on us. And having been saved,

what are we to do? What is our commission? 

St Peter tells us in today's first reading, “He 

commissioned us to preach to the people and 

testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God.” 

(Acts 10:42)

Christ has become our cornerstone. “The stone

the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

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:

“This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

 
1.  The Psalm speaks of a great victory over death, 'I shall not die, but live.'  
Tell of how you share in Christ's victory over death and what this means to you.

2.  Having been saved from death, the psalmist says he will 'declare the works of 

the Lord.'   Speak of how you are empowered by our Lord's resurrection to go forth 

and proclaim the Gospel.

 

Psalm for Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24  (Read)

“My God, my God, why have you 

abandoned me?”

David writes this psalm almost as though

it were planned to be part of the Passion

of Christ. In fact the psalm becomes the 

prayer of Christ at the time of his crucifixion

and speaks of the suffering that our Savior

experiences on our behalf.

People are the same today as they were

back then, when Jesus was being led to 

the cross.  We scoff at him; we mock him; 

we wag our heads and hurl insults at him.

Why?

Because he becomes contemptible in 

our eyes. He reminds us that we are a 

sinful people; he convicts us; he catches 

us in the lie;  he embarrasses us; he 

exposes us; he accuses us of being 

hypocrites.

He holds us to a higher standard;

He speaks directly to God;

He claims to be God's Son;

and we reject him for this; and mock him.

We do not move to assist him.

Let God rescue him –

“He relied on the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

These words of the psalm are the same 

words used by those who conspired against 

Jesus when he was dying on the cross. 

They did not realize that the suffering and 

death of an innocent servant would restore 

life for sinful man. The words they spoke 

were to be fulfilled, not by Jesus coming 

down from the cross, but by sinful humanity 

like us being delivered, forgiven,

and lifted up.

We are reminded by St Paul in today's second 

reading that Christ takes the form of a slave, 

obedient even to death for our sake. 

(Philippians 2:7-8)

Isaiah in today's first reading speaks

about the Messiah long before his birth and 

predicts that he will be beaten, and his beard 

will be plucked. (Isaiah 50:4-7)

But the servant does not rebel (as Isaiah tells us).

He knows that he will not be put to shame.

God the Father is not far off, even when Jesus lies 

hanging on the cross. The psalm describes the 

Passion of Christ, and we know that what seemed 

like a moment of weakness for Christ became a 

source of strength for sinful humanity.

Ultimately God reverses this righteous man’s 

condition.  As our psalmist says, “But you, O Lord, 

be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me.” 

Hope returns, the righteous man is delivered, and he

celebrates his deliverance – “I will proclaim your name

to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will

praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him.”

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.   Were you part of the crowd of evildoers who closed in on Christ, that our 

psalmist speaks about?   Tell of what part you play even today in mocking Christ.

2.   The psalm asks, 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'  Do you 

believe that our Lord was truly abandoned by the Father?

  

Psalm for Sunday, March 13, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6  (Read)

“When the Lord brought back the captives

of Zion, we were like men dreaming.” 

 

 

What God did for the Israelites, he does

also for us. The Jews were liberated from

being captives of the wicked Babylonians,

and we are liberated from the captivity of sin

by that same God who sent his Son to save us.

Just as the woman in the Gospel this Sunday

is saved from being stoned to death, Jesus

redeems all of us from our wicked ways.

God takes pleasure in restoring us, as the

psalmist says, and his pleasure is reflected

by the joy in our hearts when we are reconciled

with Him. “Our mouths [are] filled with laughter;

our tongues [sing] with joy.”

It may seem like we are dreaming when we 

make our own Exodus from our past lives of 

disobedience.  The future may be filled with 

a few dry stream beds, but if we are diligent 

and sow the seeds of repentance, we will be 

rewarded with a bountiful harvest and as the 

psalmist says, “We will reap with cries of joy.”

We join with our psalmist who affirms,

“The Lord has done great things for us.”

There is good news for us too --

we have the Messiah to lead us in our own

spiritual Exodus, away from slavery to sin,

and put us under the gentle yoke of Christ

our Savior.

This is a message of hope; it is a calling that

is future oriented. Isaiah, in Sunday's first 

reading, says the Lord is doing something 

new. (Isaiah 43:19)  St Paul, in the second 

reading, says that faith will lead us to an

“upward calling” in Christ. (Philippians 3:14)

For a better future we must do our part --

we must sow the seeds in order to gain 

repentance.  “Those who sow in tears shall 

reap rejoicing.”  Jesus did not condemn the 

woman caught in adultery – she is given a 

chance to repent and to pass from death 

to life. (John 8:10-11)  In the same way

a seed dies and produces a harvest – 

“Those who go forth weeping, carrying 

sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, 

carrying their bundled sheaves.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist speaks of the the Jewish captives being set free and

brought back from Babylon.  Tell of your own liberation this Lenten season 

from being captive to sin.

2.  The psalm contains a message of hope for us all -- that we shall reap 

joyfully in the days ahead.  Share how you expect to be raised up with the 

Lord as we approach our Easter celebration.