Reflections
Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6,11-12, 13 (Read)
“I
praise you, Lord,
for you raised me up.”
This
is a Psalm that Jesus himself
might have
prayed, following his
resurrection: “I
praise you, Lord,
for you raised me up and
did not
let my enemies rejoice over me.”
Our
Lord Jesus was raised up
from
the pit by the Father, even
though He
bore the weight of our
sins. “Lord
you brought me up
from the
netherworld; you
let me
live, from going down to the pit.”
God’s
anger over the sins of all men,
that
Christ took upon himself, lasted
but
a moment -- “Divine anger lasts
but
a moment; divine favor lasts
a lifetime.”
The
Psalm speaks to us as we take part
in
the joy of Easter. The joy of the resurrection
comes
to us at dawn, after a terrible night,
as
it came to those early followers of Jesus.
“At
nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the
dawn,
rejoicing.” And that
alone is reason
enough to change our
mourning into dancing.
The
Psalm concludes with praise that is
worthy
of the Lamb, and recalls for us the
voices
of the angels that St John speaks of in
today's
2nd
reading from
Revelation 5:11-12,
“O
Lord, my God, forever will
I give you thanks.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says that
God's anger lasts but a moment, while His favor
lasts a lifetime. Give an example
of how you have been
blessed by God's
favor
after having fallen away for a
time.
2. The Psalm speaks of changing our mourning into dancing. Tell of how the
resurrection
of our Lord has lifted you up
and brought within you a
rejoicing
of the
spirit.
When things are well with us, we are very apt to think that they will always be so. But if we feel that God turns from us, it will be the greatest mistake if we turn from Him. No; let us learn to pray in the dark. Our spirit should always praise Him. In due time God delivered the psalmist out of his troubles.
ReplyDeleteOur tongue is our glory, and never more so than when employed in praising God. We should persevere to the end in praise, hoping for his everlasting work.
But let all beware of carnal security. Neither outward prosperity, nor inward peace, here, are sure and lasting. We must expect to meet with temptations and afflictions. Therefore, because of the great things the Lord has done for us, both by his providence and by his grace, we must do all we can to advance his kingdom among men. God's saints in heaven sing to Him; why should not those on earth do the same?
A favorite evangelist of mine writes, "God can make a ministry out of my mess." What a powerful concept! This successful witness of the Lord is a survivor of physical abuse and has faced many temptations to ease the pain with drugs. God has used her to reach those also suffering.
ReplyDeleteI don't have such huge examples in my life, praise be to God. However, I do have plenty of instances when I have not waited for His timing and birthed an Ishmael rather than Isaac. Does the Lord send his wrath upon me? No. He has every right to be frustrated with me but how wonderful that "His anger lasts only a moment."(v. 5 )
Instead, He lovingly weaves my mistakes and unwise choices into a tapestry of beauty. My mess can also become my ministry, as I share with others how the Lord lifted me up or changed the plan for me. There is more to v.5, "His favor lasts a lifetime." I am reminded of another very powerful verse; Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
How reassuring that we can call upon a lifetime of the Lord's favor! Amen. Alleluia.
I thought over this verse, "Divine anger lasts but a moment; divine favor lasts a lifetime." And I thought about God's anger over the sins of all men that Christ took upon himself. Christ bore the weight of our sins. Because of that He was raised up, and we all experience the joy of resurrection and God's love and compassionate heart toward us. We are forgiven because of His Divine mercy. I cry out for his Mercy.
ReplyDeleteDuring Lent I made a casual resolution about something to which I was addicted -- watching Korean TV dramas until midnight. My will was weakened without constant praying to God. My heart was dulled and hardened. I enjoyed being in a
state of having fallen away from God. On the other hand the Holy Spirit prompted me by saying, "Go to Mass and receive Holy Communion."
And so I did. God really turned my wailing into dancing. I felt blessed to receive him as my Savior. I felt reconnected with Him. In this way God brought a rejoicing spirit within me. Alleluia! Jesus, help me to hear your voice when you say, "Feed my lambs", "Feed my sheep," as you said to Peter. O Lord be my help !