Reflections
“May
God be gracious to
us
and bless us; may
God's face
shine upon us.”
So
much that God does for
us is
contained in
this opening verse of
the Psalm. God gives us
his
grace
through his
son Jesus, who
is our
Savior. And we all want God’s
blessings, as
the Psalm says.
Since
the time of Moses, God’s
chosen people have reached out
for God’s
blessings.
God
gives
us material blessings –
all
our treasure and gifts are from
Him. And
thankfully, He gives us
spiritual blessings as
well –
as St Paul tells us, to each individual
the
manifestation of the spirit is given
for some
benefit. (1Corinthians 12:7)
No
wonder that we Gentiles were
attracted to
the faith, when St Paul
and St Barnabas were
traveling
through the towns and visiting
the
early churches.
And
what could be better than
to have God's
face shine upon us,
as the psalmist
says. We have a hint
of what the radiance
of God's face
may be like in Sunday's
2nd
reading,
where St John speaks of the
light of
God's glory that shines in the
city
of heaven.
(Revelation
21:11)
By
ministering to the Gentiles,
the 'way' of the
Lord became known
upon earth among all
the nations,
as the Psalm says. Indeed the
Psalm
predicts that God’s saving
power shall be
known among all
the peoples. Thankfully,
that
includes us.
Today
we join with our psalmist
and the members
of the early
church in praising God –
“May
the peoples praise you, O God;
may
all the
peoples praise you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist asks that God will let His face shine upon us.
Tell of how you
have felt the radiance of God when He is present
to you.
2. The Psalm prays that the Lord's 'way' be known among all nations.
2. The Psalm prays that the Lord's 'way' be known among all nations.
What have
you done personally to encourage others to follow the
'way' of the Lord?
NONE OF US are perfect. When God challenges us, He gives us special graces and insight to meet and beat the challenge. But it’s up to each of us, to rise up and seek God’s special support especially in a time of crisis. God doesn’t expect us to solely depend upon ourselves. He expects us to turn to Him or one of His angels, which at that moment, could be a spouse, a neighbor, a relative, a friend, who is ready and able to provide that special assistance we need at that point in time. That means, “WE" must be pro-active in reaching out for that support
ReplyDeleteWhat could be better than to have God's face shine upon us?
ReplyDeleteSt John speaks of the light of God's glory that shines in the city of heaven. But I thought about how I could receive God's radiant face that shines upon me personally.
First of all, I have to accept God's grace through his son Jesus, who is our savior, because Jesus is the source of my life and joy. I have to obey his commandant: love my neighbor, spread Jesus's good news, and do charitable works.
Most of all, I have to confess my sins. If I do so, joy and contentment will fill my soul in the midst of hardship. In this way I can feel peace and feel the Lord's presence. I am able to walk with Him in love
I can encourage others to follow the way of the Lord so they also can experience the goodness of the Lord. He will also give me a spiritual blessing, which is the Joy that comes from inside of me no matter what kind of circumstance I might be in. When I share that gospel with others, God's face shines upon me.
Let's make God's face shine upon us!