Reflections
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (Read)
“When
you send
forth your
spirit,
they are created.”
Animated
by the Spirit, the divine
breath, we
who are His creatures
sing of the glory of
our Creator.
Our
psalmist affirms, “When
you
send forth your Spirit, you renew
the face of the earth.”
God
our Creator is the source of
all natural life.
So also the Holy Spirit
is the source of
all supernatural life.
We are nothing without
the divine
breath -- “If
you take away their breath,
they
perish and return to their dust.”
It is this same creative breath that came
down
on the disciples in that locked room
St
Luke speaks of in today's
first reading.
(Acts
2:1-4)
The
Holy Spirit empowered the disciples
to
go forth and proclaim the Gospel boldly
to
men of all nations, speaking different tongues.
We
too are called to be baptized in the Spirit,
and
to receive the divine breath of the Lord.
Having
been baptized in the Spirit, we are a
new
creation, and are called to glorify the Lord
in
what we do. In this way, as the Psalm says,
“May
the Lord be glad in his works.”
Fortunately
for us too, the Spirit is manifested
in
each of us for some benefit, as St. Paul
reminds us
in today's
second reading.
(1 Corinthians
12:7)
All
we have to do is accept
Christ and
believe in Him.
Without
the breath of the Holy
Spirit, we have
no
spiritual life. But thanks
to God's gift,
we
are a new creation; we are baptized into
Christ, and
we share
in the divinity of our Lord.
And
that alone gives us reason to praise
God.
As
our psalmist says,
“Pleasing to Him
be my
theme; I will be glad in the Lord.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. As in our Psalm,
do you also feel the presence of the 'divine breath'
in
your spiritual life? Speak of how the Holy Spirit is at work in your
life.
2. Our psalmist says that the Spirit of the Lord 'renews the face of the earth.'
2. Our psalmist says that the Spirit of the Lord 'renews the face of the earth.'
Tell of how you are a new creation, after having been baptized in
the Holy Spirit.
This psalm is inviting us to celebrate God's glory in His works of creation and providence, teaching us the dependence of all living creatures; and contrasting the happiness of those who praise Him with the awful end of the wicked.
ReplyDeleteThe Psalm closes with an invocation of praising the Lord, the translation of a Hebrew word, "Hallelujah." Man's glory is fading; God's glory is everlasting: creatures change, but with the Creator there is no variableness. Therefore let our souls, touched by his grace, meditate on and praise Him. Amen
Divine breath. Creative breath. Breath of the Holy Spirit. The concept of "breath" is so very powerful; I am not sure if another image exists which would signify LIFE more clearly. Even in Genesis 2:7, "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." We are nothing without breath... and in the fleshly sense, we are dead without the ability to breathe in oxygen.
ReplyDeleteThe same principle applies in the spiritual sense. Without the divine breath inside us from the Holy Spirit, we are spiritually dead. When we are able to inhale Him, acknowledge Him, and be filled with Him, we are alive. We are on fire -- aglow with His love.
The daily challenge for me is to be open for the "refill." I love when restaurants offer free refills of my favorite iced tea. How much more precious is the gift of a refilling of the Spirit? I find it useful to literally breathe Him in... several times a day, whenever I feel weak and want to love like Jesus
Sometimes things get a little hectic, but by and large, with my wife at my side, I feel a comfortable serenity, thanks to the Divine Breath I feel. I can’t even imagine how people live without God being an active part of their lives.
ReplyDeleteThis psalm affirms that God has unlimited power over all his creation. We are filled with his love, goodness and wisdom. As we understand God's power, we realize that God is in charge of our lives. And so our single breath depends on the Spirit he has breathed into us. We are nothing, like dust without his foundation.
ReplyDeleteOn the day of Pentecost the apostles and the other believers had an overwhelming experience of being loved by God. Like a strong wind, God's fire of love descended upon them. For instance, look at the Apostle Peter. He was a coward, but he became a powerful, bold speaker to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Peter became a new person, a new creation. Who made him bold and powerful? The spirit of God's love and presence did a work in him.
Once we receive the Holy Spirit, His love makes us energized, and the Holy Spirit fills us with the love of God and a deeper sense of peace through his presence in our hearts. We are filled with a desire to praise Him, a desire to live up to his will and plan.
And so I quite often ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the darkness of my heart. He guides me to repent, and He draws me to have an intimate relationship with God. I rejoice in the Lord and thank God who dwells within us.