Psalm for Sunday, July 3, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20  (Read)

“Hear now, while I declare what He has done for me.”

 

The Psalm celebrates the awesome 

power of God, manifest in 'His tremendous 
deeds among the children of Adam.' 

Our psalmist recalls the dividing of the 

Red Sea, which delivered Israel from 

the Egyptians, through the favor of God. 

That same awesome power that split 

the Red Sea became available to the

early apostles of the Church, as they 

went about healing and doing signs 

and wonders.

Where does the power come from to heal 

the lame and drive out unclean spirits? 

It comes from the Holy Spirit, who empowers 

each of us to become a healing force within 

our family and our community. No wonder 

those early believers were eager to go forth 

into the towns and become laborers for His 

harvest, and to rejoice because their names 

were written in heaven.

We too cannot help but sing praise to God 

when we feel His presence within us. We 

proclaim His glorious praise, and we on earth 

worship Him, as our psalmist says.

We want all to know what God has done for us,

so we 'cry out to God with joy.'

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection
   

1.  Our Psalmist invites us, "Come and see the works of God."  

Give an example of the awesome power of God in your life.

2.  The verses of the psalm say, "Blessed be God who refused me not."   

Tell of how the Lord has answered your plea and your prayer.

Psalm for Sunday, June 26, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 16: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11  (Read)

“With the Lord at my right hand,

I shall never be shaken.”

This psalm of David speaks to us

about a belief in an everlasting life

with God. “Lord, my allotted portion 

and my cup, you have made

my destiny secure.”

The distress that afflicts us from time

to time when we feel separated from God

is overcome – “For you will not abandon

my soul to the netherworld, nor let your

faithful servant see the pit.”

We can understand the Psalm's

verses as a prophecy of the resurrection

of Christ, when we will see God’s Son

seated at the right hand of the Father.

“You will show me the path to life,

abounding joy in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.”

These same verses are quoted by

St Peter in his speech to the Israelites

at Pentecost. (Acts 2:25-28)

St Peter uses the Psalm

as a prophecy that Jesus is to be

raised up and will sit at the right

hand of the Father. For us these are

encouraging words, with a promise

that we too can look forward to being

lifted up and spending the rest of our

days in the presence of the Lord.

The Lord promises, if we are his faithful

servants, that we will not have to see the pit.

He will not abandon us. As David says,

this is enough to make our hearts glad

and our souls rejoice.  

“Therefore my heart is glad and my soul 

rejoices; my body, too, abides in confidence.”

Our burdens are made light;

His yoke is easy, and that gladdens the heart

and strengthens the body.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalmist speaks confidently about his belief in an everlasting life with God.   

Speak of how you are confident about being raised up with the Lord and spending  

eternity in His presence.

2.  David says, "My Lord, you are my allotted portion and my cup."  Explain what 

these words mean to you.

Psalm for Sunday, June 19, 2016

Reflections

 

Psalm 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9  (Read)

“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

This prayer of longing was written at a 

time when David was in the desert, a place 

where physical thirst was all around him 

and the earth was parched, lifeless and 

without water.  But David is writing also 

about a spiritual thirst that overwhelms 

him and reminds him of the emptiness 

of life without God.

David meditates on those happier moments 

when he was close to the Lord, when his 

soul was satisfied as with the riches of a 

banquet, and when he took shelter in the 

shadow of the wings of God.

We too go through times of spiritual deprivation

when we walk away from God and indulge in

sinful practices that separate us from God.

At those times, like a penitent sinner, we

experience our deepest longing for the love of

the Lord, and we seek out his loving embrace.

As our psalmist says, at times like that our soul

clings fast to the Lord, we bless him, we glorify him,

we praise him.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist seeks the Lord because his soul thirsts for Him. 

Give an example of a time when you have hungered for God's presence 

and blessing in your life.

2.  The Psalm speaks of gazing toward the Lord in the sanctuary.
Tell of a time when you have gazed at the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament

Chapel of your parish and how you could see His power and His glory.

 

Psalm for Sunday, June 12, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 32: 1-2, 5, 7, 11  (Read)

 

“Then I declared my sin to you, and

you took away the guilt of my sin.”

 

A simple act of confession, which sometimes

is so difficult for us, is how we get rid of the

torment in our lives that is a consequence of

unconfessed sin. We all know the peace that

we obtain when we receive the Sacrament of

Reconciliation, when our burden of guilt is lifted.

We are convicted of sin, as was our psalmist

King David, whose sins against Uriah resulted 

in horrible consequences for David's family.  

(First reading, 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13)

We may not be able to avoid the consequences

of sin, but we can lift up the burden of sin and

give it to Jesus, our Savior. After all, as scripture

tells us, Jesus came to heal the sick, and to forgive

sinners like us. Having received the Lord's

forgiveness, we become the blessed sinners that

our Psalmist talks about. And then we are inspired

to sing out and praise the Lord.

In this Psalm, one of David’s penitential psalms,

our Psalmist sings out about the heaviness of his 

sin, that weighs upon him so long as he keeps 

silent.  David's sins were hidden in his heart.

Then when he declares his sin, and confesses 

his faults, his burden is lifted and his guilt is taken 

away.

David is compelled to cry out “unclean, unclean”

and to seek God’s forgiveness in order to be healed.

For our part we too are called to kneel before our 

Lord and beg for mercy in order to receive his grace 

during the Sacrament of Confession.

As Jesus says, it is what's inside our hearts

that needs to be purified. And having been

cleansed from within, we really have something

to be joyful about.

We are all pitiful in the sight of Christ, but once 

on our knees, having confessed and repented

of our sins, there is hope for us sinners whose sin

is forgiven. As it says in the Psalm,  “Blessed is 

he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered.”

We all need a spiritual cleansing from time to time

if we are to obtain a pure heart. They say confession

is good for the soul, and as the Psalm tells us, we 

know that confessing our faults will lead us to be 

glad in the Lord and rejoice.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection
1.  Speak of the peace you obtain after having received Absolution for 

your sins when you participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
 

 2.  Our psalmist, David, is convicted of his sins and acknowledges his 

faults before the Lord.  What is it in your life that inspires you to confess
your sins before the Lord?