Psalm for October 2, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 95:  1-2, 6-7, 8-9  (Read)

"Oh that today you would hear his voice."

Knowing God's will is hard enough;

discernment is a gift from God.

But even if we are gifted enough to

be able to discern God 's will, can we 
have the courage and conviction

to actually do His will? 

Today more than ever we need to hear 
His voice.  As God the Father said, “This 
is my beloved Son with whom I am well 
pleased; listen to Him.”

In the Gospel, Jesus instructs the disciples

how to do all they have been commanded.  
(Luke 17:10)

As followers of Jesus, we too are to do all that

we are obliged to do.

Doing the will of God must have been difficult 
even for the disciples, hand picked by our Lord 
himself.  How much more so is the will of God 
a challenge for ordinary persons like us?

Even the disciples must have been in awe of 
what Jesus was commanding them to do.

“Harden not your hearts.”

Our spiritual history is full of occasions where 
the faithful were known to have hardened their
hearts and refused to listen to God's voice, 
though they had seen His works, as our psalmist 
mentions.

But after all, He is our God, as the psalm says,

and we are the people He shepherds.

Our job is to kneel before the Lord who made us 
and to carry out His will the best we can.   And 
if we are careful to listen to His voice, He will 
empower us to do His will, just as Jesus 
empowered the disciples to rise up to the 
challenge of the great commission and to 
become ordinary men performing extraordinary

deeds.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist encourages us not to harden our hearts if we hear God's voice.   Do you find it difficult sometimes to carry out God's will in your life even if you believe He is speaking to you?   Give an example.

2.  The psalm reminds us that we are like sheep and the Lord is our shepherd.   Are you willing to be just an ordinary sheep among His flock?  If so, what does it mean to you to be shepherded by the Lord?

Psalm for Sunday, September 25, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10  (Read)

“The Lord gives food to the hungry, 
sets captives free.”

Christ Jesus carries out the promises 

of the Psalm – He sets us captives free

and gives sight to us so we can truly see.

The Lord raises us up when we are down.

He sustains us -- with real food and drink.

Who among us is not hungry for a closer

relationship with The Lord?

You may ask, “When were we oppressed,

or hungry, or in prison?” Have we not

been under pressure from the evil one

to commit sin? Have we not been held

captive at one time or another by our sins?

And do we not experience a hunger for

the Lord and for a deeper faith?

That same power that gives sight to the

blind and raises up those who are bowed

down is available to free us from whatever

imprisons us. All it takes is to receive Him

and open our hearts to our Savior.

The Psalm is telling us we really need

to humble ourselves if we want to be

raised up with Jesus. That may be hard

to do if it means we have to swallow our 

pride and put aside worldly concerns. 

But if we truly want to be set free from 

the sins that bind us, then we need to 

repent and bow down before the Lord, 

accept our brokenness, and seek His 

healing ministry. Only then will we begin 

to have a right relationship with the Lord.

Having done so, we can pray this Psalm,

not only in honor of the heavenly Father,

but also in honor of Jesus Christ, whom

God exalted. We then join with the psalmist

and sing, “The Lord shall reign forever;

our God, through all generations.”

Amen

  

 Discussion Questions for Reflection
   

1.  Our psalmist assures us that the Lord gives food to the hungry.   Describe how 

your spiritual hunger is satisfied by the nourishment you receive from God.
 

2.  The Psalm says that the Lord thwarts the way of  the wicked.   Reflect on your 

experience and give an  example of how the Lord has overcome evil that was

a threat to you.

Psalm for Sunday, September 18, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 113: 1-2, 4-6, 7-8  (Read)

“He raises up the lowly from the dust.”

This Psalm teaches us once again that

our God, who is at once exalted above

all men, is willing to stoop low and to 

raise us up to the level of princes. God 

reverses common wisdom, and we who 

are called his servants are lifted up out 

of the dung heap of life and treated as 

royalty in his kingdom.

“Who is like the Lord, our God, who is

enthroned on high and looks upon the

heavens and the earth below.” It is 

God's nature to seek out the lowly

and the afflicted ones of this world,

and who is to say that we are not

all afflicted?

Christ Jesus shows an amazing ability

to bring up to his level the outcast of

society – the poor, the lowly, the barren.

Often criticized for eating and drinking

with sinners, our Savior shows us how

to behave toward our neighbors, to

understand that it is the sick who need

a physician.

Jesus' behavior is in sharp contrast

to the conduct of the merchants described

in Sunday's first reading. (Amos 8:4-7)

They have undisguised contempt for the

poor whom they are exploiting. But Jesus

reminds us that the poor have a divine

and powerful advocate. The compassion

of our Lord reaches down to those 

whom the powerful of the earth regard 

as nothing.  Jesus devotes his spiritual 

wealth and loving attention not to those 

who can give something in return, but to 

those whom the world disregards.

With such a loving God in our midst, we are

inspired to become like Him, and to join with

our psalmist and sing praise to our God,

and praise his name.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection
 
1.  Our Psalm reminds us that the Lord on high reaches down to our human level to lift us up.
How can it be that our God, who is exalted above all nations, is willing to stoop to our lowly 
level and show concern for us?
   
2.  What does it mean when our psalmist says that God raises up the lowly from the dust and
seats them with princes? 

Psalm for Sunday, September 11, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 51: 3-4, 12-13, 17, 19  (Read)

“A clean heart create for me, O God.”

 

We are shown in the Psalm that although David was 

chosen by God to be king, even David sins gravely.  

David is sincerely sorry for having committed adultery 

and murder, two grievous sinful acts which separated 

him from our loving Father.  He pleads with the Lord, 

"Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your 

abundant compassion blot out my offense."  We are 

reminded here that no sin is too big for God to forgive.  

Just as Moses trusted God to relent in His wrath against 

the Israelites (Exodus 32:11), we too trust in the Lord 

to be far more forgiving than we ourselves are capable of. 

And when we do fall into deep patterns of sin, we must 

realize that our wrongdoing, ultimately, is a rebellion 

against the Lord himself.  David’s sins, like our own, 

are offensive to God first and foremost –we are all born 

of a sinful nature

David prays words of repentance that recall for us the 

power of the Sacrament of Confession. “A clean heart

create for me, O God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.” 

The Lord is the source of cleanliness and purity of heart. 

God wants to have a close relationship with us, but 

unconfessed sin will always get in the way. We must 

confess our sins openly and sincerely.  Where else can 

we turn when we are separated from God?

Who else has the healing power to cleanse us?

David reminds us that without the Holy Spirit we are 

ruled by the desires of this world. “Cast me not out from 

your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.”

We can almost hear David’s loud cries and see his tears, 

as he offers this prayerful psalm and seeks his own inner 

renewal.  And just as David is profoundly grateful for God's 

compassion, so too St Paul acknowledges God's mercy 

in this Sunday's second reading (1 Timothy 1:13).

When we receive the Sacrament of Confession, we also 

are given an opportunity to be restored in the joy of His 

Salvation, to offer up what is dead within us, so that like 

the prodigal son in the Gospel we can return to the Father 

and again be good witnesses for the Lord. 

“I shall get up and go to my father.” (Luke 15:18)

Once we have regained a solid foundation with God 

the Father, no strong assault from the evil one will 

overcome us.  We can have that very same "steadfast 

spirit" that David asks for and receives from the Lord. 

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalm is King David's mea culpa, his personal confession to God.   Speak of 

how the verses of the Psalm inspire you to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

2.  Our psalmist pleas with the Lord not to take from him God's Holy Spirit.   Tell of how 

you also rely on the Spirit in your daily life.