Reflections
Psalm 34: 2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 (Read)
“Those
who are crushed in spirit He saves.”
David's psalm assures us,
“The
Lord hears the cry of the poor.”
The
word poor is
said to apply to one
who
depends completely on God
for
his deliverance and his very life.
This
is true for David as he is being
pursued
by his enemy. It
is true for us
in
our own personal battle against the
evil
one. With Him on our side victory
is
certain. “The Lord confronts the
evildoers,
to destroy remembrance
of them from
the earth.”
St
Paul is rescued from the lion's mouth
and is
empowered by the Lord to finish
the race, to
keep the faith, to complete
the proclamation. In
his own words,
“The Lord stood by me and gave
me
strength.” (2
Timothy 4: 6-8, 17)
David
affirms this, “The
Lord redeems
the lives of
His servants; no
one incurs
guilt who takes refuge
in Him.”
The
Psalm says our prayers are heard
if we have a
right relationship with the Lord,
“When the just cry
out, the Lord hears them.”
This is confirmed by
the writer of Sirach --
“The
one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition
reaches the heavens. The prayer
of the lowly pierces
the clouds.”(Sirach 35: 20-21)
Jesus
teaches us in this Sunday’s Gospel,
“The one who
humbles himself will be exalted.”
The tax collector
preserves his relationship with
God and goes
home justified. (Luke 18: 13-14)
That
too is part of being poor in
spirit. If we want
the Lord to be on our side, then
we need
to humble ourselves and recognize
our
own lowly status.
And
having done all that we can to keep a just
relationship
with our God, then we are to bless
the Lord
at all times, keep his praise ever in our
mouths, and
as the psalm says, “Let my soul
glory in the Lord.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm tells us that God lifts up those who are crushed in spirit. However difficult
it may be for us to be humble in spirit, we can speak of how gratifying it is for us to depend
solely on the Lord for our salvation. Tell of what this means to you personally.
2. The verses of the Psalm tell us how to be sure that our prayers are heard. Our psalmist encourages us to have a right relationship with the Lord before we pray. What is it that
2. The verses of the Psalm tell us how to be sure that our prayers are heard. Our psalmist encourages us to have a right relationship with the Lord before we pray. What is it that
you do to be sure that your prayers reach the ears of the Lord?
Brothers and Sisters in Christ…………..I think, most of the time, Carol and I have a poverty of spirit. We are deeply grateful for all of our many, many blessings. Tonight, we ask for your prayers for our son, David, who is back in the hospital with his crushed ankle from a motorcycle accident, and now having blood clots. He hasn’t listened to his parents, and he hasn’t listened to his doctors. He’s being a “Macho Man,” and instead of taking a recommended month at home, he’s been back on the job at his bank, since week #2. And now, he’s paying the price… for not recovering as he should have. We ask for your prayers that he humble himself and listen to the doctors…..the experts, and follow their advice religiously. We thank you.
ReplyDelete1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
ReplyDelete2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
People who have no real piety, but who make pretensions to it, are disposed to praise and bless God in times of sunshine and prosperity; true piety always regards Him as worthy of praise - in the storm as well as in the sunshine; in the dark night of calamity, as well as in the bright days of prosperity.
For the second week in a row, the Gospel readings focus on prayer -- last week's lesson was on persistence and this week's is more about having the right attitude. I pray as often as I am consciously aware enough to do so, throughout my waking hours. (During my slumber, I wrap a rosary around my wrist and have one under my pillow for protection.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if all of my prayers are pleasing to the Lord? Perhaps my orientation to turn toward Him, to depend on Him, to call on His name is pleasing. Praise and thanksgiving... confession of sins... such aspects of prayer surely make Him smile.
However, I do not believe that my petitions are always what He wants to hear from me. I don't think that I compare myself to others in a self-righteous way, but I know that I do in the worldly sense. I am educated and showered with material blessings. I have a loving family. I am a studious person. Now that I examine myself, I can see how the enemy creeps in and makes me feel superior to another. But as we learn in Sirach, the Lord knows no favorites. So what gives me the right to think I am worth more than another of God's creations or that my thoughts are more important or my prayers carry more weight? Nothing! Nothing should!
In my heart of hearts, I know that pride rears its ugly head in ways that seem innocuous at first. I must recognize those tendencies and nip them in the bud. I need the Lord's help even to pray... to pray well. And the more I depend on Him to do so, the purer my heart. With humility and a crushed spirit.
The Lord hears the cry of the poor, indeed.