Reflections
Psalm 24: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (Read)
“Who may go up the mountain of the Lord?
Who can stand in His holy place?”
The psalm is about a journey to a holy place.
It is a place where we will meet the Lord.
But we are asked, “Who can ascend the
mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in
His holy place?”
During Advent we become aware that although
we may not have to climb a holy mountain to meet
the Lord, we must prepare to receive Him in
our hearts. In fact the Psalm is guiding us to
prepare ourselves from within, so that we are
made ready to receive Him when He comes.
This is what our Advent time is about --
preparing ourselves to receive the Lord.
Just as St Paul in our 2nd reading was made ready
to receive “The grace of apostleship,” we too are
called to open our hearts to the Lord.
(Romans 1: 1-7)
What must we do?
We must cleanse our hearts.
The verses of the Psalm say, “The clean of hand
and pure of heart who has not given his soul to
useless things … will receive blessings from the Lord.”
We are all unworthy to be in the Lord's presence,
but at least we can cleanse ourselves through Confession,
and bathe in the Word. That is how we show our love
for the Lord.
The Psalm calls for the coming of the king of glory,
just as the Gospel calls for the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 1: 18-24)
Who will enter His kingdom? Our psalmist tells us
that those who love the Lord and those who seek
God's face will receive their reward from God our savior.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm Response asks us, "Let the Lord enter;
He is the king of glory." How do you prepare yourself
during Advent so that the king of glory can enter your heart?
2. Our psalmist speaks of a people that seeks the Lord,
that seeks the face of God. Describe what you are doing
to seek out the Lord in your family and in your community.
Who is the king of glory ? The Lord, Almighty, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who will enter His Kingdom. And so the psalmist foresees the birth of Jesus, and he says that the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.
ReplyDeleteWe have to seek His face to be a faithful servant. In order to enter his kingdom I have to clean my hands and have a pure heart. First of all, I have to prepare myself to confess my sins and wrongdoings to receive his grace and blessings. I ask that both my mortal sins and venial sins are wiped clean by His mercy. And so I will not repeat the same sins over and over again. As He promised us, He will set me free from being captive. He is still the God of Mercy and King of Glory who will never desert us.
When I was in Israel, I thought I went up the mountain of the Lord in his Holy Land. I thought I could meet Him just by going there and walking in the footsteps of Jesus. I realized that I could not meet his presence unless my heart is pure. What is important is I have to prepare myself within me to be right with the Lord. My heart was not right. I did not get any spiritual healing or physical healing either. Because my attitude was wrong toward my neighbors, and I had been resentful. God shows me how hypocritical I am. I felt ashamed. I felt remorseful.
And so this Advent I am determined to prepare for the Lord's coming with joy. Because there will be no peace in me without the Prince of Peace. Thanks be to God for showing me the way and preparing my heart sincerely for His coming during Advent.