Psalm for Easter Sunday

Reflections

Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23   (Read)

“I shall not die, but live.”

Today's Psalm is an Easter song that 
marks the procession of the pilgrims 
going up to Jerusalem for the feast 
of Tabernacles.  The Psalm begins 
with a call to praise that starts the 
procession,  
“Give thanks to the Lord, for

His mercy endures forever.”

Israel is continuously put to the test, 

humbled and then delivered.

In so doing Israel discovers its 
calling to be a people of God 

and to bear witness to the nations.

Jesus makes this calling his own, 

and in the Psalm we read prophetic 
verses that recall the paschal mystery 
of Christ, who is rejected and then 
exalted, and who becomes the 
foundation stone of the new people 
of God,  

“I shall not die, but live,

and declare the works of the Lord.”  

As the psalmist says, “The right hand 

of the Lord has struck with power; 

the right hand of the Lord is exalted.”
Our days of mocking our Savior are over; 

we no longer hurl insults at him.  

“The stone the builders rejected 

has become the cornerstone.”

Our Savior has risen.  

“By the Lord has this been done;

it is wonderful in our eyes.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.   Our Response is, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad."  
On this Easter Sunday, explain what is the basis of your joy and gladness and how 
your life is affected by our Risen Savior.

2.  Our Lord, rejected by the 'builders' of his time, has become the 'cornerstone' of 
our lives.   What does it mean to you to build your faith on the resurrection of Jesus?

Psalm for Passion Sunday, March 25, 2018

Reflections

Psalm 22:  8-9,  17-18,  19-20,  23-24   (Read)

“They have pierced my hands 

and my feet.”

David writes this psalm almost 

as though it were planned to be 

part of the Passion of Christ.

It is as though David knew what 

was coming.  The Psalm's theme 

is that the sufferings of the 

righteous man will restore life 

to humanity.

Indeed the Psalm becomes the 

prayer of Christ at the time of His 

crucifixion and speaks of the 

suffering that our Savior 

experienced on our behalf,

“My God, my God, why have 

you abandoned me?”

People are the same today as they 

were back then, when Jesus was being led to the cross.  

We scoff at him; 

we mock him; we wag our heads; 

and hurl insults at him.

Why?  

Because he becomes contemptible in our eyes.  

He reminds us that we are a sinful people; 

He convicts us; He catches us in the lie; 

He embarrasses us; He exposes us; 

He accuses us of being hypocrites.  

He holds us to a higher standard;

He speaks directly to God; 

He claims to be God's Son,

and we reject him for this, and mock him.  

We do not move to assist him. 

Let God rescue him, 

“He relied on the Lord; let God deliver him;

 let God rescue him, if he loves him.” 

These are the same words used by those who conspired 

against Jesus when he was dying on the cross.  (Mark 15: 31-32)

They did not realize that the suffering and death 

of an innocent servant would restore life for sinful man.  

The words they spoke were to be fulfilled, not by Jesus 

coming down from the cross, but by sinful humanity like us 

being delivered, forgiven, and lifted up.  

The psalm describes the Passion of Christ, and we know 

that what seemed like a moment of weakness for Christ

became a source of strength for the rest of us.  

God reverses this righteous man’s condition –

“But you, O Lord, be not far from me; 

O my help, hasten to aid me.”

Hope returns, the righteous man is delivered.

And he celebrates his deliverance--

“I will proclaim your name to my brethren;

in the midst of the assembly I will praise you: 

You who fear the Lord, praise him.”

Because Jesus humbled himself and accepted death 

on the cross, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed 

on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9)

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The psalmist speaks of those who scoff at him and mock him. 
 In what way can you identify with those who scoff at our Savior
 and mock him with parted lips? 

2.  The Psalm Response is, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"   
Why do you think our Lord would have uttered these words at the time 
of his Passion?  What had changed for God's son?  Had God changed?

Psalm for Sunday, March 18, 2018

Reflections

 
Psalm 51:  3-4, 12-13, 14-15   (Read)

“Create a clean heart in me, O God.”                                                                         

This Sunday's Psalm is David’s mea culpa  

and is written after Nathan calls attention 

to David’s adultery with Bathsheba.  We are 

shown in the Psalm that although David was 

chosen by God to be king, even David sins 

gravely.  But God in His compassion and 

goodness can blot out David’s offense, 

no matter how grave.

David realizes that only God, in His mercy,
can cleanse David from his sins.  David’s sins, 

like our own, are offensive to God first and 

foremost; we are all born of a sinful nature.
David calls on the Lord to blot out his offense,
knowing that the Lord, in His abundant 

compassion, will wash away his guilt.

David’s words are a prayer of repentance and recall 

for us the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
“A clean heart create for me, O God; renew within me 

a steadfast spirit. Give me back the joy of your salvation.”
Where else can we turn when we are separated from God?
Who else has the healing power to cleanse us?

“Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me 

your Holy Spirit.”  David reminds us that without the Holy 

Spirit we are ruled by the desires of this world.  And without 

the Holy Spirit we cannot bear the fruits of the Spirit,
which we are called to do.

The people of Jeremiah’s time were given the assurance 

that David sought. They were assured that the Lord would 

forgive their evildoing, their own infidelity to God, and that 

their sin would be remembered no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)
On David's part we can almost hear his loud cries and see 

his tears, as he offers this psalm as prayer and seeks his 

own inner renewal.  When Christ was in the flesh, this is 

how He himself prayed, as we are reminded in Sunday's 

second reading. (Hebrews 5:7)

David prays that God will create for him a clean heart,
because God alone can bring about this transformation.
We, too, are called to seek our Savior’s mercy for our sinful 

ways, especially during this Lenten season.  We, too, are 

given an opportunity to be restored in the joy of His Salvation, 

to offer up what is dead within us, so that we can again bear 

fruit and be good witnesses for the Lord. (John 12: 24)
In that way, we will then teach the wicked, God's ways,  

and our mouths will proclaim His praise.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist King David cites the greatness of the Lord's compassion in calling 

upon God to wipe out his offense.  Even though David was an adulterer and 

a murderer, he knew that he could call upon the Lord to restore him and create 

for him a clean heart.   Does this give you confidence that no matter how serious 

your sins may be, you can call upon God to be thoroughly cleansed?   Explain.

2.  As our psalmist implies, it is not enough to call upon God to create a clean 

heart within us.  We must also ask for a steadfast spirit, for the Holy Spirit to be 

sustained within us.  Tell how the Holy Spirit is working within you and what you 

are inspired to do through the gifts of the Spirit.

Psalm for Sunday, March 11, 2018

Reflections
 
Psalm 137: 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

“How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?”

This Sunday's Psalm is a prayer of the Jewish people 
in exile in Babylon.  As Sunday's 1st reading tells us,
the Lord became angry with the people of Judah
because of their many infidelities.  (2 Chronicles 36:14-16)
And when they mocked the messenger of God,
God allowed them to be carried off to Babylon as slaves.
“By the rivers of Babylon, we sat mourning and weeping.”

But God's chosen people could not forget Jerusalem
and the covenant God had made with them.  “If I forget 
you Jerusalem, may my right hand wither.  May my tongue 
stick to my palate  if I do not remember you.”   And more 
important, God did not forget them.

It is the same way with us.  We sin against God and He 
allows us to be carried off into a kind of self imposed exile,
where we separate ourselves from Him for a time.

“How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?”
When our hearts are hardened by sin, how can we sing 
a song of the Lord?   When we are in the darkness because 
we prefer the darkness, how can we sing a song of the Lord?
When we are separated from the Lord and indulging in things 
of the world, how can we sing a song of the Lord?
It is only when we are in the light,  then can we sing a song 
of the Lord.

As Sunday’s 2nd reading tells us, “Even when we are dead in our 
transgressions, God brings us to life with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:5)

And the Gospel reminds us in a powerful way that although we 
are a wicked people who hate the light, God sent His Son not to 
condemn us, but to save us and lead us into the light. (John 3: 17-21)
That is how we free ourselves from our own spiritual exile.
It is only when we are in the light, when we become a light unto 
the world, then can we sing a song of the Lord!

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  This Sunday's Psalm Response is, "Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!"  
When you are separated from God because of sin, have you noticed how it becomes difficult to praise and worship Him?   In a way your tongue becomes silenced for a time.  
Explain how you can get your voice back and start again singing a song of the Lord.

2.  Our psalmist tells us that it was difficult for the Jewish people captive in Babylon to sing 
the songs of Zion in a foreign land. Is it sometimes difficult for you to speak of your faith 
in the company of non-believers?    If you are being persecuted by a world that does not 
acknowledge you as one of its own, how do you overcome your reticence and speak boldly 
of your faith?