Reflections
Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (Read)
“I was hard pressed and falling,
but the Lord came to me as savior.”
Once again we visit this powerful psalm
of praise and thanksgiving. This time the
verses stress the enduring love that God
has for us, so much so that despite the part
we played in crucifying his Son, God went
ahead with His plan to save us.
Jesus’ risen presence among us is living
proof of God’s enduring love. Our psalmist
assures us, “God’s mercy endures forever.”
We may be hard pressed and falling, or
we may be spiritually sick and weakened
by sin. Are we really any different from those
Dr Luke speaks of in today's first reading,
any less desperate or in need of the Lord's
healing power and presence in our lives?
(Acts 5:15-16)
Fortunately the Lord comes to us as Savior,
as our psalmist says. And the Lord is present
to us when we are frightened, as He was present
to those frightened disciples in the upper room.
(John 20:19-21)
Who would have been more hard pressed and
falling than they were before Jesus appeared
to them and blessed them and extended his
peace to them? That same source of strength
the psalmist speaks of is available to us –
all we have to do is believe and open our hearts
to receive his saving grace.
As the psalmist says, the Lord is our strength.
He is present to us, just as He was in those early
days of the church described in today's first reading
and in today's Gospel of St John.
We may not have the awesome experience
Thomas had of physically putting our hand in
the Lord’s side and our fingers into the nail
marks on his hand, but He is with us.
We are victorious over death. The Lord’s
deliverance is cause for joy. Just when we were
down, the Lord raises us up. “I was hard pressed
and falling, but the Lord has been my Savior.”
“The joyful shout of victory is heard.” The verses of
the Psalm confirm that we are on firm ground after all.
When Thomas put his fingers into the Lord's side,
it was clearly a moment of epiphany for Thomas
and for us as well. Thomas was struck with awe,
and came to believe in the risen Lord. What does
it take for us, though we have not seen, to get down
on our knees and say, “My Lord and my God.”
(John 20: 24-28)
Christ has become our cornerstone, as our
psalmist reminds us. Christ has become a
source of strength for us, despite his apparent
weakness that day on the cross, when he died
a shameful death.
Only the Lord could have done this remarkable
thing. As the Psalm says, “By the Lord has this
been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.” This is
cause for rejoicing -- “This is the day the Lord
has made.” Along with the disciples and the
early church, “Let us be glad and rejoice in it.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever been 'hard pressed and falling,' as was our psalmist?
1. Have you ever been 'hard pressed and falling,' as was our psalmist?
Describe how the Lord has been your strength and courage in times of trouble.
2. As the Psalm says, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.' Speak of how our Savior has become the rock you can rely on
2. As the Psalm says, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.' Speak of how our Savior has become the rock you can rely on
in your life.
In Psalm 118 the psalmist describes how the Lord has been his strength and courage in times of trouble when he was hard pressed and falling. God’s enduring love for him guides him to an eternal destination. He assures us it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man or things on earth because God’s mercy and love endure forever.
ReplyDeleteThere have been times when my mood was sad and filled with a guilty feeling.
I have not always felt like praising God. I have been sick spiritually and weakened by sin. I have to open my heart to receive his saving Grace.
O Lord open the gates for me so I will enter and give thanks to you because you are the stone the builders rejected that has become the capstone.
Although He was rejected by his own people, like I feel sometimes, He is now the capstone, holding the whole arch of the Church together.
He has become our Salvation. What the Lord has done for me is marvelous in my eyes, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. For that I give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Surely God gives me a reason to rejoice and serve Him.
He is good: his love endures forever.
A wonderful aspect of the Psalms is that they are often candid calls for help, from a weak mortal in trouble... lifting his voice up to an all-powerful God. The exact author of Psalm 118 is unknown but we can relate to the feeling of gratitude and relief that the Psalmist feels, in being rescued by God. Toward the end of the Psalm, in v 24 we encounter a very familiar passage of praise: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” We are witness to the Lord swooping down and protecting, saving, making right the situation, so that the author ends on words of thanksgiving and celebration.
ReplyDeleteIn much the same way, I often find myself in a delicate situation that needs divine intervention to be solved. In recent weeks, the burden of caregiving for my father-in-law was placed largely on my shoulders. I truly needed the love of the Lord to wash over me, in order to give love to extended family. I also needed physical strength and joyfulness to get through my days. It has not been an easy season and it continues to be a challenge for me. I do know that God has touched my heart with humility and the understanding that as I serve my family, I also serve my Father in heaven. These little realizations and little consolations give me strength to pick up my cross... with less and less grumbling. In fact, I can even sing His praises as I recognize how He is shaping my heart.