Psalm for Sunday, April 3, 2022

Reflections 

Psalm 126:  1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6   (Read)

“When the Lord brought back the captives

of Zion, we were like men dreaming.” 

 

What God did for the Israelites, he does 

also for us.  The Jews were liberated from 

being captives of the wicked Babylonians, 

and we are liberated from the captivity of sin 

by that same God who sent his Son to save us. 

Just as the woman in the Gospel this Sunday 

is saved from being stoned to death, Jesus 

redeems all of us from our wicked ways.

God takes pleasure in restoring us, as the 

psalmist says, and his pleasure is reflected 

by the joy in our hearts when we are reconciled 

with Him. “Our mouths [are] filled with laughter; 

our tongues [sing] with joy.” 

It may seem like we are dreaming when we 

make our own Exodus from our past lives of 

disobedience.  The future may be filled with 

a few dry stream beds, but if we are diligent 

and sow the seeds of repentance, we will be 

rewarded with a bountiful harvest and as the 

psalmist says, “We will reap with cries of joy.” 

We join with our psalmist who affirms,

“The Lord has done great things for us.” 

There is good news for us too -- 

we have the Messiah to lead us in our own 

spiritual Exodus, away from slavery to sin, 

and put us under the gentle yoke of Christ 

our Savior.

This is a message of hope; it is a calling that 

is future oriented. Isaiah, in Sunday's first 

reading, says the Lord is doing something 

new (Isaiah 43:19).  St Paul, in the second 

reading, says that faith will lead us to an

“upward calling” in Christ (Philippians 3:14).

For a better future we must do our part --

we must sow the seeds in order to gain 

repentance.  “Those who sow in tears shall 

reap rejoicing.”  Jesus did not condemn the 

woman caught in adultery – she is given a 

chance to repent and to pass from death 

to life (John 8:10-11).  In the same way 

a seed dies and produces a harvest – 

“Those who go forth weeping, carrying 

sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, 

carrying their bundled sheaves.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist speaks of the the Jewish captives being set free and

brought back from Babylon.  Tell of your own liberation this Lenten season 

from being captive to sin.

2.  The psalm contains a message of hope for us all -- that we shall reap 

joyfully in the days ahead.  Share how you expect to be raised up with the 

Lord as we approach our Easter celebration.

Psalm for Sunday, March 27, 2022

Reflections

Psalm 34:  2-3, 4-5, 6-7    (Read)

“Look to God that you may 

be radiant with joy, and your 

faces may not blush for shame.”

Where does our joy come from? 

How do we obtain a joyful spirit? 

It comes from repenting and 

returning to the Lord, just as the 

Prodigal son returns to his father

in this Sunday's Gospel 

reading. (Luke 15:11-32)

For our part, we too will be 

embraced by the Father if we

humble ourselves before Him, 

and confess our sins. Then He will 

take us back. 

 

Like the Prodigal's father, our Lord 

watches for us each day, encouraging 

us to lift our bodies out of our shame 

and return to Him, to be reconciled, 

to be restored, in a right relationship 

with the Father. 

 

“My soul will glory in the Lord,

that the poor may hear and be glad.”

The word poor is said to apply to one

who depends completely on God

for his deliverance and his very life.

That’s where we stand even today,

when we are short of endurance 

along our own spiritual journey.

The psalmist recounts for us how 

he gained deliverance, “I sought

the Lord, who answered me,

delivered me from all my fears.”

Despite the anguish in the psalmist’s 

voice, there is also a powerful, joyful 

spirit – “Look to God that you may 

be radiant with joy, and your faces 

may not blush with shame.”

Our Father watches for us each day, 

encouraging us. He reconciles us

and restores us, and He provides 

the inner strength we need to 

complete our own spiritual journey.

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist looks to God so that his face may not blush for shame.  

Explain how you are overcoming your own shame this Lenten season, 

by looking to the Lord, repenting, and becoming radiant with joy.
  
2.  The Psalm's verses talk about those who are poor in spirit, totally 

dependent on God.   Speak about how you rely on the Lord for deliverance 

and are saved by the Lord.

Psalm for Sunday, March 20, 2022

Reflections

Psalm 103:  1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11  (Read)

“As the heavens tower over the earth,
so God's mercy towers over those
who fear Him.”

Our psalmist sings the praises of a
divine and loving God, who surrounds
us with compassion, pardons our sins,
heals our ills.

God will deliver us as He delivered the
Israelites from their affliction at the hands
of the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:7-8)
“God delivers your life from the pit,
surrounds you with love and compassion.”

God nurses no lasting anger,  He has not
dealt with us as our sins deserve. 
But God demands something of us
in return – that we cleanse ourselves
from evil desires and avoid sin.
St Paul warns us, “Whoever thinks
he is standing secure should take care
not to fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) 
Jesus says it more powerfully in today's
Gospel, “If you do not repent, you will
all perish.” (Luke 13:5)

The Lord’s patience with us is a gift –
“Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness.”
Our duty is to remain faithful to the Lord,
as His children, and to treat His anointed ones
with love and compassion, as He would do.

We are to be merciful to our enemies by
imitating Jesus.  Who can love their enemies,
and do good to them?  It will be difficult if
we allow our earthly nature to rule us.
Just as God has not dealt with us as our
sins merit, so must we have compassion
on those we may be inclined to condemn.

We cannot imitate God without a share
in Christ’s divinity, by allowing the Holy
Spirit within us to guide us.  Only then
will we have the kind of compassion the
Psalm speaks about.

And as our psalmist says, God’s love will
tower over us if we are his faithful.
If we love the Lord, it will show in our hearts,
and the old things will then pass away. 
What could be a better lesson for our
Lenten journey.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist assures us that God in His compassion will redeem our life
from the 'pit.'  But we must do our part and show repentance.  Describe how
during Lent you are becoming kinder and more merciful to your family and
your neighbors.

2.  The Psalm inspires us to bless the Lord and 'forget not all His benefits.' 
Speak of your gratitude for the gifts you have received from God.

Psalm for Sunday, March 13, 2022

Reflections 

Psalm 27:  1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14   (Read)

“Come, says my heart, seek God’s face;
Your face, Lord, do I seek!”

Our psalmist, David, puts into words
what we feel in our hearts, which is
to seek a right relationship with
the Lord.  We are drawn to the Lord;
we wish to speak to Him face to face,
to be in His presence, to listen to
His Word, and to serve Him faithfully.

We may not have the faith of Abraham
(Genesis 15:6),  but we know that
a right relationship with the Lord is
key for us, because without that close
relationship, we have little chance
of salvation.  Our psalmist knows the
critical importance of salvation,
“Do not forsake me, God, my savior.”

Few of us will be able to speak directly
with God, but God makes himself
accessible to us through His Son, Jesus.
And in this Sunday's 2nd reading,
St Paul promises that our own bodies
will be changed, to conform with Christ’s
glorified body. (Philippians 3:21)
This is how our own personal transfiguration
takes place.

What can we do to be sure we share in
Christ’s glory?  St Paul tells the brothers
in Philippi, “Stand firm in the Lord.” 
And our psalmist agrees, “Wait for the Lord,
take courage, be stouthearted, wait for
the Lord.”

What better way for us to stand firm in
the Lord than to commune with Him in
prayer, to worship Him, to be transformed
by Him, as were those disciples that day
when Jesus was transfigured on the
mountain. (Luke 9:29)  Having been
transformed, we, like the disciples,
will be emboldened in our faith --
“Of whom should I be afraid?”  
In our day to day battles against evil forces,
we need not fear anyone, for He is our refuge.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist seeks God's face.  Does your heart seek a right
relationship with the Lord?  Speak of how you are drawn to the Lord,
and how He makes himself accessible to you.

2.  The season of Lent can be a time of transformation for us.  But we
cannot change our hearts by ourselves; we all need the Lord's help,
as does our psalmist, 'You are my helper; cast me not off.'   Tell of how
you are becoming a better person with the help of the Lord.