Psalm for Sunday, March 5, 2023

Reflections  

 

Psalm 33:  4-5, 18-19, 20, 22   (Read)

“The eyes of the Lord are upon those who

fear Him, to deliver them from death.”

The Psalm is praise for God’s providence,

the blessings He gives us. “The Lord fills 

the earth with goodness. His works are 

trustworthy.”

We may not have the faith of Abraham 

(Genesis 12:1-4), but we can be sure 

the Lord’s eyes are upon us – “The 

Lord’s eyes are upon those who hope 

for His gracious help.” As our psalmist 

says, “O Lord, we have put our hope 

in you.”

In Sunday's 2^nd reading, St Paul says 

that God has saved us and called us to 

a holy life.  (2 Timothy 1:9)

The Psalmist confirms this – “We are 

delivered from death, kept alive in times 

of famine.” We may not be starving for 

physical food, but we could face spiritual 

death from sin if we were not saved by 

our Lord Jesus.

“The eyes of the Lord are upon those 

who fear Him, to deliver them from death.”

Remember, the wages of sin is death, and 

we are all afflicted.  Fortunately for us, 

Christ destroyed death and brought life, 

as St Paul says (2 Timothy 1:10),

so it is natural that we openly ask for His 

help and His protection.   He is our shield 

in the spiritual battle that we all have to fight.   

“Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help 

and our shield.”

If we trust in the Lord, His eyes will be upon 

us so long as we count ourselves among 

those who fear Him, and we can expect 

to receive His grace. 

Through His goodness we can expect a 

transfiguration of our own, and that same light 

which shone from Jesus' face that day on 

Mt Tabor can be a source of light for us 

and those around us. “We have put our hope 

in you, O Lord.”

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  As our psalmist says, the Lord's eyes are upon us, and that is a good thing 

because of His saving grace.  Speak of how you depend on God's providence 

to preserve you as you go about your daily life amidst the world's attractions.

2.  The Psalm assures us that God's love and mercy will be granted to us, as we place our trust in Him.  Give an example of how you have trusted in the Lord and how you have benefited from His kindness.

 

Psalm for Sunday, February 26, 2023

Reflections 
         (By J. Kim) 

Psalm 51: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17   (Read)

“A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me”

We are all born of a sinful nature.
Just as Adam and Eve fell to temptation 
in the Garden of Eden (this Sunday’s first 
reading, Genesis 3: 1-7), so too has God's 
chosen one (King David) fallen.
David, our psalmist,  is sincerely sorry for 
committing adultery and murder, two 
gravely  sinful acts which separate him
from our loving Father.

But God in his compassion and goodness 

can blot out David's offense, no matter how grave. 

David’s sins, like our own, are offensive to God
first and foremost – “Against you alone have
I sinned.”

David cries out to be rescued from his fate,

to be saved from death, which is a consequence
of his sins. David’s verses are a prayer of
repentance and recall for us the power of the
Sacrament of Confession. “A clean heart create
for me, O God; and a steadfast spirit renew
within me. Give me back the joy of your salvation.”
His words are prophetic and speak of God’s grace
that becomes available through Christ’s gift of
justification (Sunday's second reading, Romans 5: 15-19).

Our psalmist pleads with the Lord, "Have mercy on me, 

O God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion 
blot out my offense."    We are reminded here that no 
sin is too big for God to forgive.   And when we do fall 
into deep patterns of sin, we must realize that our 
wrongdoing isn't only against other people, but ultimately, 
it's rebellion against the Lord himself. "Against you alone 
have I sinned,"  is how David acknowledges this fact.  

God wants to have a close relationship with us, but 
unconfessed sin will always get in the way. We must 
not only confess our sins openly and sincerely, but 
we must work at "restoring the joy of salvation” in 
our hearts. 

Once we have rebuilt a solid foundation with God the Father,
no strong assault from Satan will penetrate.  We can have 
that very same "steadfastness of spirit" that David asks 
for in the Psalm and that Jesus displays in the Gospel.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist calls upon the Lord to renew within him a 'steadfast spirit.'  

Give an example of how our God has done a work in you so that you can  carry

your cross with endurance, trusting in God's strength.

2.  The Psalm's verses speak of how we offend God by our sins and separate
ourselves from His loving presence.   Tell of how, with the help of God's grace,
you are able to obtain a right relationship with the Lord, and regain the
'joy of your salvation.'

Psalm for Sunday, February 19, 2023

Reflections

Psalm 103:  1-2, 3-4, 8, 10,12-13  (Read)

“The Lord redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.”

Our psalmist sings the praises of a divine 
and loving God, who surrounds us with 
compassion, pardons our sins, heals our ills.
He nurses no lasting anger; He has not dealt 
with us as our sins deserve.  Our duty is 
to remain faithful to the Lord, and to treat 
His anointed ones with love and compassion, 
as He would do.

This Sunday's Gospel teaches a powerful and 
difficult lesson – We are to be merciful to our 
enemies by imitating the Father.  The Psalm 
tells us how, by being “Merciful and gracious, 
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.”

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 imitate God and 
have compassion on those we would typically 
want to condemn.

We cannot imitate God without a share in Christ’s 
divinity, and in turn being empowered by the holy 
Spirit within us.  Only then will we have the kind 
of compassion the psalmist speaks about,  “As a 
father has compassion on his children, so the Lord 
has compassion on the faithful.”

If we love the Lord, it will show in our hearts, and 
the old things will then pass away.  The Psalm says 
it well:  “As far as the east is from the west, 
so far has He put our transgressions behind us.”

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalm speaks of a loving and compassionate God,
who does not deal with us according to our sins.   Are you able
to treat those who have harmed you in the same way?  Explain.

2.  The verses of the Psalm remind us of the power of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, "As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He put our transgressions behind us."  Relate how the
Sacrament works for you to put your sins behind you.

Psalm for Sunday, February 12, 2023

Reflections   (by J. Kim)

    

Psalm 119:  1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34   (Read)

“Blessed are they who follow the law
of the Lord.”

Our psalmist is in prayer asking for many things.  He asks, "Open my eyes, that I may consider the 

wonders of your law."  We may 

not think of the law as wonderful, 

but rather may consider it restrictive and harsh, but if we learn to do His will, we find that we are liberated, 

set free from the sin that drags us down.  We choose life instead of death.

The Lord reveals to us very clearly how to live a life that is "happy" and full of peace.  "Happy are those who observe 

God's decrees, who seek the Lord with 

all their heart." 

However, with man's sinful nature, we are
likely to fall far short.  God never intended
to justify anyone through the Law of Moses. 
Rather, the law shows us where we are sinful.
Fortunately for us, God sent his son among us 

to redeem us from those sins   

If we are not sure where sin lurks in our lives,
then our prayer becomes the words of the
psalmist, “Give me discernment, that I may
observe your law and keep it with all my heart.” 

The closer we walk with the Lord, the brighter
He shines his goodness into the darkest corners
of our minds and hearts.  And it's exactly the
purity of our innermost thoughts and motives
that matters most to the Lord.  Even the Scribes
and Pharisees were good at following the law
with their actions.  The Gospel asks us to delve
further than that, and make following the law
about the condition of our inner selves.

(Matthew 5: 17-37)

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection  

1.  Our psalmist affirms that those who walk in the law of the Lord, those 

who observe His decrees, will be happy and blessed.   Based on your own experience, how does our Savior lift you back up and restore you when you  stumble?

 2.  The Psalm's verses petition the Lord to instruct us in the way of His  statutes.  Tell of how you receive guidance and discernment from 

the Lord that will help you observe His law and keep it with all your heart.