Reflections
“We are the people God shepherds, the flock He guides.”
The Psalm is a call to praise
the Lord and to obey Him.
We are cautioned not to
'harden our hearts' as the
Israelites did at Meribah.
We are not to test the Lord
as our spiritual ancestors
tested the Lord 'as in the day
of Massah in the desert.'
After all, we are 'God’s well
tended flock.'
Our Lord is a good shepherd, and we
are His sheep. As St Paul tells us in
today's second reading, the love of
God is 'poured out into our hearts
through the holy Spirit.' (Romans 5:5)
Knowing that, we should 'bow down
in worship, kneel before the Lord
who made us,' as the Psalm says.
And when we humble ourselves
and open our hearts to the Lord,
we are set free. We are no longer
constrained by the things of this world,
constrained by the things of this world,
and we can be open to His love and
His teachings.
Today's Gospel affirms that Our Lord Jesus
is our savior, and just as the life of the Samaritan
woman at the well was transformed by the words
of Jesus, we too can be transformed, if we truly
listen to the Lord. Not only will He tell us
'everything we ever did,' but He will give us
that living water which quenches our spiritual
thirst. (See John 4: 5-42)
At that point our hearts will no longer be hardened.
We will 'bow down in worship,' and as our psalmist
says, we will greet our Lord with a song of praise.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist encourages us not to harden our hearts if we hear God's voice. Do you find it difficult sometimes to carry out God's will in your life even if you believe He is speaking to you? Give an example.
2. The psalm reminds us that we are like sheep and the Lord is our shepherd. Are you willing to be just an ordinary sheep among His flock? If so, what does it mean to you to be shepherded by the Lord?
"Harden not your hearts..." is a well-known Christian phrase I heard growing up. So when popular 80's singers on the radio sang "I'm gonna harden my heart, I'm gonna swallow my tears..." I used to cringe. Now, I recognize it's a human, defensive response to being hurt. Is it not okay to protect ourselves in this way?
ReplyDeleteIf a substance, such as clay, is hardened, it cannot be molded any further. (Unless reheated or watered down --somehow changed from its current state). Our hearts are the same... and the changing of its state is uncomfortable, often painful.
When our hardened hearts can take no more, we cry out to God. He has utmost compassion on broken souls, calling out to him. The song "Lord Have Mercy" by The Vigil Project is a beautiful one to listen to when the heart aches. I sob when I listen to the lyrics, my heart split wide open to receive God's healing.
In the case of the Israelites at Meribah/Massah, their hardened hearts were testing God. They had conveniently forgotten how God had been faithful to them over and over again. The miracle parting of the Red Sea allowing them to escape bondage in Egypt, the manna from heaven... were all interventions of God's power. And yet, they forgot. I am forgetful of God's goodness too.
He is asking me right now to step out of my comfort zone and engage in some kind of physical act of love for him, and to include my newly retired husband. A few weeks ago, I declared my interest in discovering a corporal or spiritual work of mercy to focus on during Lent. Since then, I have been lost. The enemy has kept me distracted and bombarded with other concerns.
With this writing, I recommit to hearing from God and discovering his will for me in this season of Lent (and beyond). I claim that I will understand where God leads and have a heart softened enough to bend to his guidance.
I found this Psalm for Sunday Mar 12 "We are the People God Shepherds" to be particularly relevant to our current times in our world. Suffice to say, with all the school shootings and senseless murders, people are
ReplyDeletecommitting means they are no longer sheep in God's herd, they have "hardened hearts", and sadly, this
is so prevalent in our country and around the world. People have gotten away from God, their Shepherd,
and to Whom they must answer for their sins and transgressions. To be shepherded by the Lord is being
set free, having a soft and loving heart, and full of the Holy Spirit. I imagine in my mind how much happier and fulfilled these people with the hardened hearts (deplete of God's love) would be - if their hearts were filled
with the Holy Spirit! If only these people would accept Jesus as their savior, like the Samaritan woman
at the well, our world would be such a better place...And as the Psalm says: "When we humble ourselves
to the Lord, God's love is poured into our hearts thru the Holy Spirit"...and we are set free.