Monday, September 18, 2023

Psalm for Sunday, September 24, 2023


Reflections



“Great is the Lord and highly to be praised.”


When we reflect on what 
God has done for us,
we remember that God 
has always done good
things for us.   That is 
God's nature.  As the Psalm 
says,  “His greatness is 
unsearchable.”  And so 
we pray this psalm to 
bless, praise, and exalt 
the heavenly Father in 
His perfection and in 
His works.

Our psalmist dwells on 
the everlasting nature of God,
on His love and presence 
throughout all time, and we 
are called to praise the Lord 
forever and ever.
Our psalmist reminds us, 
“The Lord is good to all 
and compassionate 
toward all His works.” 
We know this inherently 
because we live our lives 
within an unending stream 
of divine love.

“The Lord is near to all 
who call upon him.”
His presence is shown 
in the help, nourishment, 
and salvation that He shows 
to us.  The prophet Isaiah 
urges us, “Seek the Lord 
while He may be found, 
call Him while He is near.”
(Isaiah 55: 6)

We praise God because of 
His divine attributes
of compassion and love.
And fortunately for us, 
the Son shares fully in 
the perfection and works 
of the Father.  So we also 
sing this psalm in honor of 
Christ our Savior, Who shares 
fully in the perfection of God,
and in the works of the Father,


Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist assures us, 'The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.'   
This verse requires us to make the extra effort to reach out to God if we want to be in His presence.  Tell of how you have reached out to the Lord and what has been the result.

2.  The Psalm calls upon us to praise His name forever and ever.  Say how you go about praising the Lord in your daily life.  Give examples.



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1 comment:

  1. J Kim4:41 PM

    We serve a generous God, one who is abundant in mercy. In the first reading, Isaiah implores the people to "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near..." (Isaiah 55:6). Although the people have suffered through exile in Babylon, Isiaah is placing a sense of urgency over them to expect goodness and restoration from the Lord, through the rebuilding of his temple.

    The Gospel this week also demonstrates the generosity of God. Just as the landowner pays the same wage to the latecomer as to the early-morning worker, God welcomes all people to his kingdom, whether we are lifelong believers or new converts. We should rejoice in this magnanimity of heart. After all, who of us is worthy to be forgiven and saved? No one on their own -- but anyone and everyone through the choice to repent and receive God's grace.

    The Psalm 145 verses this week echo the sentiment that "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy." (v.8) Our Father desires what is best for us, even if we don't see or grasp the whole plan. He also loves for us to reach out to him and be in his presence as we discern how he is moving in our lives.

    One concrete way I reach out to him is through Adoration. Establishing a regular hour, once a week instills in me the practice of pursuing him. The time in silence is actually a very dynamic and active time in my head and heart. Sometimes, I wrestle with the Lord's generosity with others. Indeed, I can be found jealous of his goodness to those who I don't think need the blessing. How foolish of me! I eventually conclude that I am not better than anyone else and am only his, by the spiritual gift of faith. Other times, I can spend the entire time in gratitude for him for being "...near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth," (v.18)

    God is great and good!

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