Psalm for Sunday, June 30, 2024

Reflections

Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13   (Read)

“I praise you Lord, for you 
raised me up; you let me live.” 

   
God did not make death, nor 
does He rejoice at the destruction of the living. His divine favor lasts a lifetime. 

In the words of our psalmist, we too, by the grace of God, are able to be saved from going down into the pit. 

We too are eligible for a spiritual 

resurrection if our faith is strong.

We may be rebuked by God for 
disobeying Him. We are, after all, 
his wayward children, and He loves 
us as a Father loves his own.   
God's compassion and mercy are 
with us not only in this life but in 
eternity.  “God's anger lasts but a 
moment; His favor lasts a lifetime.”

Our Lord Jesus himself was raised up 

from the pit by the Father, even though 

He bore the weight of our sins.  
God’s anger lasted but a moment.

The joy of resurrection comes to us at 
dawn, after a terrible night, as it came 
to those early followers of Jesus. 
“At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with 
the dawn there is rejoicing.”

And that alone is reason enough to 
change our 'mourning into dancing,'

to clothe us with gladness. We are 

prompted to sing endless praise to 
the Lord.  “O LORD, my God, forever
will I give you thanks.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection
 
1.  Our psalmist tells us that God's anger lasts but a moment, while His favor lasts a lifetime.  Tell of how you have been rebuked by the Lord, and following repentance, how you have received His grace.  

2.  The Psalm is about being rescued by the Lord and how God lifts us 
out of the pit.  Speak of how you have been saved by the Lord and brought 
up from a sinful existence.

Psalm for Sunday, June 23, 2024

 

Reflections

Psalm 107:  23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31   (Read)

"The Lord hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, 
and the billows of the sea were stilled.”


 
In the Psalm God saves the afflicted from the storms of life. 
And in this Sunday's 1st reading,  the Lord addresses Job 
out of the storm and reminds him that God alone can say,
“Here shall your proud waves be stilled!” (Job 38:11)

In today's Gospel,  Jesus saves the disciples from their storms 
of doubt that day on the Sea of Galilee.  (Gospel, Mark 4:39)   
The disciples were like those described in the Psalm:  
“Some went off to sea in ships; they saw the 
works of the Lord, the wonders of God in the deep.”

When we are facing the storms of life, where do we 
turn to be delivered from our distress?  We cry out 
to the Lord, as the Psalm says, “In their distress, they 
cried out to the Lord, who brought them out of their peril, 
and stilled the waves of the sea.”

Storms at sea were a constant threat to the disciples, 
several of whom made their living as fishermen.    
In today's Gospel, the disciples are filled with awe and 
say to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind 
and sea obey?” (Mark 4:41)

That same power that delivered the disciples from the 
storm that day on the Sea of Galilee is available to us, 
to strengthen us as we trade in deep waters and are 
tossed about.

We all rejoice when we are saved by the Lord.
As the psalmist says, “They rejoiced that the sea grew calm, 
that God brought them to the harbor they longed for.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection
 
1.  In the Psalm the Lord hushed the storm and saved those
who sailed the sea.  Describe how God has intervened in your 
life and saved you from distress.

2.  Our psalmist says that God brought those sailors to the
harbor they longed for after the sea grew calm.   Tell how our Lord 
has brought fair winds and following seas to your life and given you 
the direction you desire.

Psalm for Sunday, June 16, 2024

Reflections (by J Kim)

Psalm 92:  2-3, 13-14, 15-16   (Read)

"Lord, it is good to give thanks to you."
  
Displaying an attitude of gratitude.  Sending a thank-you note.  Saying your "please and thank you’s.”   Such are lessons we teach our children as we train them in what is socially proper.  If only we would spend as much time considering what is 
proper in the spiritual sense.

God our Creator is all-deserving and worthy of our praise.  A well-known prayer guide 
pinpoints five essential elements of prayer.  
Adoration, Confession, Petition, and 
Intercession, are ALWAYS followed by 
Thanksgiving.  Psalm 92:2 is often quoted 
in support:  "It is good to give thanks to the 
Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High."

Also to be noted is the use of the word "sing" in that first verse.
The Lord loves to hear our voices in song.  Thus, hymns of any 
sort are an integral part of worship.  Something about singing 
focuses our hearts on Jesus and softens his heart to accept 
our prayerful pleas.

Our Abba Father gives us our days in 24 hour increments.
Could we handle any more?  His grace is enough for each day;
the psalmist writes, "It is good to proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night."

The cedar of Lebanon is a mighty and beautiful tree referenced
throughout Scripture.  A small cedar shoot is replanted and 
compared to a "majestic cedar" as it grows strong 
with its roots  firmly planted.  
The Psalm says, 
“The just one shall flourish, like a cedar of 
Lebanon shall he grow."

Later, the psalmist writes, "They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be."  Living in a righteous manner, 
with the foundations of our beliefs firmly rooted, we too are called
to have the strength and fruitfulness of the cedar, even unto the
very end of our earthly lives.  

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  "Lord, you are holy indeed.  It is right to give you thanks and praise."  These are familiar words to any Mass-goer.   How do you sincerely give thanks to the Lord in your daily life?

2.  How can you become more like the upright palm tree or the majestic and firmly-rooted Lebanese cedar?  Do others see you as a just and righteous person through your everyday speech and actions?  What can you change about yourself so that you, too, can "bear fruit even in old age?"    

Psalm for Sunday, June 9, 2024

 

Reflections


Psalm 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8   (Read)

"With the Lord, there is mercy and
fullness of redemption."


The psalmist calls to the Lord from 
“out of the depths” of his sin that 
has brought him near to death.  
He asks the Lord, “Hear my cry 
for mercy.”  He waits with longing
for the Lord, knowing that God 
forgives, and redeems us, 
even when we abandon Him.  
“My soul looks for the Lord 
more than sentinels for daybreak.”

There is no way we can please God, 
so long as we remain in the flesh.  
But God forgives us, gives us 'life in the spirit' 
and saves us from death (remember 'the wages of sin is death.')  
What greater act of forgiveness could there be than the sacrifice 
of the Son of God for our sins?  “But with you there is 
forgiveness, that you may be revered.”

We too await our redemption with hope, knowing that even
if we are dead in our sins, the Lord will revive us.  We too 
cry out to the Lord for forgiveness –  “Lord, may your ears
be attentive  to my cry for mercy.”

Redemption is a promise made to us, just as the Lord 
promised the Israelites that he would open their graves and 
put his Spirit within them, so they would live.

That same Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and will 
give life to our mortal bodies too.  This is that  
“full redemption” the psalmist talks about.

And so we too have come to believe and revere our Lord, 
as did the early believers.

Truly, 'Our God is an awesome God.'

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist sings about the promise of forgiveness that is available to us 
if we trust in the Lord.   Speak about how you are seeking out God's mercy.

2.  The Psalm talks about 'plenteous redemption,' or the 'fullness of redemption.'   Tell what this means to you.