Reflections
“May God be gracious to us and bless us;may God's face shine upon us.”
So much that God does for us is contained
in this opening verse of the Psalm. God gives
us His grace through His son Jesus, who is
our Savior. And we all want God’s blessings as the Psalm says. Since the time of Moses,
God’s chosen people have reached out for
God’s blessings.
God gives us material blessings –
all our treasure and gifts are from Him.
And thankfully, He gives us spiritual blessings
as well – to each individual the manifestation
of the spirit is given for some benefit.
No wonder that we Gentiles were attracted
to the faith, when St Paul and Barnabas
were traveling through the towns and visiting
the early churches. And what could be better
than to have God's face shine upon us, as the
psalmist says. We have a hint of what the
radiance of God's face may be like in this
No wonder that we Gentiles were attracted
to the faith, when St Paul and Barnabas
were traveling through the towns and visiting
the early churches. And what could be better
than to have God's face shine upon us, as the
psalmist says. We have a hint of what the
radiance of God's face may be like in this
Sunday's 2nd reading, where St John speaks of
the light of God's glory that shines in the
city of heaven. (Revelation 21: 10-11)
By ministering to the Gentiles the 'way' of
the Lord became known upon earth among
all the nations, as the Psalm says. Indeed the
Psalm predicts that God’s saving power shall
be known among all the peoples. Thankfully,
that includes us.
Today we join with our psalmist and the members
of the early church in praising God –
“May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist asks that God will let His face shine upon us.
the light of God's glory that shines in the
city of heaven. (Revelation 21: 10-11)
By ministering to the Gentiles the 'way' of
the Lord became known upon earth among
all the nations, as the Psalm says. Indeed the
Psalm predicts that God’s saving power shall
be known among all the peoples. Thankfully,
that includes us.
Today we join with our psalmist and the members
of the early church in praising God –
“May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist asks that God will let His face shine upon us.
Tell of how you have felt the radiance of God when He is present to you.
2. The Psalm prays that the Lord's 'way' be known among all nations.
What have you done personally to encourage others to follow
the 'way' of the Lord?
Radiant. Glowy. Dewy. Flawless. Advertisers use such words to lure us into buying skin lotions and potions to enhance our physical attractiveness.
ReplyDeleteHoly radiance is a whole other level of beauty -- Christ's light shining from within.
I often picture that if I spend enough time with the Lord in Adoration or just at the foot of the cross at Mass, that some of his light might transform me --mold me into a more lovely creature in the spiritual sense.
As I write this, it dawns on me that Christ can be found in unexpected places too -- illuminating the truth that his beauty is everywhere. That grateful smile of the unhoused person, receiving a little handout from me. Or that lady in the wheelchair, who attended the same church function that I did recently...
I did not want to talk to her because she was loud and seemed angry in her circumstance; i just did not have the bandwidth to be cheery with her that day. After the event was over, and in my effort to avoid her, I ran to a bathroom that was not close, but further down from the room I was in. As the Lord would desire it, she whizzed down the hall in her chair (she is skilled and fast on those wheels!) and knocked on the door of the Ladies' Room, boisterously asking for help. Startled, I ran to open the door, of course. A few moments later, I heard her screaming from her stall, "No, no, no!" She had ended up dropping her phone on the bathroom floor. My initial reaction was "yuck" but I knew I had to help her. After asking how I could assist, I managed to crawl under the door and retrieve her device. Her purse then fell over, and all the contents were sprawled out everywhere. Before I knew it, I was on the floor again, retrieving her belongings. While not a germaphobe, I was repulsed by this situation. She did not smell fresh either, so I stayed with her to help her wash her hands.
Her brusque demeanor gave way to a soft kindness that radiated through that little bathroom and beyond. Very small acts on my part were huge in her world. I could feel the Lord reminding me not to dismiss anyone and that he can use any situation to reach me. If I will be open to him, I can both receive his glorious light and reflect it for others to receive too.