Psalm for Sunday, May 27, 2012 (Pentecost)

Reflections

Psalm 104:  1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

“If you take away their breath,
they perish ... when you send forth
your spirit, they are created.”
Animated by the Spirit, the divine Breath,
we who are His creatures sing of the glory
of our Creator.
 
“When you send forth your Spirit …
you renew the face of the earth.”
God’s spirit is the source of all natural life.
So also the Holy Spirit is the source
of all supernatural life.
We are nothing without the divine Breath --
“When you take away their breath,
they perish and return to their dust.”

It is this same creative Breath
which came down on the disciples
in that locked room that St. Luke 
speaks of in our 1st reading.
The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to go forth
and proclaim the Gospel boldly
to men of all nations, speaking different tongues.

We too are called to be baptized in the Spirit,
and to receive the divine Breath of the Lord.
Having been baptized in the Spirit, we are a new creation,
and are called to glorify the Lord in what we do.
In this way, as the Psalm says,
“May the Lord be glad in his works.”

Fortunately, for us too,
the Spirit is manifested
in each of us for some benefit
(as St. Paul reminds us in our 2nd reading).
All we have to do is
accept Christ and believe in him.
Then we too will have the gift of life.

Without the breath of God, we are nothing.  
Just as the Holy Spirit empowered
the disciples at Pentecost,
so too are we empowered by our Creator.  
The presence of the Holy Spirit within us
is how we share in the divinity of Christ.  

Without the breath of the Holy Spirit,
we have no spiritual life.
But thanks to God's gift,
we are a new creation,
and we are baptized into Christ.  
And that alone gives us reason to praise God.
As our psalmist says,
“Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the Lord.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.   Our Psalm reminds us that we are
dependent on the Lord for our very breath.   
Tell about what makes you aware of the 'divine Breath' in your life.

2.  Our Sunday Psalm Response is,
'Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.'   
Is the Holy Spirit doing a work in you?   Are you a 'new creation?'
Speak about your baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Psalm for Sunday, May 20, 2012 (Ascension)

 Reflections

 
Psalm 47:  2-3, 6-7, 8-9

“God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy ....”
Our God is an awesome God.
This week we celebrate
the Ascension of our Lord,
who was taken up to heaven
to be seated at the right hand of the Father,
far above every principality,
with authority over every nation,
as our 2nd reading tells us.
With such an awesome God on his throne,
what hope do we have as mere human beings
that we will even be able to approach Him?
How far above us can this Jesus be,
if he is taken up to heaven
and has all things put beneath his feet ?

“Our God is an awesome God,
he reigns with power and love.”
Power is often associated with arrogance
and brutal treatment, but our God
uses his power to work miracles,
and bring about healing. 
And his power is expressed by his love,
by which we are raised up with Jesus.

Fortunately, for us men, Jesus has a plan for us –
we can feel his power and presence within us,
so long as we repent from our sins and believe in Him.
He is risen, and is seated at the right hand
of the Father in heaven.
Knowing this, we are the ones who shout with joy,
and we praise Him,
not only because he is risen Lord,
but because he leaves with us
a way to share in His divinity
(through the holy Spirit which he gives to us).

That same promise Jesus made to his disciples
is available to us – the promise of the Father,
the gift of the holy Spirit.
After Jesus' Ascension, the disciples begin
their active ministry empowered by the holy Spirit.
That same power is given to us
so long as we believe – we too are called to ministry.
And for that we are inspired to praise the Lord;
as the psalmist says, “Clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness ... sing praise to God!”

Just as Jesus instructed the Apostles,
through the Holy Spirit,
so too, will he instruct us.
“For the Lord, the Most High, inspires awe.”
That same power that enabled the
Disciples to drive out demons
is available to us, so long as we believe.
Just as the Lord worked with the Apostles,
so too will he accompany us,
as we are called to go into the world
and proclaim the Gospel.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Over and over our psalmist calls for us
to shout to God and sing praise to God, as God mounts his throne.  
Tell of how you personally praise the Lord with 'cries of gladness.'

2.   The verses of our psalm for this Ascension Sunday
place our Lord in his kingship and on his throne,
and make it seem that God is so far above us
that we may not be able to approach Him easily.  
How do you handle this apparent dilemma?  
How do you approach our Lord?

Psalm for Sunday, May 13, 2012

Reflections

Psalm 98:  1, 2-3, 3-4
 
“Break into song, sing praise.”
The Lord makes all thing new,
and we are a new creation,
the work of his hands.
And so it is right that
we sing a 'new song' to the Lord,
who has done marvelous things for us. 

This is a Psalm of joy, originally
written to celebrate the return
of Israel from exile.
Today’s Gospel also speaks of joy --
our joy in keeping the Fathers’
commandments and imitating Christ.

The Psalm says,
“The Lord has made his salvation known;
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.”
This can be for us about Jesus' victory
over death and sin, so that we might live.
And how is salvation obtained;
how is the victory won?
It is won by God's holy arm,
his son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Victory is obtainable for us too,
if we keep the faith, give thanks to God, and praise Him. 

“The Lord has remembered his kindness
and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.”
What greater love can there be
than the love of the Lord?
(As put so profoundly in this
week’s 2nd reading from 1 John 4)

Our Psalm exclaims,
“All the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God.”
This verse and today's 1st reading
confirm that the gift of the holy Spirit
is for us Gentiles too.
For we are called to be baptized
in the name of Christ.
We too are appointed by Him
to go forth and bear fruit,
to remain in the love of the Lord,
and to do his will.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection 

1.   Our Psalm Response is,
"The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power."  
How has the Lord shown his saving power to you personally?

2.   Our Psalm speaks of singing a new song,
of singing joyfully to the Lord,
and we are urged to break into song and sing praise.  
What is it about your faith and the Easter season
that makes you want to sing praise to the Lord?

Psalm for Sunday, May 6, 2012

Reflections         
                                
Psalm 22:   26-27, 28, 30, 31-32

These verses form the conclusion of
a psalm that begins with the songs
of the suffering righteous man
(the Messiah himself
during the time of his Passion).
The earlier verses include what
Christ said to the Father when
he was nailed to the cross,
“My God, my God,
why have you abandoned me?”

These final verses are more uplifting
and speak of the promise of salvation --
“The lowly shall eat their fill.”
(We who are poor in spirit are to live
life abundantly.)  and
“May your hearts live forever!”
(We can count on the Lord for salvation.)

And in these verses we are told that
the suffering of the righteous man
has brought about something good
in our human world.
“All the ends of the earth
will worship and turn to the Lord.”
“The generations to come …
will proclaim to a people yet unborn
the deliverance you have brought.”
Our hope returns in these final verses,
and we join with all the families of nations
in giving thanks to God,
who rules the world and dispenses justice.

Jesus says in today's Gospel,
“You can only bear fruit if you remain in me.”
And how do we remain in him?
The psalm says, “I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear the LORD.”
(We are to keep his commandments.)

Finally, our psalmist commits to the Lord                                           
that his descendants will serve Him,
“The generation to come will be told of the Lord.”
Here we are inspired by our 1st reading
where Barnabas reports that Saul
spoke out boldly in the name of Jesus.
What better way for us to bear fruit,
than to speak out boldly for our faith,
to our children and grandchildren.

“To him my soul shall live.”
The Psalm ends with a reversal of
the righteous man's condition;
life is restored and the whole world
celebrates his deliverance.
What better Easter message is there than that?
And what more inspiring words for the early
Church as it reaches out to proclaim
the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist says, "I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear the LORD."   Does this verse inspire
you to confirm your faith boldly and take up God's praise
in the company of your fellow believers?   Discuss.

2.  The Psalm ends with an uplifting call for us to proclaim
the Lord's truth to the next generation.   Describe how
you have answered the Lord's call and how you go about
telling others about God's love.

Psalm for Sunday, April 29, 2012

Reflections
 
Psalm 118:  1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

This is an Easter psalm;
the psalmist speaks of our savior, our cornerstone.
It is Jesus, and though he appeared
weak and beaten on the cross,
he became victorious over death.
The psalmist speaks of that same irony.
“The stone rejected by the builders
has become the cornerstone.”

The Psalm tells us we are to “Take refuge in the Lord.”
Though mortals may disappoint us,
the Lord will not leave us discouraged.
Better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put one's trust in princes.
Little children know instinctively whom to trust --
they know where the love is coming from.
And we are the same;
as children of God (2nd reading), we put our trust in the Lord.   
He is the Good Shepherd.
Where else would we turn?

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.”
It is none other than the Good Shepherd
who comes in the name of the Lord,
to care and protect us sheep (today's Gospel).
Our calling is only to listen for his voice
and to follow him.
Who else knows us as he does,
or is willing to lay down his life for us?

The psalm recalls for us
the paschal mystery of Christ,
who is crucified, resurrected,
and then exalted as the capstone of our faith.
God has shown his love for his people --
Jesus’ risen presence among us
is living proof of God’s enduring love.
Our psalmist confirm this, “God’s love endures forever.'
The Lord’s deliverance is cause for joy.
God’s love is empowering, as the psalm suggests,
This is how we pass from death to life.

We may not have been
one of those who saw Christ
after he rose from the dead,
but he is no less real to us.
There is no doubt that
God's divine intervention
was at work in Christ’s resurrection.  
As the psalmist says, we know that,
“By the Lord has this been done,
it is wonderful in our eyes.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist reminds us more than once to trust God,
not mortals or princes.   Even though you may not have seen
the Lord in person, do you have any difficulty trusting in one
you have not seen?   Explain.

2.  The Psalm says, 'Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.'   This verse is used
in scripture to welcome Jesus.   Discuss how you
have welcomed Jesus into your life.

Psalm for Sunday, April 22, 2012

Reflections

Psalm 4:  2, 4, 7-8, 9

This Psalm is about trust in God.
Our Psalmist, King David, is filled
with desire for God's mercy,
and invites us to pray, saying,
“When I call, answer me,
O my just God, …  hear my prayer.”
David reminds us the Lord
works wonders for the faithful,
“The Lord does wonders for his faithful one.”

Part of keeping our faith must surely be
keeping our Lord’s commandments,
as we are reminded to do in
this week’s 2nd reading --  1 John says,
“Whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.”
What more could we ask for?
Is it necessary that the risen Jesus
show us his hands and feet,
or touch his flesh and bones (today's Gospel)?

Our psalmist reminds us it is in our hearts
where the Lord’s presence does the most good.
“You put gladness into my heart.”
If our hearts are made clean,
and our sins are forgiven
by the Easter sacrifice and resurrection
of God’s only son,
who or what can stand in our way?

What the Lord Jesus has done for us
will give rise to action on our part.
For just as the disciples were  witnesses
of what came to pass 2000 years ago,
so too are we called to witness for the Lord.
We are called to keep his word,
and to open our minds, so that we too can
better understand the scriptures.
And then go about doing his work.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our Psalm Response this week is,
"Lord, let your face shine on us."  
What does it mean to you the have
the 'light of His countenance' shine upon you?

2.  Our psalmist repeatedly petitions
the Lord to answer him and to hear him.  
Have you also prayed as David did
for the Lord to hear your prayer?  
What has been the result?

Psalm for Sunday, April 15, 2012

 Reflections

Psalm 118:  2-4, 13-15, 22-24

Once again we visit this powerful psalm
of praise and thanksgiving.
This time the verses stress
the enduring love that God has for us –
so much so that despite the part
we played in crucifying his Son,
God went ahead and carried out his plan to save us.
Jesus’ risen presence among us
is living proof of God’s enduring love.
“God’s love endures forever.”

We may be 'hard pressed and falling,'
but the Lord comes to our help.
As the psalmist says, the Lord is our strength.
He is present to us,  just as He was in
those early days of the church
described in our 1st reading and in the Gospel.

We may not have the awesome experience
of physically putting our hand in the Lord’s side
and our fingers into the nail marks on his hand,
but He is with us.
“The Lord comes to us as Savior.”

We are victorious over death.
The Lord’s deliverance is cause for joy.
Just when we were down, the Lord raises us up.
“I was hard pressed and falling …
but the Lord has been my Savior.” 

“The joyful shout of victory is heard ….”

 We are on firm ground after all –
Christ has become our cornerstone,
as our psalmist reminds us.
Christ has become a source of strength for us,
despite his apparent weakness that day on the cross,
when he died a shameful death. 

Only the Lord could have done this remarkable thing:
“By the Lord has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.”
This is cause for rejoicing --
“This is the day the Lord has made.”
Along with the disciples and the early church,
“Let us be glad and rejoice in it.”

Amen

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist praises the Lord for the wonderful work
He has done in making the stone that was rejected
become our cornerstone.  Why do you think God
would permit his Son to undergo a shameful death
in order to make Jesus the cornerstone of our faith?

2.  Our psalm begins by stressing over and over
that the mercy of God endures forever,
and this Sunday's Response also says, 'His love is everlasting.'  
Describe how these verses strengthen your faith
and inspire you to trust in the Lord.