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.
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 92:1 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. In this Sunday's first reading, a small
cedar
shoot is replanted and compared to a "majestic cedar" as it grows
strong
with its roots firmly planted. (Ezekiel 17:22-23) The Psalm
says, “The just
one shall flourish like the palm tree, 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?"
Reflections
Psalm 116: 12-13, 15-16, 17-18 (Read)
“I will take the cup of salvation and call on
the name of the Lord.”
This saving cup is the same cup that we share
each time we participate in the Liturgy of the
Eucharist. It is the cup of the blood that Jesus
shed to mark the new covenant with people
of faith.
We are saved by Christ; He is the divine victim.
Our psalmist asks, “How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?”
The Psalm affirms, “Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.” What could be more
costly than the death of God’s only son? Yet God
consented to the death of his Son because of his love
for us; God did not spare Him. Once again we ask,
“How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done
for me?”
Certainly we are all obliged to pay our vows to the Lord,
to give Him praise, to obey his commandments, and to do
his will. As the Psalm says, “My vows to the Lord I will pay
in the presence of all his people.”
We are to praise Him and worship Him in the presence
of the community. It is not just between us and God.
We are part of a community, and we are to acknowledge
Him and bow down to Him publicly. And we are to proclaim
the Gospel!
Our psalmist says, “O Lord, I am your servant, you have
loosed my bonds.” We are made free by becoming the
Lord's servant. That is how it is when we follow his
commandments and do his will. It is not something that
binds us. Rather, it is something that sets us free.
We take delight in serving the Lord.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmists asks, "How can I repay the Lord for all the
good He has done for me?"
Explain how you would answer this question.
2. When you "take the cup of salvation," do you receive our
Lord's saving power?
Say how you respond when you eat His body and drink His blood.
Reflections
Psalm 33: 4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22 (Read)
“The eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear him; to deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.”
We have been chosen by God to be
his people. God is all powerful,
“By the word of the Lord the heavens
were made; “For He spoke, and it came to be.”
This Sunday's 1st reading reminds us we are
to keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 4:40)
And we do this because we hold Him in awe.
Like a Good Shepherd He protects us from harm.
He puts up a hedge around us and provides us
with armor in our battle against death and the evil one.
He feeds us when we go through periods of spiritual
hunger. He nourishes us and gives us our daily bread.
“Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and
our shield.” It is said that even people who have
no faith have a longing in their hearts for God.
There is something missing in their lives.
For us who are believers, we are dependent on
the Lord. We openly seek his help and his
protection. He is our shield in the spiritual battle
that we all have to fight.
We would be dead in our sins without the Lord's
protection, defeated by the evil one without the
Lord's armor. And when our hearts are starved
for God's presence, when our bones are dry,
He nourishes us and breathes life into our dry
bones. “Lord we have put our hope in you.”
“Our soul waits for the Lord.” We are delivered
from death, kept alive in times of spiritual famine.
We can expect to receive his grace. And for this,
we praise the Lord. As the psalmist says,
we know He will fill the earth with kindness
and that his kindness will be upon us.
“We have put our hope in the Lord.”
Jesus, in turn, puts his hope in us,
commanding us to go out and make disciples
of all nations. (Matthew 28:19)
As God's children we must be obedient
and carry out his commission.
We have been given to Jesus so that we may
proclaim the good news of salvation.
In this way we carry out the Lord’s works
and celebrate what the Psalm says,
“The Lord loves justice and right.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm Response this week is, 'Blessed the people the Lord
has chosen to be his own.' Do you believe that you have been chosen
by God to be one of His children? Explain.
2. Our psalmist speaks of preserving us in spite of 'famine.' Have you
gone through periods of spiritual hunger? How has your faith enabled you
to regain your strength and obtain nourishment?
Reflections
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (Read)
“Lord, send out your Spirit.”
“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 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
this Sunday's 1st reading. (Acts 2:1-4)
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. (1 Corinthians 12:7)
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.
Reflections
Psalm 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9 (Read)
“God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy.”
This Sunday 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. (Ephesians 1:21)
With such an awesome God on his throne,
what hope do we have as mere human beings
that we will ever 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?
The words of a popular song say,
“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 humans, 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 shout with joy, and we praise
Him. He leaves with us a way to share
in his divinity, through the Holy Spirit which He
sends 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. (Acts 1:8)
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!”
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?
Reflections
Psalm 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4 (Read)
“The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”
“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.
“The Lord has made His salvation known;
in the sight of the nations He has revealed his justice.”
For us this can be 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.
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. (Acts 10:44-45)
For we are called to be baptized
in the name of Christ.
And as Jesus says in today's Gospel,
“It was not you who chose me,
but I who chose you.” (John 15:16)
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?
