Reflections
Psalm 19: 8, 9, 10, 15 (Read)
“Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, O Lord.”
Where does the power come from to keep us on track,
to speak the right words, think the right thoughts?
It comes from the Lord, our rock and redeemer.
And how does it come to us? It comes through
the Word, the inspired Word of God.
It is through the Word that we know His commandments,
and through this Psalm that we know His law is a source
of refreshment, a source of joy. When we follow the
Lord’s commands, there is a joy that is stirred up in
our hearts. “The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart.”
His statutes do not bind us, they set us free. As in
the days of Ezra, the reading of the law should not
make us sad, but be a source of rejoicing.
(Nehemiah 8:9-10)
If we are to imitate the divine life, everything we need
to know is found in God’s law. The Word is the source
of wisdom; it is where power is found. And it is where
the statutes of God are spelled out.
The Lord's statutes serve as our instruction manual
for life. But they are not just a dry set of rules that
we cannot hope to follow; God's commandments
refresh our souls.
The Word and the statutes endure forever.
They are refreshing to the soul.
They enlighten the eye.
And they bring much reward.
As Christ says in today's Gospel,
scripture is fulfilled in our hearing. (Luke 4:21)
Give us ears to hear!
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm response this
Sunday is 'Your words, Lord,
are Spirit and life.' In
what way are you impacted along
your faith journey by the words of our Lord?
2. Speak of how the
Lord's commandments are useful in
carrying out the prayer of our psalmist, 'Let the
words of my
mouth and the thoughts of my
heart find favor before you.'
Reflections
Psalm 96: 1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10 (Read)
“Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all
the nations!”
Today's psalm is a song of Israel, the
chosen people, brought back from exile.
Their joy and praise is understandable.
The prophet Isaiah says that God calls
them, “His Delight, His Espoused.”
(Isaiah 62:4)
No wonder they want to “Sing to the
Lord a new song,” and tell of God’s
glory and His marvelous deeds.
We are all summoned to adoration of
our sovereign God. We are called to
give Him 'glory and praise,' as our
psalmist says. And we are called
to bring gifts as we enter His courts.
But no matter how precious our own
offerings may be, they are no match
for the gifts of the Spirit that each of us
receives, and which St Paul speaks
about in this Sunday's second reading.
Each of us receives these spiritual gifts
individually, and they are given through
the Spirit to us for 'some benefit.'
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
In this Sunday's Gospel our Lord Jesus
uses His marvelous gifts to turn water
into wine at the wedding in Cana and so
reveals His glory. (John 2:1-11)
Even today the Lord provides real food
and real drink for us, in the Eucharist.
What better nourishment could there be
in our lives? As the psalm says, we are
called to be grateful and, “Give to the Lord
the glory due His name,” to bow down
to the Lord, and to tremble before Him.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist encourages us to, 'Sing to the Lord a new
song."
What is it about your faith that makes you want to sing praise
to the Lord?
2. The Psalm urges us to, 'Proclaim His marvelous deeds to all
the nations.'
How will you go about proclaiming the Gospel to
those around you in your family
and your community?
Reflections
Psalm 29: 1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 (Read)
“The God of glory thunders.”
The Psalm is about the splendor and the
power of God. “Give to the Lord the glory
due God’s name. Bow down before the
Lord’s holy splendor.” The Psalm speaks
of the voice of the Lord “thundering” over
the waters. “The voice of the Lord is
power; the voice of the Lord is splendor.”
God's awesome voice was heard over the
Jordan River that day when the heavens
were torn open and the Holy Spirit descended
upon Jesus just after He was baptized. What
could be more powerful than the voice of God
declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom
I am well pleased.” (Gospel, Luke 3:22)
What happened at the Jordan River that day
was to fulfill what God said to the prophet Isaiah –
“Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen
one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have
put my spirit.” (Isaiah 42:1)
The baptism of our Lord may have happened
over 2000 years ago, but on that day God
anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power,
the power to serve the faithful (people like us),
and to do battle on our behalf with the
devil. (Acts 10:38)
From that time forward we too became eligible
to serve the Lord as His chosen ones. Isaiah
tells us what our spiritual mission is to be:
like Jesus, we are to be a light to the nations,
and open the eyes of the blind (those who do
not know the Lord). (Isaiah 42:6-7)
And imitating Jesus, we are to bring out
prisoners from confinement (those who may
be imprisoned by sin). What better way
would there be for us to serve the Lord?
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm's verses speak of the power and splendor of the voice
of the Lord, thundering over the waters. Have you heard God's powerful
voice speaking to you, anointing you as one of His chosen ones?
Explain.
2. Our psalmist encourages us to give God the glory due His holy name.
Tell of how you give God the glory in your activities and your everyday life.
Reflections
Psalm 72: 1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 (Read)
“All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.”
Our psalmist speaks about a perfect king –
a king who judges like God, governs his people
with justice, and his afflicted ones with right
judgment. But where is such a king to be found?
Not likely among the kings of Israel.
The psalm speaks of a king that is to live as long
as the sun endures, like the moon through all
generations. So there is a mystery about him –
“He rules from sea to sea, from the River to the
ends of the earth.”
The verses of the psalm recall for us the Epiphany –
“The Kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.”
(See also this Sunday's Gospel, The Visit of the Magi,
Matthew 2:1-12)
The more we read the Psalm, the more it tells us
about the Messiah to come – “May all kings bow
before him, all nations serve him.” We see the light,
just as the prophet Isaiah said we would. (Isaiah 60: 1-3)
The mystery is revealed to us, poor in spirit though
we are: “He rescues the poor when they cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.” This is what
our Good Shepherd, Jesus, is sent to do, to shepherd
God’s people. This is why we join the magi in paying
homage to our newborn King and join with our psalmist
in singing, "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist describes a powerful king who will rule from sea to sea.
Yet this king stoops to rescue the afflicted and has pity on the lowly and
the poor. In what way do these verses speak to you about our Lord and Savior?
2. The psalm mentions that all the kings of the civilized world shall offer gifts
to this newly endowed king. Are you also inspired to bring tribute to our
newborn Savior, and what sort of gift will you offer?
Reflections
Psalm 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5 (Read)
“Blessed are those who fear
the Lord and walk in His ways.”
Our psalmist tells us that a man who
has a right relationship with the Lord
will also obtain a right relationship
with his wife and his family. If we have
a right relationship with the Lord, we will
know how to treat our wives and our
children, and in turn, we will discover
how blessed we are in our home and
by the presence of our family. “Just
so will the man be blessed who fears
the Lord.”
And if a man walks with the Lord, this
will be reflected in the way he loves his
wife. Because if a man cherishes his
wife, as ‘flesh of his flesh’ and ‘bone of
his bones,’ he nourishes his relationship
with her, as Christ nourishes the Church.
And the man’s reward is that his wife will
be like a ‘fruitful vine’ within his house.
This is how a man is blessed who fears
the Lord.
Having been so favored by God, we understand
why, 'A man shall leave his father and mother and
cleave to his wife.' God made them one flesh, and,
'What God has joined, no human being may separate.'
If we fear the Lord and walk in His ways, we will receive
the blessings of our labor, prosper in a material way, and
grow old gracefully in the company of our family.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm tells us how to gain God's favor so that our family life
will be blessed. What does it mean to you to fear the Lord and walk
in His ways?
2. We learn from our psalmist how to behave toward our wife and our
children. A right relationship with our family is obtained by having a right
relationship with our Lord. Explain how you are putting this teaching
into practice.
Reflections
Psalm 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (Read)
“Lord, make us turn to you, and we shall be saved.”
The Psalm is a prayer to restore
Israel, and by extension to restore us,
as a scattered people of God.
The Psalm is well adapted to our
prayer during Advent. We are a people
scattered and separated from God, and
we await His coming. He alone can
'make us turn to Him' and convert us.
“Shepherd of Israel, lend an ear;
come to save us.”
Our psalmist makes a direct appeal
to God to shepherd us. “Turn again
Lord, attend to this vine.” Just as
the Lord tends to His vineyard, He
protects a shoot planted by His right
hand. The coming of Christ is intended
to revive us, restore our strength.
As the Psalm says, “Then we will not
withdraw from you; give us new life, and
we will call upon your name.”
Where does our hope for revival
come from? It comes from our Savior,
our cornerstone, sent by the Lord.
In Him we are restored. “Lord of
hosts restore us; let your face shine
upon us, that we may be saved.”
We all need to be renewed from
time to time when our faith grows
lukewarm, when our hearts harden
due to the sins that separate us from
God. We, like the Israelites, need
to beg for God’s mercy, to petition
the Lord and seek his peace, the peace
that will guard our hearts and minds,
and restore us as his people.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm says, 'Lord, make us turn to you.' Have you noticed
at times when we stray off His path how the Lord tugs at each of us
so that we return to His ways.
Give an example from your own experience.
2. Our psalmist is writing about the scattered people of
Israel,
but his words may apply to each of us when we feel separated
from God.
In what way are you inspired by the Psalm's verses to
repent and seek renewal?
Reflections
Isaiah 12: 2-3, 4, 5-6
“With joy you will draw water from
the fountains of salvation.”
This is a Song of Thanksgiving, from the
prophet Isaiah, expressed in the language
of the Psalms. But the prophet is also
speaking about salvation -- “God indeed
is my salvation.” Later Isaiah says, “With joy you will draw water from the
fountains of salvation.”
These verses speak to us of our Savior
and
are in keeping with the theme of this Sunday's
first reading, “The Lord your God is a mighty
savior.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
And having been promised salvation, we are to
“Rejoice in the Lord always,” as St Paul tells us
in Sunday's second Reading. (Philippians 4:4)
And what effect does the promise of salvation
have on us? We draw strength from our saving
relationship with God – Isaiah says it for us,
“I am confident and unafraid.” (Remember, God’s
perfect love drives out fear.) Isaiah gives us further
evidence, “My strength and my courage is the Lord.”
And where does the power come from that is the
source of our courage? It comes from our baptism,
first with water, then from our baptism in the Holy
Spirit. This is the good news that John preached
when he promised that the Christ would baptize us
with the Holy Spirit. (Gospel, Luke 3:16)
And as Isaiah reminds us, during this season of Advent
we are to sing praise to the Lord -- “Let the good news
be known throughout all the earth!” We are to “Shout
with exultation, for great in our midst, is the Holy One
of Israel!”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Response this Sunday is, 'Cry out with joy and gladness:
for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.' Describe
how
you prepare to receive Jesus inside your heart during this
season
of Advent.
2. Isaiah says, 'My strength and my courage is the Lord.'
Explain
what this verse means to you, especially at this time of the
year.
