Psalm for Sunday, November 13, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 98: 5-6, 7-8, 9  (Read)

“The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.”

The Psalm is about the coming of God,

and the promise is made that when the Lord

comes, He will govern the earth with justice.

Scripture teaches us that we do not know 

when the Lord will come, and we are warned 

to be ready because it may happen like a thief 

in the night.  In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus 

speaks about the day of judgment, when 

awesome sights and mighty signs will come 

from the sky and when the disciples will be 

hated by all because of His name. 

(Luke 21:11-12, 17)

Although the Psalm is about the joy of the 

Lord’s coming, there may be reason for anxiety 

on our part. The Book of Malachi warns us that 

the day is coming when evildoers will be set on 

fire and become stubble. (Malachi 3:19)

Should we be afraid of the Lord’s judgment?

One thing is sure—we need to be ready, 

to prepare to face the arrival of God. We do not 

know when that day may come; some in our 

generation doubt that day will come at all. 

For those who have put their trust in the Lord, 

and learned to love their brothers and sisters, 

there will be rejoicing and praise. For others who 

have slacked off and found fault with their 

neighbors and have not lifted a helping hand, 

shame and destruction may be at hand. 

After all, we are called to be caregivers;

we are indeed our brother’s keeper.

“The Lord comes to govern the earth.”

We may not always welcome someone who 

comes to rule over us. Or to judge us. But the 

Lord brings His “healing rays.” He is after all the 

“sun of justice.”  The Book of Malachi assures us

that if we fear the Lord, “The sun of justice will 

arise with its healing rays.”   (Malachi 3:20)

There is hope for us, as we struggle not to be 

idle, and face those who hate us because of our 

faith. Our Lord liberates us from whatever holds 

us back or drags us down. And we kick up our 

heels like calves being released from the stall.

The Psalm repeatedly tells us to be joyful about

the Lord’s coming; to sing praise to the Lord;

to shout with joy to the Lord. We join with our

surroundings, “Let the rivers clap their hands,

the mountains shout with them for joy.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm speaks about the Day of the Lord, when He will come to rule 

the earth with justice.  Are you ready for the Lord's coming?   Speak about how 

you are preparing for it.

 
2.  Our psalmist writes about those who dwell in the world shouting for joy 

before the Lord, when He comes to rule the earth.   Explain how you will sing 

praise to the Lord and sing joyfully before the King, the Lord.

 

Psalm for Sunday, November 6, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 17: 1, 5-6, 8, 15  (Read)

“Hear, O Lord a just suit; attend to my outcry.”

 

Each of us may have been unjustly attacked

at one time or another, as our psalmist

David was, and as were the seven brothers

in Maccabees. (2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14)

When that happens, where do we hide? 

Where do we take refuge?

Who else but the Lord stands ready to

console us, protect us “in the shadow of

His wings?” Our psalmist reminds us that 

without God we can do nothing, and it is He 

who empowers us to prevail.

And so we trust God, as David does;

we call upon Him, and we cling to Him.

We are not hesitant to call upon His name,

“I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

incline your ear to me; hear my word.”

For His part, God keeps us as the "apple of

His eye."  He attends to our outcry;

He hearkens to our prayers, so long as

our lips are without deceit.

And when we face death, whose face do we

want to see? It is the Lord's -- “Let me see

your face; when I awake, let me be filled

with your presence.” Who else has promised

us eternal life?

We must not be afraid to trust God for the

outcome. All we have to do is to keep to His

paths, as our psalmist says. Our feet do not falter.

We call upon the Lord.   As was true for David, 

we shall be content in His presence.

Amen 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist says that his steps have kept to the Lord's paths, his feet have not 

faltered.   Explain how you have 'walked the walk' in the pathways of the Lord.

2.  The Psalm speaks of how we shall be content in God's presence.   Tell of what it

means to you to look forward to the day when you shall behold God's face.

 

Psalm for Sunday, October 30, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 145: 1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14  (Read)

“The Lord lifts up all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.”

 

We may question why God allows us to suffer,

why he allows “bad things to happen to good people.”

We may ask, as the early believers probably did,

“Why is it necessary to undergo such hardships

to enter the kingdom of God?”

Scripture tells us that afflictions are to be

expected in our walk with the Lord. We may not

understand what God is up to, but we can be sure

that our faith will be strengthened if we stand fast

in the face of suffering. We will become better

witnesses for Christ if we are humbled; we become

better servants if we bear up with our difficulties

and trust in the Lord. As our psalmist tells us,

“The Lord is trustworthy in every word, and

faithful in every work.”

Endurance is a Godly quality and will help us

to get 'yoked' to Jesus. Having done that, 

like our psalmist David, we join with the faithful

and speak of the glory of God's reign and bless

His name.

The book of Wisdom tells us that God loves all

things He has created, and loathes nothing He

has made. (Wisdom 11:24)  David says it this way, 

“The Lord is good to all and compassionate 

toward all His works.”  This verse is fulfilled in 

Sunday's Gospel – Zacchaeus could just as well 

sing this psalm, “I will praise your name forever, 

my king and my God.”  (See also Luke 19:1-10)

When we reflect on what God has done for us,

we remember that we live our lives amidst an

unending stream of divine love. God has always

done good things for us. That is God's nature –

as the Psalm says, “The Lord is gracious and 

merciful and of great kindness.”

And so we pray this psalm to bless, praise, 

and exalt the heavenly Father in His perfection 

and in His works.

“Great is the Lord and highly to be praised.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist asks us (His faithful ones) to speak of  God's might and discourse 

of the glory of God's kingdom.  Give an example of how you have complied with our

psalmist's appeals.

2.  We are assured by the Psalm that the Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up 

all who are bowed down.  Share how your faith has been strengthened by any hardships 

you may have undergone.

Psalm for Sunday, October 23, 2016

Reflections 

Psalm 34: 2-3, 17-18, 19, 23  (Read)

“Those who are crushed in spirit He saves.”

David's psalm assures us,

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”

The word poor is said to apply to one

who depends completely on God

for his deliverance and his very life.

This is true for David as he is being

pursued by his enemy. It is true for us

in our own personal battle against the

evil one. With Him on our side victory

is certain. “The Lord confronts the

evildoers, to destroy remembrance 

of them from the earth.”

St Paul is rescued from the lion's mouth 

and is empowered by the Lord to finish 

the race, to keep the faith, to complete 

the proclamation. In his own words, 

“The Lord stood by me and gave me 

strength.” (2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17)

David affirms this, “The Lord redeems 

the lives of His servants; no one incurs 

guilt who takes refuge in Him.”

The Psalm says our prayers are heard 

if we have a right relationship with the Lord, 

“When the just cry out, the Lord hears them.” 

This is confirmed by the writer of Sirach --

“The one who serves God willingly is heard; 

his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer 

of the lowly pierces the clouds.”(Sirach 35: 20-21)

Jesus teaches us in this Sunday’s Gospel, 

“The one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

The tax collector preserves his relationship with 

God and goes home justified. (Luke 18: 13-14)

That too is part of being poor in spirit. If we want 

the Lord to be on our side, then we need 

to humble ourselves and recognize

our own lowly status.

And having done all that we can to keep a just

relationship with our God, then we are to bless 

the Lord at all times, keep his praise ever in our 

mouths, and as the psalm says, “Let my soul 

glory in the Lord.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm tells us that God lifts up those who are crushed in spirit.  However difficult 

it may be for us to be humble in spirit,  we can speak of how gratifying it is for us to depend 

solely on the Lord for our salvation.   Tell of what this means to you personally.

2.   The verses of the Psalm tell us how to be sure that our prayers are heard.  Our psalmist encourages us to have a right relationship with the Lord before we pray.  What is it that 

you do to be sure that  your prayers reach the ears of the Lord?

 

Psalm for Sunday, October 16, 2016

Reflections

Psalm 121: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8  (Read)

“Our help is from the Lord.”

The Psalm is a prayer for believers

when we are uncertain, when we face

the dangers of this world, or when we

encounter obstacles on our journey of

faith and works.

Where does our help come from?

As our psalmist says, it comes from the Lord.

Just as Moses raised up his hands and

obtained God's intervention on the side

of Israel (Exodus 17:11-12), so too 
the psalm calls for us to look upward 
for God’s help, “I lift up my eyes toward 
the mountains.” And our psalmist reminds us, 
“The Lord is your guardian.” We are obliged 
to pray, “May He not suffer your foot to slip.”

We may rest assured that our Lord sends us
his Holy Spirit to safeguard us, and we give 
thanks that our protector is a guard who never 
falls asleep at his post, nor is He ever off duty. 
“May He slumber not who guards you, indeed 
He neither slumbers nor sleeps.”

When we do battle with evil or injustice,

who can we turn to? Are we likely to overcome

the powers and principalities that threaten us

along the road by depending on our puny 
defenses? Not so, the psalm reminds us. 
Without the Lord as our shade, we are subject 
to the sun's harmful rays and the moon's evil 
influences. But if we trust in the Lord, 
“The Lord will guard you from all evil.”

But how do we get God’s attention when we 
need  His help? Jesus tells us how in the Gospel –

we are to pray with persistence, without becoming

weary, like the widow who obtains a just decision

from the unwilling judge. (Luke 18:1-5)

And as the Psalm concludes, if our faith is strong,
and we trust in the Lord, “The Lord will guard our 
coming and going, both now and forever.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist says that the Lord is beside you at your right hand.   
Speak of what it is that reassures you of the Lord's protection on your journey.

2.  The Psalm is about the power of prayer and of trust in the Lord.  Give an example 
of how you have persisted in prayer and obtained the Lord's help in overcoming difficulty.

Psalm for Sunday, October 9, 2016

Reflections 

Psalm 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4  (Read)

“Sing to the Lord a new song.”

 

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 Sunday's psalm is a psalm of joy, and

because God's saving power has been 

revealed to all the nations, we are all 

encouraged to “break into song, sing praise.”

“The Lord's right hand and holy arm have won

the victory.” It is clear from this Sunday's 

readings that God's healing power is not limited 

to the Israelites.  In Sunday's first  reading the 

Syrian army commander Naaman is healed 

in the land of Yahweh. (2 Kings 5:14-17)

And in Sunday's second reading St Paul 

reminds us that the 'word of God is not chained'

and that if we persevere and die with Christ, 

we too will be counted among the living, 

the chosen ones. (2 Timothy 2: 9-12)

Then in the Gospel, God's saving power is 

made available to a grateful Samaritan, who,

having been cleansed of leprosy, has learned 

to sing a new song, glorifying God in a loud 

voice and falling at the feet of Jesus 

in thanksgiving. (Luke 17:14-16)

God's salvation flows out to all people, whether 

they be soldiers from foreign lands, lepers, or 

those imprisoned.  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.  As the Psalm 

says,  “Shout with joy to the Lord, sing praise.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection
     

1.  Our Psalmist declares, "The Lord has revealed to the nations His saving power."  

Tell of how the Lord has revealed to you personally His saving power.
   

2.  The Psalm urges us to "Sing to the Lord a new song."   Speak of what it means 

to you to have learned the 'new song' of praising and worshiping the one true God.