Psalm for Sunday, September 10, 2017

Reflections

Psalm 95:  1-2, 6-7, 8-9  (Read)

"Oh that today you would hear 
his voice."
 
Knowing God's will is hard enough;
discernment is a gift from God.
But even if we are gifted enough to
be able to discern God 's will,
will we have the courage and 
conviction to actually do His will?  
 
In Sunday's first reading Ezekiel is enjoined
by the Lord to warn the wicked among
the house of Israel and try to turn them from
their ways. (Ezekiel 33: 7-9)
In the Gospel, too, Jesus instructs the disciples
how to deal with a brother who sins against
a disciple. (Matthew 18: 15-17)
 
Doing the will of God must have been difficult 
even for the prophet Ezekiel.
How much more so is the will of God 
a challenge for ordinary people like us?
Even the disciples must have been in awe 
of what Jesus was commanding them to do.
 
Our spiritual history is full of occasions
where the faithful were known to have
hardened their hearts and refused to listen
to God's voice, though they had seen
His works, as our psalmist mentions.
But after all, He is our God, as the Psalm says,
and we are the people He shepherds.
 
Our job is to kneel before the Lord who
made us and to carry out His will the best
we can.   And if we are careful to listen to 
His voice, He will empower us to do His will, 
just as Jesus empowered the disciples 
to rise up to the challenge of the Great 
Commission and to become ordinary men 
performing extraordinary deeds.
 
Amen

 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

 
1.  Our psalmist encourages us not to harden our hearts if we hear God's voice.   Do you find it difficult sometimes to carry out God's will in your life even if you believe He is speaking to you?   Give an example.
 
2.  The Psalm reminds us that we are like sheep and the Lord is our shepherd.   Are you willing to be just an ordinary sheep among His flock?  If so, what does it mean to you to be shepherded by the Lord?

Psalm for Sunday, September 3, 2017

Reflections

Psalm 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9  (Read)

“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

This prayer of longing was written 

at a time when David was in the desert, 

a place where physical thirst was all 

around him, and the earth was

parched, lifeless and without water.

But David is writing also about a spiritual 

thirst that overwhelms him and reminds 

him of the emptiness of life without God.

David meditates on those happier moments 

when he was close to the Lord, when his soul

was satisfied as with the riches of a banquet,

and when he took shelter in the shadow of

the wings of God.

We too go through times of spiritual deprivation

when we are away from God and indulge in

sinful practices that separate us from Him.

At those times, like a penitent sinner, we

experience our deepest longing for the love 

of the Lord, and we seek out His loving embrace.

As our psalmist says, at times like that our soul

clings fast to the Lord, we bless Him, we glorify Him,

we praise Him.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist seeks the Lord because his soul thirsts for Him. Give an example 
of a time when you have hungered for God's presence and blessing in your life.

2.  The Psalm speaks of gazing toward the Lord in the sanctuary.  Tell of a time 
when you have gazed at the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of your parish 
and how you could see His power and His glory.

Psalm for Sunday, August 27, 2017

Reflections 

Psalm 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6, 8   (Read)

“Lord, do not forsake the work of your hands.”

Our psalmist David composed this prayer of a 
grateful heart. “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, 
with all my heart.”

David is grateful because his petitions are 
answered by the Lord. “For you have heard the 
words of my mouth.”  The Lord's answers to
our psalmist's prayers have come at a critical
time, a time when David is seeking to build up 
his strength.

David speaks of a divine rescue -- “When I 
cried out, you answered; you strengthened 
my spirit.”  Perhaps we’re all in need of a 
spiritual rescue of the type David describes.

And it isn’t because of any of the psalmist’s virtues
that he obtains salvation. It is a result of God’s loving
fidelity. “Lord, your love is eternal.” Our God does not 
forsake the work of His hands, though as St Paul says
in Sunday's 2nd reading, “Who has given the Lord 
anything that he may be repaid?” (Rom 11:35) 

Unworthy as we are, and though the Lord is exalted,
He watches over us in our lowly state.  And thanks
be to God, His kindness endures forever.

Amen


Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist speaks of a divine rescue when he was in great need of the 
Lord's Providence.  Give an example of when you have cried out to the Lord 
and He has answered your cry.

2.  The Psalm's verses deal with an age old mystery--the Lord is exalted, 
yet the lowly He sees.   How do you reconcile the apparent contradiction between 
God's heavenly dwelling and His concern for us lowly humans?


 

Psalm for Sunday, August 20, 2017

Reflections 

Psalm 67: 2-3, 5, 6, 8  (Read)

"So may your way be known upon earth;

among all nations, your salvation."

 
No wonder the Gentiles (people like us)
were attracted to the faith when St Paul
and Barnabas were traveling through
the towns, visiting the early churches,
and ministering to the Gentiles.  

The apostles were doing as Jesus did 

when He encountered the Canaanite 

woman in the region of Tyre and Sidon  

(Gospel, Mt 15:21-28).
Though she was not a member of the 

house of Israel, Jesus recognized how 

great was her faith, and the woman's 

daughter was healed from that hour.

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.

So much that God does for us is sung

in the Psalm's verses, which pray,

"May God have pity on us and bless us;
may He let his face shine upon us."

 God gives us His grace through His son Jesus,
   who is our Savior.
 

God gives us material blessings –
    all our treasure and gifts are from Him.
 

He gives us spiritual blessings  –
    we know these as fruits of the spirit.

Today we join with the members of the early church 

in praising God – “May the peoples praise you, God; 

may all the peoples praise you."

Amen

 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm petitions God to 'Let His face shine upon us.'  In what way 

do you believe that God has let His face shine upon you?

2.  Our psalmist calls for God's salvation to be known among all the nations.  

How are you evangelizing to those who do not know His saving grace?

Psalm for Sunday, August 13, 2017

Reflections

Psalm 85: 9, 10, 11-12, 13-14   (Read)

“I will hear what God proclaims;

glory dwelling in our land.”

Our psalmist knows the importance 

of listening carefully for the voice 

of the Lord.  For as Elijah discovers 

in Sunday’s 1^st reading, God is not 

in the wind, nor the earthquake,

nor the fire. Rather, God appears 

to Elijah as a tiny whispering sound.  

(1 Kings 19)

We too must listen attentively for 

the voice of the Lord and be careful 

not to miss His presence among us.

How do we seek Him out?

Where do we find the Lord?

We find Him when we read and study

his Word, his living Word,

as fresh now as it was thousands

of years ago. For His Word is

as penetrating as a two edged sword,

able to separate bone from marrow.

His Word convicts us,

pointing the way to salvation.

As our psalmist says,

“Near indeed is His salvation

for those who fear Him.”

Our psalmist prepares the way of the Lord --

“Truth shall spring out of the earth,”

(when the Messiah is born).

The goodness and blessings

that the psalmist speaks about

are fulfilled in Christ.

For our Savior is truly,

“Glory dwelling in our land.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist affirms that he will hear what God proclaims.  Tell of how you listen 

for the voice of the Lord and what He is saying to you.

2.  The Psalm proclaims that truth shall spring out of the earth and there will be 'glory 

dwelling in our land.'   Speak of how our Lord appears before you and how He is 

present to you.

Psalm for Sunday, August 6, 2017

Reflections

Psalm 97: 1-2, 5-6, 9  (Read)

 "The Lord is king."

Psalm 97 celebrates the glory 
of the Lord; the earth rejoices
and all peoples see His glory.   
The Psalm's verses recall for 
us this Sunday's Feast of the 
Transfiguration when we see 
the glory of God shining on 
the face of our Savior Jesus 
Christ.
 
God is present in the bright 
cloud which surrounds Jesus,
and the voice of God declares,
"This is my beloved Son."
We join with our psalmist and 
shout, "The Lord is king,"
and like the disciples in Sunday's 
Gospel, we fall prostrate and are 
in awe of this divine vision before us.  
(Matthew 17:1-9)

Oh that we would be completely open 
to the will of the Father, as Christ was,
on that high mountain when He was
transfigured, and His face shone like 
the sun.

We may not be called to ascend a high 
mountain to converse with Moses and 
Elijah, but we too can be transfigured 
by the face of God shining upon us.  
We may not receive a vision like Daniel  
(Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14), but we too can 
be transformed by God's surging stream 
of fire that purifies and causes the mountains 
to melt like wax.

We may not need to be there in person when 
Jesus appears in glory and the Father affirms 
the divinity of the Son.  Wherever we are, Christ 
is manifested to us children of light, who have 
put off the works of darkness and put on the 
armor of light. 

St Paul says that we all, with unveiled face, 
beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed
into his likeness. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
This is a daunting prospect for us, as it was 
for Christ's disciples.  But we can rely on the 
prayer of the Psalm which tells us, "Light dawns 
for the just and gladness for the honest of heart;
God protects the souls of the faithful; the fire 
of the Lord goes before him, consuming his 
foes on every side."

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm speaks of an awesome day when clouds and darkness surround 
our God and fire goes before Him.   Despite this awesome vision tell of how you 
are transformed into a child of light when you encounter God.

2.  Having encountered God and been transformed, we are called to follow Christ, 
take up our cross, and carry out God's will in our lives.  Speak of what God has 
commissioned you to do for Him.

Psalm for Sunday, July 30, 2017

Reflections

Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130  (Read)

"Lord, I love your commands."

Our psalmist is in prayer,

expressing his love for the Lord's commands,

and promising to keep His words.

We may not have the wisdom of Solomon,

but we have enough discernment to recognize 

how powerful the Lord's decrees can be in our

spiritual lives. Just as the law of the Lord

is precious to our psalmist, so too is the law

of the Lord central to our lives and to our faith.

Our psalmist says that the Lord's decrees are

wonderful, and therefore he observes them.
We may not always think of the law as wonderful

(some people may consider it restrictive),

but if we learn to do His will,

we find that we are liberated,
set free from the sin that drags us down. 

We choose life instead of death.

Doing God's will (keeping his commandments)

isn't easy, but having received His grace, 

and having been granted discernment

to know right from wrong, good from evil,

we can follow Him with conviction. 

Our 'yes' will mean 'yes' to the Lord,

and our 'no' will mean

'no' to the devil and his minions.

Having decided to do His will,

we take delight in keeping His statutes;

they are like honey to us.
And the blessings we receive

are part of what God has prepared

for those who love Him.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist says he observes the Lord's commandments because they are wonderful 
and they shed light.   Explain why you are committed to follow the Lord's decrees.

2.  The Psalm assures us that we go forward if we follow God's precepts, and in so doing 

we avoid every false way.  Speak of  how God's commandments protect you on your 

journey of faith and draw you closer to God.