Psalm for Sunday, May 19, 2024

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.

Psalm for Sunday, May 12, 2024

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, 

as our second reading tells us.  

(Ephesians 1: 20-21)

With such an awesome God on His throne, 

what hope do we have as mere human beings 

that He will have anything more to do with us? 

How far removed can we be if this Jesus is taken

up to heaven and has all things put beneath His 

feet (including us)?

Fortunately, for us men, Jesus leaves us with a way 

to share in His divinity, through the Holy Spirit which 

He gives to us.  His power and presence remain within 

us, so long as we repent from our sins and believe 

in Him.

Power is often associated with arrogance and brutal 

treatment, but our God uses His power to work 

miracles, and bring about healing. 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.

After Jesus' Ascension, the disciples began 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 joyful cries; 

sing praise to God!”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The Psalm speaks of God mounting His throne and reigning over the nations.   

If God is raised up so far above us, how do you go about having a relationship 

with our Lord so that He is present to you?

2.  The Psalm's verses tell of God as the great king over all the earth, and we are 

urged to sing praise to our king.  Describe how our Lord's Ascension inspires you 

to celebrate with shouts of joy.

Psalm for Sunday, May 5, 2024

 

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 Sunday'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?

Psalm for Sunday, April 28, 2024

Reflections

Psalm 22: 26-27, 28, 30, 31-32  (Read)

“Let the coming generation be told of the Lord."                                               
                                                                                 
The verses of this Sunday's Psalm are 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 praying these verses we recall 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,
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.” (John 15:4)
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 
that his descendants will serve the Lord,
“The generation to come will be told of the Lord.”
Here we are inspired by this Sunday's 1st reading,
where Barnabas reports that Saul
spoke out boldly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:27)
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 21, 2024

Reflections
 

Psalm 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29  (Read)

“The stone rejected by the builders 
has become the cornerstone.”             
                                                                                     

This Sunday's Psalm is an Easter song. 
The psalmist speaks of our savior, our cornerstone.
Our savior 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, 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.  
(See also Sunday's Gospel, John 10:11-18).
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 confirms 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 14, 2024

Reflections

Psalm 4: 2, 4, 7-8, 9   (Read)

“The Lord does wonders for his faithful one.”

This Sunday's Psalm is about trust in God.

Our psalmist, David, is filled with desire 
for God's mercy, and invites us to pray, 

“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 Sunday's 
second reading,

“Whoever keeps his word, the love of God 

is truly perfected in him.” (1 John 2:5)

What more could we ask for?

Is it necessary that the risen Jesus 

show us his hands and feet,

or that we touch his flesh and bones 

as in Sunday's Gospel?  (Luke 24:39-40)

Our psalmist reminds us it is inside 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 more than 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. 

We ask the Lord, “Let your face shine on us.”

And then we must 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 7, 2024

Reflections

Psalm 118:  2-4, 13-15, 22-24   (Read)

“By the Lord has this been done;

it is wonderful in our eyes.”

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 those of us who are

in need of healing,  just as He 
was in those early days of the 
church described by St Luke in 
this Sunday's first reading (Acts 4:33), 

and in Sunday's Gospel  (John 20:19-23)

We may not have the awesome 
experience that St Thomas had when 
he physically put  his hand into the 
Lord’s side and his fingers into the 
nail marks on Jesus' hand, 

but our Savior is with us.  

“The Lord has become my 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 came to my help.”

“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 because the stone that was rejected has 
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.