Psalm for Sunday, June 2, 2024

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.

Psalm for Sunday, May 26, 2024

 

Reflections

Psalm 33:  4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22   (Read)

“The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him."

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?

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.