Psalm for Sunday, April 29, 2012

Reflections
 
Psalm 118:  1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

This is an Easter psalm;
the psalmist speaks of our savior, our cornerstone.
It 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 (2nd reading), 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 (today's Gospel).
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 confirm 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 22, 2012

Reflections

Psalm 4:  2, 4, 7-8, 9

This Psalm is about trust in God.
Our Psalmist, King David, is filled
with desire for God's mercy,
and invites us to pray, saying,
“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 week’s 2nd reading --  1 John says,
“Whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.”
What more could we ask for?
Is it necessary that the risen Jesus
show us his hands and feet,
or touch his flesh and bones (today's Gospel)?

Our psalmist reminds us it is in 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 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.
And then 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 15, 2012

 Reflections

Psalm 118:  2-4, 13-15, 22-24

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 us,  just as He was in
those early days of the church
described in our 1st reading and in the Gospel.

We may not have the awesome experience
of physically putting our hand in the Lord’s side
and our fingers into the nail marks on his hand,
but He is with us.
“The Lord comes to us as 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 has been my Savior.” 

“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 for the wonderful work
He has done in making the stone that was rejected
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.

Psalm for Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

Reflections

Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23

This is an Easter song that marks
the procession of the pilgrims going up
to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles.
The Psalm begins with a call to praise
that starts the procession.
“Give thanks to the Lord …
whose love endures forever.”
The procession sings a hymn
of thanksgiving along the way.

Israel is continuously put to the test,
humbled and then delivered.
In so doing Israel discovers its calling
to be a people of God
and to bear witness to the nations.

Jesus makes this calling his own,
and in the Psalm we read in advance
of the mystery of Christ,
who is rejected and then exalted,
and who becomes the foundation stone
of the new People of God --
“I shall not die, but live.
And declare the works of the Lord.”

As the psalmist says, “The right hand
of the Lord has struck with power;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted.”
Our days of mocking our Savior are over;
we no longer hurl insults at him. 

“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.”
Our savior has risen.
“By the Lord has this been done;
It is wonderful in our eyes.”

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.   Our Response is, "This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad."  On this Easter Sunday,
explain what is the basis of your joy and gladness and how your
life is affected by our exalted Savior.

2.  Our Lord, rejected by the 'builders' of his time,
has become the 'cornerstone' of our lives.   What does it mean
to you to build your faith on the resurrection of Jesus?

Psalm for April 1, 2012, Palm Sunday

 Reflections

Psalm 22:  8-9,  17-18,  19-20,  23-24

David writes this psalm almost as though
it were planned to be part of the Passion of Christ.
It is as though David knew what was coming
when Christ was crucified.
Its theme is that the sufferings
of the righteous man
will restore life to humanity.
The Psalm also becomes the prayer of Christ
at the time of his crucifixion
and speaks of the suffering that our Savior
experienced on our behalf.

People are the same today
as they were back then,
when Jesus was being led to the cross.
We scoff at him; we mock him;
we wag our heads; and hurl insults at him.

Why?  
Because he becomes contemptible in our eyes.  
He reminds us that we are a sinful people;
he convicts us; he catches us in the lie;
he embarrasses us; he exposes us;
he accuses us of being hypocrites.  

He holds us to a higher standard;
he speaks directly to God;
he claims to be God's Son;
and we reject him for this; and mock him.  
We do not move to assist him;
let God rescue him –
“He relied on the Lord – let him deliver him;
 let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

These are the same words used by those
who conspired against Jesus
when he was dying on the cross.  
They did not realize that the suffering and death
of an innocent servant
would restore life for sinful man.  
The words they spoke
were to be fulfilled,
not by Jesus coming down from the cross,
but by sinful humanity like us
being delivered, forgiven, and lifted up.  

The psalm describes the Passion of Christ,
and we know that what seemed like
a moment of weakness for Christ
became a source of strength
for the rest of us.  
God reverses this righteous man’s condition –
“But you, O Lord, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.”

Hope returns, the righteous man is delivered,
And he celebrates his deliverance--
“I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him ....”

Because Jesus humbled himself
and accepted death on the cross,
“God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name.”

Amen
 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  The psalmist speaks of those who scoff at him and mock him.  
 In what way can you identify with those who scoff at our Savior 
 and mock him with parted lips?  

2.  The Response is, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"   
Why do you think our Lord would have uttered these words 
at the time of his Passion?  What had changed for God's son?  
Had God changed?

Psalm for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Reflections

 Psalm 51:  3-4, 12-13, 14-15

This Psalm is perhaps David’s greatest prayer,
his mea culpa, after Nathan comes to him
to call attention to David’s adultery with Bathsheba.
We are shown in the Psalm that although David was
chosen by God to be king, even David sins gravely.
But God in his compassion and goodness
can blot out David’s offense, no matter how grave.

David realizes that only God, in his mercy,
can cleanse him from his sin.
He calls on the Lord to blot out his offense,
knowing that the Lord, in his abundant compassion,
will wash away his guilt.
David’s sins, like our own,
are offensive to God first and foremost –
we are all born of a sinful nature

David’s words are a prayer of repentance
and recall for us the power of the Sacrament of Confession.
“A clean heart create for me, O God;
renew within me a steadfast spirit ...
Give me back the joy of your salvation.”
Where else can we turn when we are separated from God?
Who else has the healing power to cleanse us?

“Do not drive me from your presence,
nor take from me your holy Spirit.”
David reminds us that without the Holy Spirit
we are ruled by the desires of this world.
And without it we cannot bear the fruits of the Spirit,
which we are called to do.

The people of Jeremiah’s time (in the 1st reading)
were given the assurance that David sought –
they were assured that the Lord
would forgive their evildoing, their own infidelity to God,
and that their sin would be remembered no more.
We can almost hear David’s loud cries
and see his tears, as he offers this prayer
and seeks his own inner renewal.
When Christ was in the flesh, this is how he himself prayed,
as we are reminded in the 2nd reading.

David prays that God will create for him a clean heart,
because God alone can bring about this transformation.
We, too, are called to seek our Savior’s mercy
for our sinful ways, especially during this Lenten season.
We, too, are given an opportunity to be restored
in the joy of His Salvation, to offer up what is dead
within us, so that (per the Gospel)
we can again bear fruit and be good witnesses for the Lord.
In that way, we will then “teach the wicked God’s ways,”
and our mouths will proclaim His praise.

Amen

 

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist King David cites the greatness
of the Lord's compassion in calling upon God to wipe out his offense.
Even though David was an adulterer and a murderer,
he knew that he could call upon the Lord to restore him
and create for him a clean heart.   Does this give you confidence that
no matter how serious your sins may be, you can call upon God
to be thoroughly cleansed?   Explain.

2.  As our psalmist implies, it is not enough to call upon God
to create a clean heart within us.  We must also ask for a steadfast spirit,
for the Holy Spirit to be sustained within us.  Tell how the Holy Spirit
is working within you and what you are inspired to do
through the gifts of the Spirit.

Psalm for Sunday, March 18, 2012

Reflections

Psalm 137:  1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

This Psalm is a song of the chosen people in exile in Babylon.
As our 1st reading (2nd Chronicles)  tells us, the Lord became angry with the Israelites because of their many infidelities.
And when they mocked the messenger of God, God allowed them to be carried off to Babylon as slaves.
“By the rivers of Babylon, we sat mourning and weeping.”

But they could not forget Jerusalem
and the covenant God had made with them.
“If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right hand wither.”
And more important, God did not forget them.

It is the same way with us.
We sin against God and he allows us to be carried off
into a kind of self imposed exile,
where we separate ourselves from him for a time.

“But how could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?”
When our hearts are hardened by sin,
how could we sing a song of the Lord? 
When we are in the darkness because we prefer
the darkness, how could we sing a song of the Lord?
When we are separated from the Lord
and indulging in things of the world,
how could we sing a song of the Lord?
It is only when we are in the light,
then can we sing a song of the Lord.

As our 2nd reading (Ephesians) tells us,
“Even when we [are] dead in our transgressions,
[God] brings us to life with Christ.”
And the Gospel reminds us in a powerful way that
although we are a wicked people who hate the light,
God sent his Son not to condemn us,
but to save us and lead us into the light.
That is how we free ourselves from our own spiritual exile.

And that is how we too can say as the psalmist says,
”May my tongue stick to my palate
 if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem beyond all my delights.”

Amen 

 
Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  This Sunday's Response is, "Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!" 
When you are separated from God because of sin,
have you noticed how it becomes difficult to praise and worship Him?
In a way your tongue becomes silenced for a time.  
Explain how you can get your voice back and start again singing a song of the Lord.

2.  Our psalmist tells us that it was difficult for the Israelites
captive in Babylon to sing the songs of Zion in a foreign land. 
Is it sometimes difficult for you to speak of your faith
in the company of non-believers?    If you are being persecuted
by a world that does not acknowledge you as one of its own,
how do you overcome your reticence and speak boldly of your faith?