Reflections
Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (Read)
“When the poor one called out, the Lord heard,
and from all his distress He saved him.”
Just as the Lord delivers St Peter from his
captors (1st reading), so He delivers us from
whatever sinful habits hold us captive.
“Let my soul glory in the Lord; that the poor
may hear and be glad.” The word poor is
said to apply to one who depends completely
on God for his deliverance and his very life.
That’s where St Peter stood also in the early
stages of his apostolic journey, totally dependent
on God for the strength to walk the walk that
was planned for him (1st reading, Acts 12: 1-11).
And if the truth is to be known, that’s where
we stand even today, when we are short of
endurance along our spiritual journey.
Fortunately, God provides the inner strength
we need to complete our own spiritual journey
when we get bogged down.
Our psalmist David recounts for us how he gained
deliverance, “I sought the Lord, who answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.” Despite the
anguish in David’s voice, the Psalm's verses speak
of a promise of joy, “Look to God that you may be
radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.”
In Sunday's 2nd reading 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 Tim 4: 6-8, 17-18)
The Psalm assures us that our prayers are heard if we have
a right relationship with the Lord, “The angel of the Lord will
rescue those who fear him.” This verse is David's affirmation
of total confidence. The angel of the Lord will be sent to deliver
the poor one who cries out. Both Saints Peter and Paul
know how weak they really are, but given their trust in God's
strength, both saints know the happiness of taking refuge in God.
We follow in their footsteps, “Blessed the man who takes
refuge in the Lord.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm's verses speak of the comfort that we
obtain by taking refuge in the Lord. Speak of how
you have tasted and seen how good the Lord is when
you seek His deliverance.
2. Our psalmist prays that his soul will glory in the Lord,
that the lowly will hear him and be glad. Tell of how you
have given witness to those who are struggling spiritually.
Reflections
Psalm 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20 (Read)
“With the best of wheat he fills you."
God has been a provider to His people
ever since He created us. But the beauty
of His providence is that He provides for us
spiritually as well as physically. During the
Liturgy of the Eucharist, as the gifts are
being prepared, the priest says,
“Through your goodness we have this bread
to offer, which earth has given, it will become
for us the bread of life.”
We are nourished by the Eucharist, by the body
and blood of our Lord Jesus. And that is where
our life comes from, our hope, our salvation.
All we have to do is receive Him with a clean heart
and avoid partaking of the “table of demons” (1 Cor 10: 20).
Our Lord's body is real food, and when we eat it
we are given a share in the divine life. During
the Mass the celebrant prays, “By the mystery
of this water and wine may we come to share in
the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself
to share in our humanity.”
St Paul says in our 2nd reading we all “partake
of the one loaf” (1 Cor 10: 17). We share in
the bread of life, and our Savior's body is a
source of nourishment for us. This Sunday's
Gospel reminds us that Jesus is the living bread
from heaven. Praise God!
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm speaks of our Lord as being a good provider; He fills
us with the best of wheat. Speak of how you are
nourished by the real
food of the Eucharist.
2. Our psalmist declares that God's word runs swiftly as the
Lord sends
forth His command to the earth. These verses allude
to the power of
God's word in our lives. Tell of how you
receive the word of God and how
it affects you.
Reflections
Daniel 3: 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 (Read)
“Blessed are you, O Lord, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
This week's Psalm is taken from the book of Daniel.
The verses are an excerpt from the songs of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego who have been thrown into
the fiery furnace by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
These three young Jewish men refuse to worship the god
of Nebuchadnezzar,
nor will they worship the golden statue
that has been set up by the King. As a consequence they
are cast into a white hot furnace by the King.
But these brave young men are seen walking about in the
flames, singing to God and blessing the Lord, using the words
in this week's Responsorial. An angel of the Lord goes down
into the furnace and makes the inside of the furnace as though
a “dew laden breeze were blowing through it.” So the fire in
no way touches or causes them pain or harm.
These three in the furnace with one voice sing, glorifying and
blessing God. The unwavering faith of the three makes a
strong impression on King Nebuchadnezzar when he sees
that these three young servants of God have trusted in God
and yielded their bodies, rather than serve or worship the
Babylonian god or a golden statue. The King himself is so
overwhelmed that he undergoes a conversion and exclaims,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”
The verses of the Psalm affirm the power of God's love for us.
We too are inspired to respond with the words of the three
young Jewish men in the fiery furnace. Each day we
encounter our own trial by fire and emerge unscathed.
“Blessed are you, O Lord, praiseworthy and exalted above
all forever.”
Just as the men in the furnace were in awe of the glory
of the Lord, who sent an angel to rescue them, we too
stand in awe of the loving presence of our God. Helpless
without the strength of God in our lives, we focus not on
our own predicaments, but on the greatness of our God,
“Blessed are you O Lord. Glory and praise forever!”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The verses of the Responsorial are songs of Shadrach,
Meshach,and Abednego, who are rescued from the fiery furnace.
We all encounter trial by fire when we live our faith. Speak of your
own rescue by the power of the Lord.
2. Daniel relates the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's conversion
after he observes the inspiring witness of the three young Jewish men.
Tell of how your own witness inspires others to become people of faith.
Reflections
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (Read)
“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 our Creator 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 that came down
on the disciples in that locked room St Luke
speaks of in our 1st reading (Acts 2: 1-11).
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 Cor 12: 3-7, 12, 13).
All we have to do is accept Christ and believe in him.
Without the breath of the Holy Spirit, we have
no spiritual life. But thanks to God's gift, we are
a new creation; we are baptized into Christ,
and we share in the divinity of our Lord.
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. The Psalm affirms that the Lord sends out His Spirit to renew
the face of the earth. Tell of how you are affected by your having
received the Holy Spirit that is living on the inside of you.
2. Our psalmist prays that the Lord will be glad in His works! What
works are you doing that makes you one of those who are pleasing
to the Lord?
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 2nd reading
tells us (Ephesians 1:17-23).
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.
As today's Gospel tells us, after Jesus' ascension, the
disciples begin their active ministry, empowered by
the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28: 16-20). 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.
Reflections
Psalm 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 (Read)
“Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
The Psalm celebrates the awesome power of God,
manifest in “His tremendous deeds among the children
of Adam.” Our psalmist recalls the dividing of the Red
Sea, which delivered Israel from the Egyptians, by the
favor of God. That same awesome power that split the
Red Sea became available to the early apostles of the
Church, as they went about healing and doing signs
and wonders.
Where does that power come from to heal the lame and
drive out unclean spirits? It comes from the Holy Spirit,
who accomplishes in each of us a spiritual resurrection.
No wonder those early believers in Samaria were eager
to have St Peter and St John lay hands on them so they
could receive the Holy Spirit (1st reading, Acts 8:5-8, 14, 17).
In response, they cry out to God with joy, as our psalmist
says, “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.”
We too cannot help but sing praise to God when we feel
His presence within us. In today's Gospel (John 14:15-21)
our Savior promises that He will not leave us spiritual orphans.
Rather, He assures us that we are in Him and He is in us.
We proclaim His glorious praise, and we on earth worship Him.
We want all the earth to know what God has done for us;
as the Psalm says, we shout joyfully to God and proclaim His
glorious praise.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm urges us to say to God, "How tremendous are
your deeds!" Speak of the Lord's awesome works in your life
and
how you go about praising Him.
2. Our psalmist blesses God who "refused me not." Tell of how
your petitions and prayers have been answered by the Lord.
Reflections
Psalm 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19 (Read)
“The eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear Him, to deliver them from death,
and preserve them in spite of famine.”
The Psalm says that the Lord's eyes are
upon us because we hold Him in awe,
we praise Him. 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 spiritual bread.
Where else would we turn for deliverance from
death, the kind of death which is a consequence
of sin? Remember, “The wages of sin is death,”
and we are all afflicted. Fortunately for us, Christ
destroyed death and brought life to us
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.
It is through His Plan that we are saved. Our
own feeble efforts count for nothing. We must be
submissive and abandon ourselves to His Plan.
Our Savior himself tells us in today's Gospel,
"I am the way and the truth and the life," and He
teaches us, "Whoever believes in me will do the
works that I do." (John 14: 1-12)
Because Christ humbles himself for our sake,
becomes a slave to our sin, there is hope for us,
even in our time of spiritual famine. That is the
meaning of the response, “Lord, let your mercy
be on us, as we place our trust in you.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist speaks of holding the Lord
in awe and knows that the eyes of the Lord are upon
us. Describe how you react when the eyes of the Lord
are upon you and you are in His presence.
2. The Psalm Response today inspires us to place
our trust in the Lord and await His mercy. Tell of
how your trust in the Lord has strengthened you and
inspired you to do His will.
