An Acclamation of Praise

A Reflection on the Psalm for December 27th, 2020:
​The Feast of The Holy Family

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Psalm 105

R. The Lord is our God, mindful of his covenant forever.

​O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. 

R. The Lord is our God, mindful of his covenant forever.

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. 

R. The Lord is our God, mindful of his covenant forever.

Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 

R. The Lord is our God, mindful of his covenant forever.

He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac. 

R. The Lord is our God, mindful of his covenant forever.

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

“Praise the Lord!”

This acclamation was born years ago, decades even, when the renewal first came to the Christian world. The Christian renewal movement, I would say, was borne out of the inability of the parishes then to engage their parishioners in the active worship of God; into a relationship with Him. Groups would form and meet for about an hour (two hours if you factor in the snack and the fellowship). What it was was an acknowledgement of God working actively in our everyday lives and of miracles still happening in the present day. Every time a prayer was answered, or a miracle had just happened before our eyes, people would say, “Praise the Lord!”

Today’s psalm tells us to do the same, to praise the Lord for all the wonderful things that He has done for us. Just as He promised Abraham that his descendants would number as the stars in the sky, He has promised to save us. His saving grace is still with us to this present day. Whenever we meet difficulties, trials, or challenges we can seek the Lord’s help and guidance. Many times we will be delivered from those trials. Sometimes the change is not in the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in, sometimes the change happens in us — our acceptance or our deeper understanding of our situation which brings us peace.

Every night before going to sleep, I try to remember the good things that happened that day. Sometimes it is just a spoken word which brings me joy, sometimes it is an answered prayer. Oftentimes though, it is a gift from God — something that I had not prayed for, but needed, and was given to me!

I have made up my mind to start a gratitude journal in the new year. I already have the journal and am ready to start writing in it on January 1st. The great thing about keeping a record of all our blessings is that during our down times, those times when we need our spirits lifted, reviewing the gifts that we were blessed with, gives us the realization that God is indeed with us. It can bring to mind long forgotten victories and important lessons learned. Most important of all, we will realize that God indeed has kept His promise to take care of us. The important thing to remember is to record all those blessings so that we can then give the Lord praise for all His  wondrous deeds.

Lord, I praise and thank You for all Your blessings! For the countless times You’ve held my hand during the difficult moments of uncertainty, I thank You! I pray that I may be faithful in giving thanks to You in all the events of my life. Amen.




​Liz Venezuela
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