Questions

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, September 25th, 2022:
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 146

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. 
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R. Praise the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind and lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous and watches over the strangers. 

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. 

R. Praise the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever.

Could I know this if I were sitting here hungry and food was far?     
    hungry
    imprisoned 
    captive 
    blind
    bowed down
    alone
    orphaned
    widowed
    oppressed
The call “Praise the Lord, O my soul!’”could be lifted away
and "Where are You, really?" left behind in response.

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever.

Could I wait till eternity is entered to realize the release?
    the feeding
    the freedom
    the rescue
    the healing
    the lifting up
    the company
    the caregiving
    the provision
    the power
When the grime of time is washed away in infinity
the keeping faith will be felt forever.

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever.

Could I join Him in forever starting now? 
    This Lord who reigns forever, 
    His kingdom come, His will be done 
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Has He placed me here like a wick?
    Drawing His oil from heaven to earth,
    the flame of His love,
    the keeping of His faith to be seen and felt.

Could we answer the call and walk together with Him?
    Our steps creating impressions in the ground,
    making marks where forever can begin to pool
    as we dance with Jesus, following His lead.
        the hungry are fed
        the prisoners are freed
        the captives are rescued
        the blind are healed
        the bowed down are lifted up
        the lonely have friends
        the orphaned and widowed have provision
        the oppressed have power
Stepping into the circle with our need and with our plenty,
bringing them to each other and to Him,
keeping faith is fostered one step at a time toward forever.

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

*This fall we have a chance to join together and show Jesus’ love in Atlantic Canada. October 2-8 churches of all sorts in our area are finding ways to express His faithfulness toward people in need — a really big circle dance with Jesus across denominational lines! Just pray for Him to show you a need you can bring, or a need you can meet, and head to the Love Atlantic website to report what happened during that week so we can see His keeping faith in action through us. When you log in to the website, you can include which church you’re part of, if your church has registered as well. Saint Benedict Parish is in there. :) Click here to check it out.

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Noreen Smith

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