Seven for Reflection

They will have no choice but to glorify God when they see the marvel of his merciful love. Knowing Jesus also prayed these Psalms, we can make these words our own means of turning to the Lord with passion and sincerity. Do you ever turn to the Lord with the kind of open, honest and passionate pleading we see in this Psalm? A requisite for praying the Penitential Psalms is an awareness of our sinfulness. Can you look honestly in the mirror admitting what you see?

If that is challenging, can you be patient with yourself and ask God for the gift of trust? Print Share Calendar Diocesan Locator. About the author G raziano Marcheschi, M. If you like Seven Sisters EP, you may also like:. Contents Hidden by Water Knives. Avant-pop hits the dancefloor with a kaleidoscopic mix of techno, psychedelia and disco. Without You by Prequel. The Texas-born producer pays glorious, dizzying tribute to chopped-n-screwed rap, Detroit house, Miami bass, and even Aughts rap classics. Whities by Overmono. Rather, I am thirsty for him.

My soul yearns for the living water that Jesus supplies John 4: I rejoice in the fact that he suffered physical thirst on the cross — and so much more — so that my thirst for the water of life might be quenched. What does this statement suggest to you about Jesus? O Lord, once again I thank you for what you suffered on the cross. Besides extraordinary pain, you also experienced extreme thirst.

All of this was part and parcel of your taking on our humanity so that you might take away our sin. I too am thirsty, Lord, not for physical drink. Rather, I need the new wine of your kingdom to flood my soul. I need to be refreshed by your living water.

I yearn for your Spirit to fill me once again. For most of that movie I wanted to avert my eyes. It was horrible to watch even a cinematic version of a crucifixion. And it was beyond comprehension to think that this actually happened to somebody, and not just anybody, but my Lord and Savior. I had studied the crucifixion before, and knew in my head what Jesus experienced.

But seeing a visual presentation of his suffering was almost more than I could bear. When The Passion of the Christ was over, I felt palpable relief. Thank goodness it was finished. Eugene Peterson captures the full sense of the verb in The Message: He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world, thus opening up the way for all to live under the reign of God.

He accomplished what we never could, taking our sin upon himself and giving us his life in return. Jesus finished that for which he had been sent, and we are the beneficiaries of his unique effort. One day what God has begun in us will also be finished, by his grace. Do you live as if Jesus finished the work of salvation? To you have confidence that God will finish that which he has begun in you? How can I ever find words to express my gratitude to you, dear Lord Jesus?

You finished that for which you had been sent, faithful in life, faithful in death. You accomplished that which no other person could do, taking the sin of the world upon your sinless shoulders.

All praise be to you, gracious Lord, for finishing the work of salvation. All praise be to you, dear Jesus, for saving me!

On an obvious level, Jesus was putting his post mortem future in the hands of his Heavenly Father. But when we look carefully at the Psalm Jesus quoted, we see more than what at first meets our eyes. Psalm 31 begins with a cry for divine help:. Save me, for you do what is right. Praise the LORD, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.

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By quoting a portion of Psalm 31, therefore, Jesus not only entrusted his future to his Father, but also implied that he would be delivered and exonerated. No, God would not deliver him from death by crucifixion. But beyond this horrific death lay something marvelous. Gracious Lord, even as you once entrusted your spirit into the hands of the Father, so I give my life to you. I trust you, and you alone to be my Savior. I submit to your sovereignty over my life, and seek to live for your glory alone. Here I am, Lord, available to you, both now and in the future.

How good it is to know, dear Lord, that the cross was not the end for you. So we reflect upon your death, not in despair, but in hope. With Good Friday behind us, Easter Sunday is on the horizon.

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