Reflecting on the Word of God

"In the Scriptures, by the Spirit, may we see the Saviour's face". Hymn from the Office.

 Reflecting on the Word of God

 Psalm 17 - "I love you, Lord, my strength." Really about the ebb and flow of life. The Psalm begins in the bright morning of life, then leads into life's troubles and pain. But there is a line - "he brought me forth into freedom, he saved me because he loved me" that leaps out of the page.

Psalm 33 (34?) - "Glorify the Lord with me, together let us praise his name" , and another beautiful line "Taste and see that the Lord is good" - taking time to savour the presence of the Lord. "This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescues him" . The psalm has many moods but one pice of excellent advice. "Look to the Lord and be radiant"

Bernard of Clairveaux - " The whole of the spiritual journey revolves around these two things. ...from the contemplation of ourselves we gain fear and humility, from the contemplation of God we gain joy and hope" 

From the breviary - from the canticle of Habakkuk - Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

A psalm for times of humiliation and when times go wrong. Psalm 49/50 "call on me in the day of your distress. I will free you and you will honour me"

Hymn from the Office, " O Christ, the light of heaven, and of the world true light". "The love that we have wasted, O God of Love, renew." 

God as the ultimate recycler - even our sins, our failures, our shortfalls are grist to the mill of God.

"O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer."