The Lord Himself is My Heritage: Reflections on Psalm 16

Read Psalms, Chapter 16

Composed by: Sr. Joseph

This psalm brought tears to my eyes.  I began to question myself:  in my mind I wonder what is wrong with me?  Christ is everything I need.  There is no other God we can compare to Christ.  I trust in the God that I serve.  Keep me God, I trust in you; I am happy alone with you.  You put in my heart the Holy Spirit—what a marvelous love gift you gave to me!  Jesus Christ, provides for me daily, for He knows what I need.  And when I am asleep at night, He keeps my heart and lungs working, which gives me another opportunity to reach out to others and tell them the goods news of God.  I rise early in the morning “looking towards the hills from which cometh my help.”  My soul praises God with Alleluia praises.  This brings back a story to my mind.  One day, I was meditating on God’s goodness and my inner spirit was praising God with alleluia praises.  It was a marvelous thing to witness!  I cannot find the words to describe the great love Jesus Christ has for us all.  I can stand firm and tell my stories of how Christ worked in my life and I know He will do the same for others. Christ has always stood by my side.  When family and friends turned their backs on me, Christ was there.  A single mom raising five children and one of my sister’s kids, Christ was there!  When my aunt passed in my arms, and my parents passed away as well, Christ was there!  When I was going through my shadow of death, my burden was very heavy, but He kept a smile on my face; you see, Christ was there!  When I cried a river but never could find a name for the sorrow, Christ was there!  And before all of the above, Christ was there!  Even when I was in my youth and did not have time to reverence Him, Christ was there!  You see, we serve a wonder God.  I share my story because I know what God has done for me, He will do for others as well; as long as we serve Him.  And on the other side, if we do not serve God and serve other gods, we will bring great sorrow upon ourselves.​

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 Composed by: Sr. Catherine of Siena

Being in the process of discerning the call to the third order, the first verse seems to be a plea for the Lord’s help through the postulancy process. Since I believe my happiness lies in him and in doing his will, joining the order would be a good way for me to live in his will. The second verse seems to be in thanksgiving to the Lord for putting a love for him and his will in my heart, and an admiration for his religious faithful. And also for inspiring me to want to live like some of his faithful servants - the religious. The third verse seems to be a resignation from earthly gain and a total redirection of my gaze to the Lord as the ultimate prize in my life. The fourth verse seems to be in thanksgiving for the Lord’s guidance and direction in my life. And so I am thankful for all the Lord’s graces and I am reassured that he will keep me safe by his side. Thus, you will show me the path of life and I will find happiness at your side.