The Psalm Refrain for today’s Mass is “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will,” from Psalm 40:8-9. It reminds me of the Dan Schutte song, Here I Am, Lord. The refrain of that song is based on the call of Isaiah to be a prophet from Isaiah 6:1-8. You might want to look up that song online and use it in prayer this week in preparation for Sunday’s Mass.
I would like to encourage you on a regular basis to use Sunday’s psalm in prayer each week. You can always find the Sunday readings on the US Bishops website, USCCB.org. This reflection time can ground your experience in the upcoming Liturgy of the Word. Here are some of the questions I would ask myself in praying this psalm.
When have I waited for the Lord to speak to me or to answer a prayer?
When has the Lord heard my cry?
What song (or what words) has God put into my mouth? How do I sing to God?
What is God’s will for me? How have I obeyed or not obeyed the Lord? How do I obey the Lord? How can I obey the Lord?
How do I delight in God? What law (word) does God put within my heart?
How do I announce justice? How do I live justly?
Try to be concrete as you pray through the text of the psalm and reflect on these questions. Add any other questions or thoughts that come to you in prayer. Make the psalm your own as you use the first-person singular pronouns in the psalm (I, my, me).
