Gratitude & Thanksgiving

 Psalm 72 is a coronation hymn for a king. Verse 1 “king” = David; “king’s son” = Solomon (because of Solomonic attribution) “righteousness” (tzedaqah 159x; tzedeq 160x) (righteous person = tzaddiq 206x) means behaviour that conforms to some standard (e.g. interpersonal agreement, rules/regulations/laws, covenant) Verses 2-4 “he” = the king or the king’s son, i.e. every leader of the people Vv. 2 and 4: the king maintains and restores justice V. 3: the mountains and hills, representing creation, bring peace and righteousness “peace” [Hebrew: shalom = wholeness, completeness, integrity] “lowly” [Hebrew: ani = socially dependent] “needy” [Hebrew: evyon = destitute] King Soloman was confronted with 2 women, each with a child, one dead and one living.  Both women wanted claim on the living child, Soloman wisely gave an option - to cut the child into two.... one woman said yes do that, the other woman said no let the child live, and she was prepared to give the child away so long a...

  General observations v.1-4: God is described as shepherd; the psalmist as sheep v.5-6: God as a beduine who prepares a banquet for the psalmist as a visitor Intimate communication between God (he v.1-3,6 and you v.4-5) and the psalmist The Lord is depicted in two different images in this psalm, two different images And as a shepherd, the Lord is not owner of a big herd of sheep  Rather, the psalm depicts a very intimate setting of the shepherd knowing his sheep. God is infinite, he can deal with us as if we are the unique individual on earth, at the same time giving this unique attention to billions and billions. Verse 1 God is not like sheep owner who owns thousands of sheep, who treats one sheep like any other; RATHER God is a shepherd who takes care of a small number of sheep and knows each sheep intimately (cf. Prophet Nathan’s parable of sheep owner and the poor shepherd in 2Sam 12:1-3) Deut 2:7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He kno...

Psalm 8 is a psalm of praise. Starts with praise to God. Praise his creation The heart of the psalm - what is human worth that HE cares for man Then the inclusio - closing with praise This psalm contains vocabulary of majestic glory The triple us of the pronoun is lost in the English translation at v1, 4, 9 Verse 1 Hymns in the psalter usually praise God in the 3rd peron (eg Psalm 19, 24) Hymns in the Psalter usually begin with an imperative call to praise God, e.g. Ps 33; 47. Psalm 8 begins differently — with an exclamation of praise spoken directly to God : “O LORD, our Lord” → Psalm 8 is a poem about God and us and about our relationship with God Verse 2 When Jesus quoted this psalm in teh NT, he quoted the Septuagint, the Greek bible. not the Hebrew bible.   In the NT, there is the story of the entrance into the holy city. Interpretation 1: Matthew 21:15-16 ESV: But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in ...

ORIGIN OF THE WORD PSALM FIVE BOOKS SALMS AS SALVATION HISTORY HEBREW AND GREEK NUMBERING AUTHOR/ATTRIBUTION OVERVIEW (Additional source: Youtube) TYPES OF PSALMS Bibliography and Resources Introduction – source material Bergant, Dianne. “Reading Guide for the Book of Psalms.” In The Catholic Study Bible, 3rd ed., Kindle ed., edited by Donald Senior, John J. Collins, Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016# Bergsma, John. Psalm Basics for Catholics: Seeing Salvation History in a New Way. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2018. Ho, Peter C.W. Design of the Psalter: A Macrostructural Analysis. Eugene (Oregon): Pickwick Publications, 2019. Introduction – recommended books Athanasius of Alexandria. “Letter to Marcellinus on Interpretation of the Psalms.” In Athanasius: The Life of Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus, edited by Robert Clark Gregg, 101-129. The Classics of Western Spirituality series. New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1980. Barber, Michael. Singing in the Reign...

Watching the 3-hour long movie "The Odyssey" was exhilarating.  Several parts of the dialogue made me sense that the 3000-year-old ancient poem is far deeper than what it seems.   After the show, I tried to search out those parts of the dialogue that moved me to deeper thoughts.  This led me to resources that enlightened me, especially a particular Youtube video which gave me what I was looking for.  Below are notes from the video transcript, organised for easy reference, and given headings (my own) for clarity.  Link to the Video A DIFFICULT RETURN We would use the word odyssey for any long, difficult journey. But Homer gives more of the Odyssey to the broken household waiting for him, the disguises he wears after returning, the people who do or do not recognize him, and the violence required to make his home his own again. It is whether a man can return to the life that once made him who he was. ESCAPING THE BURDENS THAT MAKES LIFE MEANINGFUL In the land ...

Personal NOTES taken during mass Personal notes taken during homily by Rev Fr Edmund Chong, Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour 26 July 2026 Sunday

Sharing a valuable resource that very clearly explains the SSPX issue. Click here for the 33 min video:   Rev Deacon Sherman explains ------------------------- "Many faithful of the Church misperceive the issue of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) as simply being a problem with the newer liturgical form celebrated by the Catholic Church. The real disagreement they have with the Church is actually much deeper and wider than that. In the video, Rev. Deacon Professor Dr Sherman Kuek OFS gives us a very clear synopsis of who the SSPX are, and the historical background against which they exist. He explains very clearly why they have been excommunicated again from the Church. He also advises what our attitude ought to be as faithful Catholics, towards this society and their current state." ----------------- Quoting Rev Deacon Sherman: As faithful Catholics, what should our attitude be towards the SSPX? We can recognise that there is truth in their frustration.  We can sympath...