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Feasting on His Presence: A Call to Intimacy and Mission
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Psalm 34:1-10
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth.
My soul will glory in the Lord; the poor will hear and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us together extol his name.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.
This poor one cried out and the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy ones; for those who fear him lack nothing.
The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Grace Prayed For
The scripture passage prompts the reader to pray for the grace to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in every circumstance, and from that profound experience, to radiate His joy and love to others.
Reflection
Consider the psalmist’s overflowing heart. “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth.” This isn’t a forced devotion, but a natural response to an experience of profound encounter. Can you feel that same wellspring of gratitude rising within you? For indeed, the Lord has answered you, and He has set you free from your terrors, perhaps not always in the way you expected, but always with a steadfast love that holds you close.
“Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.” This is an invitation to turn your gaze, not inward to your fears or outward to the world’s demands, but directly to Him. In that gaze, a transformation occurs. Your face, once perhaps clouded with worry or shame, becomes radiant. This radiance isn’t a superficial glow, but the outward manifestation of an inner joy that comes from truly knowing that you are seen, heard, and cherished by God.
And then, the most tender invitation of all: “Taste and see how good the Lord is.” This isn’t an intellectual exercise; it’s a call to a lived experience. Imagine God offering Himself to you, not as a concept, but as a rich and satisfying meal. He is the sustenance your soul craves. To “taste” Him is to allow His presence to fill every part of your being, to savor the sweetness of His love, the comfort of His presence, the strength of His wisdom.
This intimate encounter isn’t meant to be hoarded. The psalmist immediately moves from personal praise to communal invitation: “Glorify the Lord with me; let us together extol his name.” When you truly taste and see His goodness, you can’t help but share it. The mission to take this message out into the world, into each and every encounter, flows naturally from this intimate union. Your radiant joy, your settled peace, your quiet confidence in His provision (“those who seek the Lord lack no good thing”) become a living testimony. You don’t need to preach; you simply live from the overflow of His self-gift, and others will notice the feast you are enjoying, prompting them to seek the source of your sustenance. In every conversation, every interaction, every moment, you are an embodiment of the truth that God gives Himself to us, inviting others to “taste and see” for themselves.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
This passage leads to greater intimacy with Jesus by revealing Him as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s self-gift. Jesus is the Goodness of the Lord made manifest, the one who truly “saves from all distress” and through whom we have refuge. To “taste and see” God’s goodness is to intimately encounter Jesus, who embodies divine love and invites us into a communion so profound that we lack no good thing.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post