11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for 11 Sunday in Ordinary  Time:

1. Ezekiel 17: 22-24
2. Psalms 92: 2-3, 13-14, 15-16
3. 2 Corinthains 5: 6-10
4. Mark 4: 26-34

1. Helping God help you
• "The Lord helps those who help themselves" is a quote that gets bandied about from time to time.  What do you think that means?
• Do you think that someone who lives by that motto would be humble?
• How can we orient/dispose ourselves to be more sensitive to God's provision for us?
2. Vigor in old age
• When asked what they wanted to hear about them at their own funeral, one participant offered just three words: "look, he's moving!".  But that's not likely to be how it goes for us.
• How do you see yourself being fruitful, making a contribution, following God's call in your life in old age?
• How is that different from what you are doing today?
• How are you preparing for that old age?
3. Being pleasing
• Think of some things that you've done lately that really pleased someone else, anyone else.
• What was it about that act that really touched them?  Was it particularly thoughtful, well timed, met an urgent need on their part, whatever?
• Do you think that the same sort of behavior can please God?
• How would you tell?
4. Harvest home
• When I was growing up, we emphasized bringing new souls to Christ when we thought of "harvest".  What are some other types of harvest that a good life can bring in?
• Certainly in agriculture, there are seasons.  Do you think that our lives have seasons, perhaps epochs when we are predominantly sowing seeds and other chapters in which we are reaping the harvest, or is that all sort of stirred together?
• What are you harvesting in your life today?
• What seeds are you sowing for tomorrow?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Have there been blessings that God has offered me this week that I was too proud to accept?
2. What of this last week will I look back on in the years ahead and be glad of?
3. How am I showing God that I care about Him/Her?
4. Am I reaping the harvest that God really wants for me at this stage in my life?

Someone put Petunias in my Rose Garden

I honestly don't remember where I got this idea,
But I distinctly remember thinking from my earliest days,
That retirement would be dignified.

There I'd be, surrounded by trusted colleagues, valued peers,
Holding a celebratory glass of Diet Pepsi,
And thinking to myself that I had arrived.

That "arrival" was supposed to include:
Recognition, success, acclaim
For hard work, and worthy accomplishments.

Instead, what I've found is a legacy of friendships.
Bonds to men and women that I've labored with,
People that have depended on me and I on them.

They are going to miss me,
Not so much that I accomplished all my tasks on time,
But that along the way, I was a good support.

I've learned that it's more important
To prove that you care, than you are smart,
And loyalty is the best barometer of success.

And I'm going to miss them,
Because these fellow pilgrims along the way
Have taught me how to find and share what's worthwhile.

So while I thought I was planting seeds of success along the way
It turns out that that's exactly what I did.
Just different sorts of seeds, a different sort of success.
Shalom!