Sunday, November 5, 2017

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:
  1. Wisdom 6: 12-16
  2. Psalms 62: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
  3. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
  4. Matthew 25: 1-13
  • Getting to know wisdom
    • Who are some of the wise women/wise men in your life?
    • How do you think that they got to be that way?
    • Do you think that it's better to have a font of wisdom within yourself, or is it better to just have someone that you can go to with questions whenever you have them?
    • Is wisdom more than merely counsel, or is there more to it than that?
    • If God is so eager to give us wisdom, why don't more of us have it?
  • What would make you happy?
    • In customer service, we are taught to ask that difficult question, knowing that customer demands can often be uncaring, unreasonable, and sometimes impossible.  But at least that serves as a starting point for a discussion.
    • If God were to come to you in a dream tonight and ask you what it is in all of the universe that you most want, that would make you happiest, what would that be?
    • Has that deepest desire changed any in you over the years?
    • Why is that?
  • Different views of judgment
    • You've seen this scenario play out.  A couple of guys from the old 'hood meet up in unexpected circumstances years after they each went their separate way.  One starts up with "Remember when ..." and maybe they share some fond memory of the old days, or maybe, the first guy has an ax to grind that's been lying dormant for 30 years, just waiting for this sort of an opportunity.
    • When we meet up with loved ones in heaven, do you think that forgiveness will be any easier there than it is here?
    • Do you think that forgiveness will be instantaneous, or a process?
    • How does that affect the way that you conduct your life now?
  • Living for the long term
    • Much of life seems to be tugged in two directions: survival versus planning for the long haul.  Sometimes, they seem incompatible.
    • How do you see God calling you to a life that both attends to the day to day, as well as eternal values?
    • How do you tell when you've struck the right balance?
    • Who is there in your life to gently nudge you when you get it wrong?
Preparation for Reconciliation:
  1. What am I doing to seek wisdom in my life?
  2. Are my deepest desires anything like God's deepest desires for me?
  3. How am I preparing for meeting people in my life now, in eternity?
  4. Am I merely surviving, or striving to thrive?
Shalom!


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