11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

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

• Continuity in the strangest places
• We all like to think that everything that we do lays a foundation for that which is to come.  Schooling leads to that great job offer, the salary leads to that house, and so on.
• But sometimes, the continuity seems fragile at best.  Out of all of humanity, God preserved just Noah and his family.  Just a tiny shoot of the Cedar (representing the nation Israel) would be replanted back in their homeland.
• Thinking back over your life, think of something that has changed radically.  Maybe you lost a job, or had to move to a new one, last a loved one, some relationship died.
• What were you able to carry forward from that experience?
• Were the results worth it?
• Do they have to be worth it?

• The fruit of your labors
• When you think about it, perhaps the single biggest desire that we all share is that we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors.
• How long do you think you will be able to continue to bear fruit in your life?
• Do you think that the nature of that fruit will change as you grow older?
• What of this chapter of your life do you think that you will miss the most?

• At home in this body
• I've finally resigned myself to one tragic reality: I'm a 60-year old white guy trapped in a 60-year old white guy's body.  Oddly, I don't get much sympathy for that.  Maybe I had this coming.
• Do you feel that we are obliged to improve on previous generation's outlook on life, on religion, on holiness?
• If so, how have you improved on that stock that you came from?
• Do you think that you left the next generation a good starting place?
• Where would you hope that they grow into before they pass the baton in their turn?

• It's all gift
• We know that there is nothing that we can do apart from God, yet the practical implications of that simple fact are often hard to pin down, even harder to live.
• If it is ultimately up to God to bring about the Kingdom here on earth, just what is our role?
• How can we best "get out of God's way" as He brings about His kingdom on earth?
• Why do you think that God wants us involved in the ongoing creation at all?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What in my life, success, appreciation, affection ... am I willing to give up as I follow Jesus?
2. What fruit am I bearing today?
3. What legacy is God building in me?
4. How can I give God more freedom in my life?

Shalom!