13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 1: 13-15, 2:23-24
2. Psalms 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
3. 2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15
4. Mark 5: 21-43

• Where would we be without death?
• Do you think that there will come a time when you will welcome your own death?
• What has to happen between now and then?
• Is all of that going to be a good thing?
• Do you think that God has anything to say about when we die?
• What does that say about God?
• What does that say about our death?

• Praise God, for ...
• When I was growing up, there was a slogan: "praise God anyhow!" that was offered as the answer to any tragedy that occurred.  I gradually grew to hate that phrase, and all of the sanctimonious dodging of genuine pain that it represented.
• What do you think is praiseworthy of God?
• Is that about things that God has done to/for you?
• What do those experiences tell you about God?
• What do they tell you about you?

• Is God a Commie?
• Is it intrinsically evil that one person has more while another has less?
• Just what responsibilities do we, in the richest nation on earth, have for others less fortunate?
• Jesus never healed a stock market portfolio, never preached against a politician because of their immigration policies or their attendance to justice.  Does that mean that Jesus didn't care about those things, just had more important things to do, or that He somehow expected His followers to address such things in due time?
• Is there anything that God actually owes us?

• Life is what happens along the way
• Oftentimes, it feels as though life would be so much better if our interruptions stopped getting interrupted.  How do you think that Jesus dealt with all of the competing demands on His time and energy?
• Do you think that His prayer life had anything to do with that?
• How do you think Jesus knew when it was time to fold up His prayer shawl and get on with life day in, and day out?
• How do you tell?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What am I blaming God for lately?
2. What am I praising God for today?
3. How can I show mercy without being patronizing?
4. How can I be more patient with/about the unexpected in my life?

Shalom!