24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 50: 4c-9a
2. Psalms 116: 1-2, 3-4 5-6, 8-9
3. James 2: 14-18
4. Mark 8: 27-35

• Embracing humility
• No one likes to be misunderstood or misrepresented.  And yet that was Jesus' lot during his entire public ministry.
• Do you think that Jesus felt lonely or isolated by that treatment?
• If you had been there during those final weeks of His ministry, what might you have done to comfort and support Him?
• Do you think that Jesus could use some comfort and support today?
• How might you minister to Him in your life?

• God has a thing for the weak
• How has God delivered you during your life?
• What were some of the things that He delivered you from?  Were they things like a sense of entitlement, unreasonable expectations on someone else, an attachment to success, were they more tangible like deliverance from a financial problem, ...?
• How did that make you feel about your life, about God?
• Do you ever think back on those times and give thanks? 

• Faith in action
• Work for justice often comes in two categories: addressing the immediate need, and looking "upstream" to find why the need arises and address the causes of injustice.
• Do you think that some of us are called to one type of justice work and not the other?
• Do you think that such a call can change over time?
• Do you think that someone who is prophetic, who speaks to the injustice of our day, can really make a difference?
• Who are some prophets of our time that you admire?

• Astonishment
• How do you think Peter should have reacted to the news that Jesus was going to be rejected and suffer?
• How do you think we can learn to think more like God in our lives?
• Do you think that the slogan "what would Jesus do?" is a good place to start answering that question?
• Is there anyone in your life that you feel that you can go to when you want to find the mind of God?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Of the characters in the stations of the Cross, which do I identify with most, and why?
2. What am I grateful for especially this week?  Maybe not things that have happened this week, but things that have come to mind this week.
3. How is my faith changing my actions?
4. What is God calling me to understand from His perspective?

Shalom!