32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 17: 10-16
2. Psalms 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10
3. Hebrews 9: 24-28
4. Mark 12: 38-44

• Trust me on this one
• Think of a time when you had to take a leap of faith, to invest yourself where you thought there was no hope for a good outcome.
• What made you decide to do that ridiculous act?
• Did it turn out as you had hoped?
• If things turned out differently from what you had hoped, was that OK?
• Why or why not?

• Option for the poor
• God clearly has a soft spot in His heart for those who seem to have little going for them in this world.
• Clearly, the lost, the lonely, the afraid, the abused, ... all need a Gospel, a good news in their life.  What is the essence of that good news?  God loves you, you're not alone, things will get better, ...?
• How can we be that good news to others?
• How can we be better at being that good news?

• Missing the forest for the trees
• All of the rituals, the smells and bells, the church building, ... are there merely as pointers to the true faith that God has come, is come among us, to live with us and guide us.
• How do you tell the transcendent, that which comes from God's own self, from pale reminders of who He is?
• Why do you think that we need these pointers, these signposts to Eternity?
• Could we be just as close to God with fewer of them?

• Cultivating detachment
• Youngsters sometimes end an argument with the word "whatever".  In its twisted way, that one word speaks volumes.  "Have it your way, I really no longer care, clearly my opinion does not matter here, just leave me alone" all get rolled up into one word.
• What is the difference between surrender to God, and "whatever"?
• When was the last time that you surrendered to God in anything?
• How did that turn out?
• What did that tell you about God then?
• What does that tell you about God now?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Am I ever guilty of reckless generosity?
2. How am I reaching out to the forgotten in my life?
3. How am I pointing the way to God through my life?
4. Where is God calling me to give today?  Where is God not calling me to give?

Shalom!