6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Sirach 15:15-20
2. Psalms 119: 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
3. 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10
4. Matthew 5: 17-37

• Salvation from what?
• We speak of salvation often, but in general terms.  Is that being fair to this gift of God?
• What in your life do you need saving from?
• Think of someone that you care about deeply.  How would a deeper living in the salvation of Jesus make their lives better?
• What really makes for a better life in the first place?
• Does salvation happen in this life, or the next?

• Discernment is hard work
• Every once in a while, we are faced with a clear choice to make.  Good and evil are easily seen ranged in ranks upon the battlefield of our soul, and the decision lies clear and open before us.
• That's pretty rare though.  Often our choices are between apparently good and maybe better.  The challenge is to evaluate the alternatives with a heart sensitive to God's leading.
• When faced with a tough decision, what is your practice?
• What do you do to make yourself more sensitive to God's leading?

• Virtue is its own reward
• We hear that virtue is its own reward as an incentive to better motivation in our lives, to be holy for the sake of holiness, and not look for some sort of reward.
• How has your virtuous living benefited you, your family, your community?
• What are some life lessons that you would like to pass along to those you love?
• What virtue would you most like to acquire before you die?

• Learning humility
• What are some experiences in your life that have helped you achieve humility?
• How did you grow in humility out of those?
• How did those experiences prepare you for later experiences?
• Do you think that it's our place to see humility out, or do you think that it just happens along the way to those who are open to it?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where do I need saving?
2. How do I pray through the decisions of my life?
3. Where is God challenging my virtue?
4. Where is God trying to give me a more realistic view of His world?

I Need a Moment

Lots of things make me angry.

I'd like to say that injustice, oppression of the poor, indifference to the lowly made me angry.

Sadly, what makes me angry most often are the little things.

Getting a late start to work, and getting stuck in traffic.

Spilling my breakfast into my lap because I was careless.

Sometimes, its realizing that I spoke harshly for no reason, and I need to make amends.

There's no good cure for anger, management just channels that energy.

But I think that Mary has a word for us regarding anger: ponder.

So many strange, frightening things happened in her young life.

And her response was often to ponder them in her heart.

We never hear how long those ponderings lasted for her.

But I like to think that sometimes, in the cool of the day, with Joseph seated next to her,

Mary could start a conversation "You know, I've been thinking, praying, meditating,

And I think that I need to let it go."

Or maybe "I think that Rachel bothers me so much because she reminds me of me at that age."

Or even "I honestly don't know what will come of it, but I'm going to talk to our neighbors."

Wisdom never seems to come in a rush, a blind charge forward.

But rather from time, patience, fearlessness, trust.

Anger, on the other hand, likes instant gratification, instant resolution, instant recognition.

I will try to remember that the next time that I get angry because I lost my car keys.

Shalom!