21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 22: 19-23
2. Psalms 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
3. Romans 11: 33-36
4. Matthew 16: 13-20

• Accountability
• It's an election year, and you can be sure that there will be a gaggle of initiatives that get onto the ballot for the voters to decide on as well.  So many of those measures either openly or covertly ask one simple question: "who are the watchdogs over this money to make sure that it doesn't get misappropriated?"
• Think of some time when you found yourself in a position of authority.  How did you get there?  Was it superlative qualifications, your winning personality, no one else would take the job?
• Who were you accountable to in the context of that function?
• Who were they accountable to, and so on up the chain?
• Who were you ultimately accountable to?
• How did you work within that accountability?

• The God of kindness
• How has God been kind to you lately?
• Did His action seem like a kindness at the time?
• How did you eventually see the kindness of God through that event?
• Do you think that was easy for God?

• Oh!
• I'm going to go out on a limb here and venture that the apostle Paul was something of an intellectual.  He probably spent a good deal of time, particularly in his later years, looking over all of the events of his life and seeing the "bigger picture" of it all.
• What is the bigger picture in your life?  Based on how God has led you through the years, what can you tell me about God's character, His motivations, His MO?
• Do you think of those types of questions very often?
• Why or why not?

• Insight
• You have to wonder what thought process Peter went through to come to his faith about the identity of Jesus, what sort of meditation he went through to get there.  Knowing what we do about Peter, I'm sure there was an element of impetuosity in this declaration of his faith in Jesus, a degree of risk-taking, of tentative boldness, and fearful courage.
• How has your faith changed through the years.  What do you believe today that you did not 10 years ago.  In other words, how are you growing?
• How did you get there?  What changed your mind/heart?
• How has that belief changed you?
• How can all of us be more open to such leading by the Holy Spirit?

• Preparation for Reconciliation

1. Where does my authority come from?
2. Where can I be more kind to more people?
3. Where has God been taking me?
4. How is God calling me to get closer to Him today?

Shalom!