Weekly Readings Reflections: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

It's hard to watch injustice go unpunished. One cold comfort is to tell yourself that the oppressors will get theirs in the next life. All we have to do is wait.
Think of someone who hurt you in some way. Maybe it was a single action or word on their part, or maybe it was a consistent pattern of behavior that they exhibited towards you. How do you think of them today?
If you met this person by chance today, what would be your first impulse?
If you knew that just one kind word from you would completely change their life around, and make them a better person, would you do it?
Maybe it's more than just one kind word, how much might you be willing to do for that person to see them truly happy?
How much does any of us truly deserve happiness?

Many of us look back on our younger years and wonder a) how anyone was able to put up with us b) what were we thinking when we said/did those things, and c) am I really all that different now?
What are some of the hardest lessons that you have had to learn in life?
What made those so difficult?
What had gone on in your life to prepare you to learn those things?
Do you think that things you're going through now are preparing you for anything?
What might that be?

The hard part about putting others first is being authentic about it. We've all met personalities who take on hardship because they have a "martyr complex" rather then a motivation of true generosity.
Who are some of the people in your life that you routinely put ahead of your own desires?
How did you get to that point?
If you had an intimate knowledge of God's desires, if you had a crystal clear understanding of what God wants, how would that change your life?
Are you willing to make any of those changes with just a fuzzy idea of what God wants?

I'm sure that John the Baptist looked like just another nut case in a long string of such prophets to the established religious leaders of his day. Jesus' condemnation of those leaders was that they chose to cling to what they knew, had handed down to them, rather than see the consolation that John brought, and take that to heart.
What are some things that you are especially attached to? Lately, we've had to give up our sanctuaries, the church music, in-person meetings of any sort, and the list goes on and on. The question is, is any of that essential?
In your life, how to you separate the critical, the essential from the accidental, the cosmetic aspects of your life?
How then should you treat those non-essentials?

Where is God inviting me to show greater mercy?
Where is God inviting me into greater humility?
Where do I need to give something up in my life, in order to draw closer to God?
Where is God calling me to be generous?

Training Camp

Giving generously isn't easy to do.

First there's the fear.

What I give away, I don't have for myself, my family.

Then there's motivation.

Looking at your giving as an investment.

That will yield interest in the sweet bye & bye.

Or giving as a way to wield influence.

I'll give of myself to you,

But I have a few suggestions on how you can do better.

Or using giving as a way to advance socially.

The truly generous among us occupy a stratospheric level of life,

And to be ushered into their ranks for your generosity is an amazingly affirmative experience.

But giving because it's the right thing to do.

Because it's the only thing to do.

Because it's the godly thing to do.

That's hard.

No one will hold a parade in your honor.

No one will invite you to the speaking circuit.

No plaques in the lobby to remember you.

Just consolation for the hopeless,

Just a voice for the abandoned,

Just an answer to prayer for someone who needs you.

Holy Spirit,

Grace me with trust, humility, and open hands.

That I might touch your children with your love, and not notice it.

Shalom!

Weekly Readings Reflections