2nd Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent are:

1. Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
2. Psalms 116: 10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
3. Romans 8: 31b-34
4. Mark 9: 2-10

• Take nothing for granted
• Survivors are never the same.  Anyone who has survived a close call with death never looks at life the same, never looks at everyone else the same.  I'm sure that Abraham doubtless never looked at Isaac the same.
• Who are some people in your life that you tend to take for granted?
• Do they have any idea of how much you appreciate them?
• How do you think that you can be more appreciative towards them?

• Finding God in afflictions
• Think of a time when you felt far from God.
• What questions did you ask of God through that time?
• What answers did you receive?
• What/who helped you through that time?
• What did you learn through that?

• Give me Jesus
• Jesus does not pay the bills, confer degrees on you, shower you with gifts, or anything else that's terribly practical.  Yet so many of us firmly believe that we could not get along without him.
• How has Jesus transformed your life lately?
• How did that happen?
• What can you do today to make sure that you are more open to His gift to you in the future?

• The blessing of memory
• I have to believe that Peter, James, & John spoke of the Transfiguration among themselves.  They doubtless wanted to make sure that they were not going crazy.  They probably wanted to know what it all meant.  They probably struggled to understand how Jesus Himself fit into that picture.
• Is there anyone in your life that you can share deep faith experiences with?
• What happens to you when you do share?
• How does that sharing change your perceptions of your experiences?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God trying to open my eyes to those around me?
2. What can I learn from suffering in the past, and present?
3. Where is Jesus looking to be my sustenance, my all?
4. Where/with whom am I sharing my faith?

Shalom!