13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary are:

1. Wisdom 1: 13-15, 2:23-24
2. Psalms 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
3. 2 Corinthians 8, 7, 9, 13-15
4. Mark 5: 21-43

• Creation emerging
• Creation can be destructive.  Hurricanes, drought, unseasonable cold, earthquakes and many more events can cause huge devastation and death.  All of these events and more are labeled "acts of God" in insurance circles to signify that no human agent is the direct cause, so there is no one to litigate when trying to get compensation for damages done.
• Think of some inexplicable tragedy in your life.  Maybe it was the loss of a loved one, unexpected loss of a job, ...  What did you conclude about God from that?
• Was your trust in God shaken by going through that trial, or was it maybe just reshaped?
• How has your trust toward God changed through that event, and others in your life?
• Has that been a good thing?
• Do you think that change might have happened otherwise?

• Mourning into dancing
• Rescue is a potent word.  It conjures up images of desperate people about to be engulfed by flood or fire suddenly plucked from disaster by daring heroes risking their own lives to save others.
• What are some things that God has rescued you from?  Maybe not a fire or flood, but maybe He's rescued you from being self-centered, or judgmental, or an addiction ...
• How did that rescue take place?
• What was your part in that rescue?
• What might God be anxious to rescue you from today?

• School of generosity
• I think that many of us fear the "bottomless pit" syndrome.  You probably know it by another name.  You see someone in need, maybe it's a homeless person parked near the freeway offramp, or someone that you see at church every Sunday, always all alone, and you perhaps feel like reaching out to them, but you ask yourself, "what are they going to ask of me?  Where will it end?  How will I know that I've done all that I can/should?"
  
• If someone came to you and told you "I want to learn how to be generous towards others" what would you say to them?
• Maybe you would get them involved in an existing program at your parish.
• Maybe you would tell them to start using their envelopes on Sunday.
• Maybe you would tell them to start praying for guidance.
• Is there any way to practice generosity so as to get better at it?
• What does better generosity look like?

• Do you see me?
• Deep need can isolate us from one another.  The one in need can find themselves totally defined by their needs, unable to give to anyone else.  Those others fear deep need because they think that they have to somehow fix things, at least help in some material way.
• Think of someone that you reached out to in need.  Maybe they had lost a loved one, or they were new in town and didn't know anyone, or their car broke down and they had no idea of how to get needed repairs.
• What were your fears at the time?
• Did any of those fears come true?
• Did it matter?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Why am I afraid?
2. Where is God transforming a tragedy in my life?
3. How can I be more generous, and more effective in my generosity?
4. Where is God calling me to reach out to another today?

Shalom!