32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 17: 10-16
2. Psalms 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10
3. Hebrews 9: 24-28
4. Mark 12: 38-44

• Random acts of kindness and senseless beauty
• Bold generosity in the face of a world caught up in acquisition is counter-cultural, even regarded as a little suspect in some circles, yet it is what Jesus calls us to.
• It is easy to over-commit yourself, especially to good causes.  How do you tell when God is calling you to a seemingly senseless act of generosity versus other people taking advantage of you?
• Do you think that Jesus ever felt used?
• How has your generous giving of yourself changed you through the years?
• Would you be richer today if you had not been generous at those times?

• Making waves
• God seems intent on being where we least expect Him.  Not in the halls of power, not in the seats of government, but with the poor, the lowly, the disenfranchised, the forgotten.
• Who are those in your life that you know of who seem to have no means of support, no security in their lives?
• How did they get that way?
• How do you think God would want for you to help them?
• How would your generosity help you? 

• Door, not barrier
• God made us physical beings, not as a punishment, but as a way for Him to be more intimately present in this creation, through us.
• What are some things, be they rituals, locations, prayer practices, people, Scriptures, ... that help to transport you to God?
• How did they all come to have that effect on you?
• How do you know when you have lost sight of God for the things that God has given you to help you connect with the rest of the cosmos?

• It's all a matter of trust
• The widow in the Gospel story achieved a heroic freedom by casting the last of her money into the temple treasury.  She no longer worried whether her remaining funds would stretch far enough.  Giving that to God left her free to pursue other concerns in her life.
• How much of your life is spent in maintenance?  You get the car down for a lube and oil, you go to the store for food for that week, you remember to call the furnace man to come out and take a look at your heater filter, and the list just never ends.
• Do you feel that maintenance is a service to God?
• Would He feel it's a service to Him?
• What do you think He'd rather you be doing?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where might God be calling me to be more authentic in my generosity?
2. What is God calling me to hidden kindnesses?
3. What are the blessings that God wants me to use differently?
4. How might I celebrate my trust in God more deeply?

Shalom!