33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Daniel 12: 1-3
2. Psalms 16: 5,8, 9-10, 11
3. Hebrews 10: 11-14, 18
4. Mark 13: 24-32

• Wisdom is its own reward
• Wisdom is sometimes described as a woman of great generosity, offering her blessings to anyone who will accept them.  Sometimes I think she doesn't get many takers.
• What are you doing to try to grow in wisdom?
• Where does your wisdom come from?
• How do you pass that wisdom along to others?
• Do you feel that your wisdom is appreciated by others?
• Does that matter?

• It's your body calling on line #1
• Our bodies can be more than mere victims, if we allow them.  Most of us are aware of the harm that a stress-filled life can wreak in our bodies, but we rarely find the time to listen to what our bodies might be trying to tell us at any given moment.  The psalmists seem to have a much healthier connection with their bodies than we in the West do today.
• When you pray, how do you "settle in" to that experience?
• How long does that take?
• How do you know that you are ready for some serious prayer?
• What role does your body have in your pryaer?
• How do you come out of prayer?
• Why do you come out of prayer? 

• Eternal unbloody sacrifice
• There is a creative tension between the reality of the crucifixion and the resurrection.  Christ in His passion is always there for us, always abandoned, always alone and thrust to the side of history, and always telling the Peter in all of us "feed my sheep" in all His glory.
• How does Jesus' suffering affect you today?
• If you had been in the crowds when He was tried, sentenced, and crucified, would you have have tried to make a difference?
• Do you think Jesus would have noticed?
• Do you think that there's any way that you can make a difference today?

• Survivalist
• Survivalists are quite certain that Armageddon is coming, and they mean to do what it takes to survive.  In their minds, anything less that careful planning and preparation for the end of civilization as we know it is either delusional or lazy, or both.
• So, how are you preparing for an uncertain future?
• How does your trust in God play into that preparation?
• How does living today to its fullest, despite the uncertainties of tomorrow, play into the preparation?
• Would your life be different if you knew exactly what was coming and when?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where might God be calling me to be a wiser woman/man of God?
2. What is God trying to tell me through my body?
3. What can I do to companion Jesus?
4. How might I be more ready for the four last things in my life?

Shalom!