14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 66: 10-14c
   
2. Psalms 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7,16, 20
   
3. Galatians 6: 14-18
   
4. Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
   

• God with us
  
• To the Jews, the Temple, and by extension Jerusalem itself were both sign and symbol of God's presence among them, that God had not abandoned them.  Fear of being abandoned runs through many of us I suspect.  Fear of being abandoned by God Himself is deeply terrifying.
• What evidence do you have that God is in, a part of, the very fabric of your life?
• If you were Job, and all of those things were to somehow be stripped from you, would you still believe that God was with you?
• If you firmly believe that God will never abandon nor forsake you, how has that changed your life?
• How should it?
  

• The kindness of God
  
• You hardly ever hear someone described as "kind".  Seems like sort of a wimpy virtue.  Courageous, stalwart, even mighty all sound like better virtues.  In the psalms, God is often praised for being kind and merciful.
• Why do you think that those ancient Israelites were so impressed that their God is kind and merciful?
• Are you impressed that our God is kind and merciful?
• How has He shown kindness and mercy to you?
• Where have you shown the same to others?
  

• All things new
  
• We are told that we are a new creation.  Last I looked, I still see the same tired, baggy face looking back at me in the mirror.
• Try to imagine yourself without Jesus.  Maybe you'd still be married, probably to someone else, you'd still be working, maybe even the same job, so what would be different?
• Thinking about it from that vantage point, are you glad that you are where you are?
• Why?
  

• Leaving it behind
  
• It's easy to miss the forest for the trees in life.  Between getting the oil changed on the family car, making the mortgage payment, getting to work on time, making the soccer game that promises to be the height of the season can all seem like so much noise in our lives.
• If that's true, if all of these things that take up so much of our time and energy are just in support of something else, what is that something else in your life?
• Suppose you are told that you have a week to live.  You resolve to spend that time reviewing your life to see what sense you can make of how you've spent your time on this planet.  What would you like to be able to say about your life?
• What part/parts of your current existence could you let go of if you thought that would help you focus better on your life mission?
• Or, is it possible that some of these annoying never-ending chores somehow are your mission?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Have I ever abandoned God?
2. Where have I missed an opportunity to show true kindness?
   
3. How am I stepping into God's newness in my life today?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to find Him in unexpected places?
   

Shalom!

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. 1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21
   
2. Psalms 16: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
   
3. Galatians 5: 1, 13-18
   
4. Luke 9: 51-62
   

• Succession plan
  
• Most of us go from week to week without giving much thought to who will pick up the baton when we hang up our spurs, but we ought to.  None of us lives forever, but the Kingdom that we serve will.
• If God called you into something new, and you had to give up a ministry that you are presently in, how long would that transition take?
• Whom do you think would be the ideal person to replace you?
• What can you do to help make sure that they are ready when the time comes?
  

• An inheritance like no other
  
• In ancient Israel, ideal was that the only transference of land was by inheritance.  In a way, where you were from defined you.  So it is with us, but we inherit from God because Jesus has made us God's children.
• Lots of people feel entitled to things, treatment, respect.  What are you entitled to as a child of God?
• How do you know that you are a child of God?
• Do you ever feel abandoned by God?
• How do you explain such feelings when you are a child of God?
  

• Freedom
  
• We value our freedom.  At times willing to die to defend our freedoms.  Just what does freedom entail?
• What are the most important freedoms that you enjoy today?
• What are some freedoms that you wish that you had?  Maybe it is freedom from worry, freedom from work that grinds you down, maybe freedom from a disease, freedom from too many possessions, ...
  
• How would your life be better if you were more free?
• How would your life with Jesus be better if you were more free?
• What are you doing to get there?
  

• Leaving it behind
  
• At some point in our lives, it becomes less about avoiding serious sin and more about choosing the best alternative in favor of other alternative(s) that are good in their own right, but not the best alternative, the one that God is pointing us to.
• What are some good things that you have had to give up, in favor of better things?
• How did you make that decision?
• How did that change your life?
• Do you ever wonder what might have happened if you had decided the other way?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God calling me to mentor others?
2. How is God offering me a share in His life that I may not see just now?
   
3. Where can I be more free?
   
4. Is there room in my life for what God wants to offer me next?
   

Shalom!

Corpus Christi

Our readings for Corpus Christi Sunday are:

1. Genesis 14: 18-20
   
2. Psalms 110: 1, 2, 3, 4
   
3. 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26
   
4. Luke 9: 11b-17
   

• Affirmation
  
• Most of us go through life wondering if we "doing it right".  In our modern way, we look for omens of one sort or another, be they approval from our boss, customers, colleagues, friends, family, ... to help us tell whether we are on the right track.  None of us wants to be barking up the wrong tree in life.
• What does it really mean to be "doing the right thing"?
• What do you feel are God's obligations towards you when you do the right thing?  Are you entitled to affirmation of any sort, at the very least a warm feeling?
• What can you conclude when there is no external sign that you're doing the right thing?
• Do you have the faith to go on anyway?
  

• Priests and kings
  
• Jesus has many names - prince of peace, lamb of God, redeemer, ...  Two of those names are priest and king.
• Here in the US, the functions of king are a little hard to relate to.  What does it mean to yo to say that Jesus is King of the Universe?
• What would you say his duties are in that capacity?
  
• Think as broadly as you can.  What does a priest do?
• How is Jesus still fulfilling that role today, in your life?
• Do you have any share in those duties of king and priest?
  

• Proclaiming versus reading
  
• Words can be treacherous,  slippery.  It is high praise to say of someone that they always speak with authenticity, that they are always sincere.  Our actions are even closer to who we are, where we live.  We are a living Gospel.
• If someone were to ask a close family member or close friend of yours "what have you learned about God from watching <your name here> live their life" what would they say?
• What would you want them to say?
• How can you make that happen?
  

• Living abundance
  
• Most of us are trained to live a "life raft" economy.  There are only so many resources to go around on the life raft, and we need to make those last as long as possible because once they are gone, we perish.  God, for his part, operates from a paradigm of abundance.
• We've all heard the phrase "God will provide" used in various circumstances.  What does that mean to you?
• We've also heard the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" which seems much more practical.  What do you think that means?
• Matthew 6: 19-24 presents an other worldly attitude towards our possessions and how to treat them.  Does giving yourself away seem like a sustainable strategy?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Why do I crave affirmation?
2. How is God king and priest in my life, and through me, in the lives of others?
   
3. How can I proclaim the Gospel better in my life?
4. Where is God calling me to greater generosity?
   

Shalom!

Feast of the Holy Trinity

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are:

1. Proverbs 8: 22-31
   
2. Psalms 8: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Romans 5: 1-5
   
4. John 16: 12-15

• Enjoying your work, working at your leisure
  
• We all think that we know what work is.  Work is what we do to achieve some other goal, be it housing our family, putting food on the table, getting a house in a neighborhood with a good school district.  Play is something that we do strictly for ourselves, that we enjoy for its own sake.
• Really?  What would life be like if work and play overlapped, even merged in your life?
• What would that do to the sort of "job" that you took for a career?
• How would that color your attitude toward your education?
• Would you ever retire?
• What would it mean to retire?
• Do you think that God's work of creation is over?
• Do you think that God has fun?
  

• Co creators
  
• Southern California is home to some truly stunning scenery.  Half Dome in Yosemite, Death Valley and many other sights have a soaring majesty that take your breath away, fill you with a sense of wonder, and, if you are lucky, usher you into a time of prayer.
• When humans construct a bridge across a bay, is that creating in the same sense that God creates a sunset, plants a volcano, directs the course of a river?
• Should we only build what is beautiful, inspires those who live/work/travel there, or are practical considerations more important?
• What have you created/built lately?
• Is it likely to ever inspire anyone to prayer?
  

• Peace in and with God
  
• Peace seems ever more elusive these days, to the point that we have a hard time even defining it, naming it.
• Can you think of a time lately when you felt utterly at peace?
• What brought that on?  Was it a beautiful sight, the touch of a beloved family member, the sound of a friend's voice, your presence in the Communion procession, ...?
• How long did that peace last?
• How long would you have liked for it to last?
• Is that practical?
• Why?
  

• Full disclosure
  
• If you had an hour a day to ask God anything that you wanted to, what would you ask?  And let's say that God promised to be as honest and forthcoming with you as you could handle at the time.
• What do you think those conversations would be like?
• How faithful would you be in that sacred hour each day?
• What would you do with the words that God shared with you?
• What makes you so sure there would be words in this conversation?
• What would have to happen in your life before you started such a dialog with God?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God inviting me to fun?
2. What are God and I creating together today?
   
3. Where can I make more room for peace in my life?
4. Where is my prayer-life taking me?
   

Shalom!