18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 21-23
   
2. Psalms 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13,14, 17
   
3. Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11
   
4. Luke 12: 13-21
   

• Leaving a legacy
  
• Deep down, all of us want our lives to matter, to mean something.  The challenge then becomes one of trying to find what is meaningful to God for us, essentially what we were created for, and let the rest go.  A story of how we often have to choose between those things that matter and those that do not can be found here.
• How much of your life is taken up with things that you do for the sheer joy and fulfillment of it?
• How much of your life is taken up with things that you do just to survive?
• Do you think that's a good ratio?
• Do you think that your life would be more beneficial to those around you if you spent less time just surviving?
• How do you think that could happen?
  

• Courage to be kind
  
• Does the phrase "mighty in kindness" sound like a contradiction in terms to you?
• How/when/where has God shown His kindness to you?
• What does/do that/those kindnesses tell you about God, and the strength of His kindness towards us?
• What does that teach you about how you might be more mighty in the kindness that you show others?
  

• Jesus people
  
• When I was a teenager and knew everything, we had a small group of Jesus People come as guests and speak to us.  They spoke of liberation from drugs, alcohol, greed, violence.  They were a scary bunch to a young, white, middle class kid.  Now I wish that I had paid better attention to them.
• Thankfully, all of us are surrounded by others who are different from us.  Think of a few people in your life who are radically different from you.
• Can you picture yourself ever serving them in any capacity?
• Can you picture yourself ever serving them humbly?
• Why is that?
• Does that need to change?
  

• Gifts from God
  
• If you think about it, everything that we have is gift.  We pause before meals to thank God for the bounty of the earth that has come to our table.  If we are thoughtful, perhaps we thank God for the farmers who grew the crops that made their way to our table, for the ranchers who made their contribution, for the cook who gave generously of their time and talent.  The meal thanksgiving should be only the start of our gratitude.
• Imagine that you achieve perfect gratitude: you are ever grateful for every gift that is woven into your life.  How would that change your prayer life?
• How would that perfect gratitude change your attitude toward your work?
• How would that change in your attitude toward your work change what you worked on, who you would work for, how hard you would work?
• How would such gratitude reignite your family life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. What legacy is God building in me today?
   
2. Where is God calling me to care more, care more courageously, care more recklessly?
3. Where is challenging me to greater humility?
4. What is God calling me to act on gratitude to Him for all His blessings?

 Shalom!

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Genesis 18: 20-32
   
2. Psalms 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
3. Colossians 2: 12-14
   
4. Luke 11: 1-13
   

• Driving a hard bargain with God
• Abraham argued that God's own nature dictated that God behave in a certain way.  Often, we tell God how important something is to us, why it is important, what will happen if He does not give us what we want.  Rarely do we appeal to God based on His own nature.
• Think of a time that you really, really wanted God to do something for you.  What was it that you asked for?
• Did you try to help God understand how important this was?
• How did you try to influence God's answer?
• Did it work?
• How can you tell?
• Would you recommend that technique to anyone else?
  

• Answers to prayer
  
• Answers to prayer come in many forms, through many people, maybe even disguised.  Especially if we are not looking in the right places for those answers.
• If someone were to tell you flat out that God always answers prayers, and He answers them the very day that you raise those prayers up to Him, how would that change the way that you pray?
• How would that change the way that you look at your prayer life up to this point?
• Do you have an example of a prayer that was not answered, at all, ever?
• How do you know that God did not answer your prayer?
• Did you pray about that apparent abandonment?
  

• Trust me, trust in me, trust me in you
  
• How deep is your trust in God?
• What has that trust enabled you to do in your life that you would not have been able to accomplish without that trust?
• What has God done to earn that trust?
•  Do you trust that God is within you?
• Do you trust that Presence within you?
  

• Gifts from God
  
• How do you pray?
• Why do you pray?
• How has your prayer changed things?
• How has your prayer changed you?
• Do you think the words of your prayer are terribly important?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God revealing Himself to me in my prayer?  Who is He becoming in my life?
   
2. Where is God answering my prayer and I do not see/accept His answer?
3. Where might God be calling me to deepen my trust in Him?
4. What is God calling me to open my life to in my prayer life?

 Shalom!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Genesis 18: 1-10a
   
2. Psalms 15: 2-3, 3-4, 5
3. Colossians 1: 24-28
   
4. Luke 10: 38-42
   

• God with us
  
• Good hospitality has several facets: the host has to know what their guests need, and be able to provide that to them, the host needs to be generous, not just their provisions, but with their time, and most of all, the host must be humble.
• Do you think that God ever comes to us in unexpected forms, unexpected places, even inconvenient times?
• When might that have happened to you?
• How did you respond?
• How/when did you find God in that experience?
• Do you think that you'll be better prepared for such an encounter the next time?
  

• Sharing generously
  
• Sharing with others always carries a number of hidden costs that go beyond merely the time/talent/treasure given away.  Sharing without reserve creates a bond with that other, a bond that might be exploited.  Sharing leaves us more open, vulnerable not just to their needs, but the needs of others as our hearts are gradually opened up.
• Your closest friends and relatives have gathered to compose your eulogy.  You are otherwise detained during this meeting, so you won't be there to correct any misconceptions they might have about you.  Do you think that any of them will describe you as generous?
• If so, how have you been generous?
• How has that generosity changed you?
• How might you teach that sort of generosity to others?
• If not, what scares you most about becoming generous in your giving?
  

• The joy of the Lord
  
• Do you ever wonder what might be the origin of the joy of the Lord?  Is it that everything goes your way, that every thing that you put your hand to prospers, that no harm ever befalls you, or is the joy of the Lord something more resilient, deeper, stronger than that?
• Think of someone in your life that you would describe as joyful.
• Where do you think that springs from?
• Is that joy steady, or does it come and go?
• What would you be willing to do to have such joy in your life?
  

• Worship begins at home
  
• We are left to imagine how the Holy Family treated each other at the end of a long day, how they managed to get by on meager income, how they treated their neighbors, the rest of the family, what stories they shared with each other and guests about their lives.  I think all of us in families could learn a lot from that.  Clearly Jesus learned a great deal from His family as He grew up.
• What would you say that you have learned about God and how to serve Him from your young years?
• If you are a parent, how much of that do you think you managed to pass along to your children?
• They never stop being your children, what does change is what worries you about their lives, and what options you have for helping them.
• All of us doubtless have children that we may know nothing of, those who look up to us for values, who look to us for the secret to the meaning of life.  How well do you think you have served them?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Who has been the unexpected Presence of God in my life lately?
   
2. Where can I be more deeply generous?
3. Where might God be leading me to unexpected joy?
4. How am I building a place of prayer in my home, my life?

 Shalom!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Deuteronomy 30: 10-14
   
2. Psalms 69: 14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37
   
3. Colossians 1: 15-20
   
4. Luke 10: 25-37
   

• God with us
  
• We all have many needs, such as shelter, food, water, a place to call home, meaningful work, and an occasional jelly doughnut.  But perhaps the most important need that often goes unmet is a clear set of priorities, a compass to tell us what's important, and what is just cosmetic.
• Do you sometimes feel as though your life is a crowded room with too much in it?
• Have you ever tried to "clean house" in your life?
• How did you know that you had done enough?
• How do you know when you need to clean house again?
• Does it always have to be this way?
  

• Being poor in spirit
  
• One of the biggest benefits of regular prayer may be achieving God's view of our lives, our community, our world.  Bringing our needs before God and entrusting them to His care gives us a chance to see our needs in the larger context, to see with God's eyes.
• How has your prayer life changed over time?
• How has your prayer life changed you over time?
• Where would you like for your prayer life to be in five years?
• What can you do to make that happen starting today?
  

• Getting it all together
• One quip that I can relate to is "I finally have it all together but I've forgotten where I left it".  We tend to spend the first half of our lives acquiring, accumulating, gathering things like influence, prestige, respect, home, family, all good things.  At some point, we begin to realize that the only way to really enjoy these things is to give them away.
  
• If Jesus is the creator behind everything in life, is He still present in the world around us?
• If Jesus is present in everything, and every one, is it possible to have a "bad day"?
• If Jesus is present in everything and everyone, how then should we treat others?
  

• Mercy can be disruptive
  
• Practicing random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty is hard because you never know when the opportunity, the call, will come up and make you change your plans without warning.  But I think that we need to leave room in our lives to practice such mitzvah.
• When was the last time that someone asked you for help, with or without actually saying it?
• How ready were you to offer that help?
• Did you have to take some time to adjust your expectations for how your day was going to go?
• Do you think that you grew any in the experience?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God seeking to reveal His priorities to me?
2. What are some needs that I need to pray about?
3. Where might God be calling me to find Him in unexpected places?
4. How am I learning to show mercy today?

 Shalom!