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!