23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 9: 13-18b
   
2. Psalms 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
   
3. Philemon 9-10, 12-17
   
4. Luke 14: 25-33
   

• Embracing the mystery
  
• In Catholic theology, a mystery is not something that can never be apprehended, rather it is something that can never be completely understood.  Who knows, quantum mechanics might qualify as a mystery under that definition.
  
• Do you feel at all wise?
• How do you feel that wisdom came to you?
• Are there any folks in your life who are benefiting (in one way or another) from that treasure trove of wisdom that you have?
• Would you want to be more wise?
• How would you support that process of gaining more wisdom?
  

• God is ageless and age transcendent
  
• Keeping the "big picture" in mind gives us context, helps us to realize that the immediate challenges confronting us are all part of something bigger, that their true significance often is very different than we might think.
• Have you ever prayed for that bigger picture?
• Have you ever asked God the eternal question "why"?
• What has been the answer to that prayer for you?
• Does that mean that you should stop asking?
  

• Getting our priorities right
  
• One tenet of Ignatian spirituality is to cultivate an attitude of indifference towards outcomes in life.  Not because a disciple doesn't care, but that their principal care is that God be glorified in their life, that the disciple can draw closer to God.
• Pretend that indifference was something that you have been able to thoroughly embrace.  How would that change your prayer?
• How would such indifference change your stress levels, your anxiety levels?
• What are some virtues that would support such indifference?
• How do you think that you can achieve such indifference?
  

• Motivation is everything
  
• All of us need to eat.  God, in His generosity, provides what we need.  But that relationship with our food becomes unhealthy when we use eating to comfort ourselves, or try to establish control, or act out in some sort of defiance or ...
• What should be our attitude towards the daily bread that God gives us?
• What about our possessions, our homes, clothing, Teslas?
• Our families?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to greater wisdom?
   
2. Can I ask god "why" and still be a person of faith?
3. How much do I trust God to do the right thing, to get the ultimate good?
   
4. Am I clinging to any part of my life that I need to let go of?

 Shalom!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29
   
2. Psalms 68: 4-5, 6-7, 10-11
   
3. Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24a
   
4. Luke 14: 7-14
   

• Getting involved in your giving
  
• We all know that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9).  Does God also cherish an involved giver?
• Think about the giving that you do.  How are you involved?  Do you have an automatic withdrawal, you have to write a check regularly, you go to the charity of your choice and volunteer time, you serve on their board of directors, ...?
• Does it matter how you are involved, as long as the needy people get their needs met?
• Why is it that you give?
• Has that giving changed you at all?
• Is it more than just a noble habit?
  

• God helps those who help themselves
  
• None of us likes to see someone take advantage of other's generosity.  The person who is permanently short of funds, always looking for a handout, never able to make good on their commitments, ... would appear irresponsible, even lazy, and hence not deserving of generosity.
• How would you separate the deserving needy from the undeserving needy?
• What should we do with/for the undeserving needy?
• If God loves a cheerful giver, does it matter whether the giver is generous towards someone who is deserving or not?
  

• Awesome God
  
• We all agree that God is awesome.  So what?
• What are some things/memories/people/events in your life that are truly awesome?
• What made/makes them awesome?
• Do any of those criteria apply to our God?
• What awesome thing has God done for you /to you lately?
  

• Heavenly rank
  
• In many contexts, we know where we stand.  Where I work the deans have department chairs reporting to them, the department chairs have faculty reporting to them, the researchers among the faculty have graduate assistants reporting to them.  Everyone knows their place by means of well-established criteria.
• In the kingdom of heaven, things are a little harder.  What makes for greatness in the Kingdom of God?
• Is it our place to aspire to such greatness?
• Where does humility factor into those aspirations?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to let my giving transform me?
   
2. Where might God be calling me to be generous to those that I have little in common with?
3. What does God's awesomeness tell me about God?  About me?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to awesomeness of my own?

 Shalom!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10
   
2. Psalms 40: 2, 3, 4, 18
   
3. Hebrews 12: 1-4
   
4. Luke 12: 49-53
   

• Perishing for lack of prophets
  
• In times of crisis a community will likely actively seek God's guidance, if not intervention.  But sometimes, a reliable prophet can be hard to find, especially if that community has made a habit out of driving out, persecuting, and otherwise not appreciating the work of prophets in their midst.
• With all of the sources for guidance that the Church offers us today, do we still need prophets?
• What's your definition of a prophet?
• How do you think that God chooses such people?
• Could you see a prophet being an asset in your community?
  

• In celebration of lowliness
  
• Mother Theresa is probably one of few saints to be recognized and appreciated by the world at large.  Usually we kill such people instead.
  
• What do you think was Mother Theresa's most enduring trait?
  
• How do you think that she became that way.?
• Would you want to become like her in that way?
  

• Family inspiration
  
• Think about family and friends who have gone before you.
• Do you think that they are anxiously watching you now?
• How might they be influencing you life today?
• How might you share your family memories with others, who may not have the "cheering section" that you do?
  

• What divides us and what brings us together
  
• God's highest good for all of humanity is that we all find ourselves, each other, and God in a healed, holy, and whole Kingdom of God.  Simple enough when you put it that way.  But the Devil is in the details.
• What sets you apart from "just anyone"?
• What do you typically do when you are tempted to "blend in"?
• Has that behavior of yours ever threatened whatever relationship that you had with the other person?

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling you to be more prophetic in your life?
   
2. Where might God be calling you draw inspiration from one of our spiritual ancestors?
3. Where might God be calling you closer to Himself by a family member or friend who is already gone ahead of you?
   
4. Where might God be calling you to make a difference by being different?

 Shalom!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Wisdom 18: 6-9
   
2. Psalms 33: 1, 12, 18-19,20-22
   
3. Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19
   
4. Luke 12: 32-48
   

• Celebrating in secret
  
• We live in a culture that values diversity.  Our faith is, at worst, regarded as a curiosity, or a hobby.  But what if that were not the case, what if we were not in a culture of tolerance? How would you celebrate your faith?
• How might that change your faith?
• Why?
  

• Relying on God
  
• At least in theory we know that to rely on anything/anyone else than God is a mistake.  But if you think about it, is God all that reliable?
• Have you ever prayed fervently  for something that meant the world to you, and it didn't come to pass?
• How did you explain that to yourself at the time?
• How do you explain that to yourself now?
• What does that tell you about God?
• What does that tell you about you?
  

• Welcoming from afar
  
• We each have a deep-seated need to belong, be it to a family, community, parish, lodge.  We feel lost and alone otherwise.  It our eagerness for that belonging, it's easy to settle for something less than the belonging that all of us have in God.
• Where do you belong?  Is that a community, place, association, family, all of the above?
• Why is it that you belong there?
• What does that belonging entitle you to as a member?
• Why do you stay?
• How does that belonging relate to your belonging to and in God Himself?
  

• The reward for being responsible is ... more responsibility
  
• Jesus calls on us to be ready, waiting, engaged, and patient, all at once.  That seems like a tall order.  The reward for those virtues is that we get more responsibility.  Personally, I think I might favor a recently renovated home in Bel Air and a bigger pension.
• As a disciple of Christ, what would you say your responsibilities are?  Try to sum them up in as few words as possible.
• When you put it that way, are your responsibilities in any way different from any other Christians?
• How have those responsibilities worked out on a day to day basis?
• Is Jesus' coming to you, to all of us, to each of us, a single event, occasional, or daily?
• How can you be more ready for that coming of Jesus?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. What would God want for me to hope for?
   
2. Where is God being faithful in unexpected/unlooked for ways in my life?
3. Where is my belonging taking me?
4. Where can I be more ready for Jesus to come to me?

 Shalom!