27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Habakkuk 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4
   
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. 2 Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14
   
4. Luk3 17: 5-10

• Be the vision
  
• Martin Luther King had a dream.  I suspect that vision guided him, helped him prioritize his live, figure out what was important and what was not.
• What's your vision?
• If someone asked you to tell them what the world you live in really needs, what would you say?
• How committed are you to that vision?
• When was the last time you did anything to make that happen?
  

• The dangers of a soft heart
  
• I used to think that that hard-hearted folks were very removed from me.  Not so much anymore.  A soft heart is one that's open.
• How does God speak to you, Scripture, the testimony of a fellow journeyer, tragic life events, moments when you feel completely unable to carry on, ...?
• Is God speaking to you in more ways lately?
• Are you getting better at hearing His voice in familiar ways?
• Where do you think this process might be going?
  

• Come, sit down and have lunch with the gifted kids
  
• When I was in High School, there were lots of cliques on campus.  Some more obvious than others.  The gifted kids, the ones who took the AP and honors courses, were a rather subtle bunch.  They didn't have a team T-shirt or anything, but if you were in the know, you could spot them.
• Are you gifted?
• What are your gifts?
• How are you developing them?
• How did you know that you even had them?
  

• Just do it
  
• In the verses just ahead of this week's Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples essentially to forgive without limit.  That's what excited them to ask for more faith.  It sounds as though Jesus did not cut them a lot of slack at this point.
• Think of a time when you felt a tug, a nudge if you will from God to do something that looked as though it would be hard, awkward, uncomfortable, even foolhardy.
• How did you finally decide what to do?
• How did that turn out?
• Do you think your decision changed you?
• How?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to be more aware, more focused on His vision in my life?
   
2. How can I be more soft-hearted?
3. Which graces is God calling me to pray for?
   
4. Where is God calling me past my comfort zone?

 Shalom!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Amos 6: 1a, 4-7
   
2. Psalms 146: 7, 8-9, 9-10
   
3. 1 Timothy 2: 1-8
   
4. Luke 15: 1-13
   

• We are all in this together
  
• Regardless what your beliefs are regarding global warming, the debate over climate change, what we as a species must do about it, and whether it's too late already have highlighted the simple truth that our actions have impact far beyond our borders.
• What justice issues are you concerned about?
• How do you feel about the rest of the planet?  Concerned, but unavailable, overwhelmed, apathetic, complacent?
• What would you like for your attitude to be?
  

• Privilege
  
• Privilege has gotten to be a four-letter word.  If your family was stable, loving, nurturing, then you are privileged, and you have an intrinsic advantage over those who grew up in less than ideal surroundings.
• For those of us who enjoyed or enjoy privileges, what responsibilities come with them?
• Is privilege necessarily bad?
• Is there any real way to "level the playing field" for those who have lived a life of being marginalized and silenced?
• What can we do about that?
  

• Pursuing grace
  
• If God's grace is free, unearned gift, do we just sit and wait for it?
• Are there different kinds of grace in our lives?
• Is prayer the only thing that we can do to prepare for those graces?
• What would your life be like if you were "full of grace"?
  

• Is wealth bad for your health?
  
• Relating to others in need can be challenging.  Their need could be loneliness, poor health, loss of a job, ... and relating to someone in such circumstances often defies our best intentions.
• If you suddenly fell heir to some vast sum of money, how would that change the way that you relate to others?
• How you relate to God?
• How you relate to yourself?
• Would you be better able to minister to those most in need?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be calling me to be more aware, more focused, giving something up to make room for something better?
   
2.  Can you share your privilege with others?
3. Which graces is God calling me to call upon Him for?
   
4. Am I able to see past my own possessions, recognition, even my health?

 Shalom!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Amos 8: 4-7
   
2. Psalms 113: 1-2, 4-6, 7-8
   
3. 1 Timothy 2: 1-8
   
4. Luke 15: 1-13
   

• Showing mercy until it hurts
  
• These days, there seem to be an endless supply of justice issues demanding attention.  Doing the right thing always bears a cost.  Sometimes we pay it directly, sometimes its through a tax hike, or loss of some benefit that we are used to.
• Where are you showing mercy these days?
• How did you get involved?
• What keeps you doing that?
  

• Who is my neighbor/who are the poor?
  
• In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus answers the question of "who is my neighbor".
• Who are the poor?  Is it just those with nowhere to sleep at night, those who are marginalized and voiceless, those who are comfortable, yet underpaid, those exposed to unnecessary dangers on their job, ...?
• How is God going to lift them up?
• Why does He have to involve us?
  

• Jesus is my campaign manager
  
• All of us agree that politics is a dirty business.  Its easy to despair of anything really good coming out of government.  The separation between Church and State has come to mean that the Church can never influence the State.
  
• Do you think that God has a stake in our political process?
• If we pray to God for better government, better representatives, better political systems, How do you think that God will answer?
• How did governing get to be such a mess anyway?
  

• Return on investment
  
• The prudent among us are always looking towards the future.  Will I have enough money to retire on?  Once I retire, how long will I be able to live on my accumulated savings?  What sort of a legacy do I want to leave to my children?
• If you were attend your own funeral, what would you want to hear people say about you?  I know what I'd want to hear: "Look, he's moving!!!"
• How about in another ten years?
• What are you doing today to help make that happen?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Who might God be asking me to defend that I hardly recognize?
   
2. Who are the poor in my life?
3. Where is God moving in our city, state, country that He wants my help?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to greater/different generosity?

 Shalom!

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14
   
2. Psalms 51: 3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
   
3. 1 Timothy 1: 12-17
   
4. Luke 15: 1-32
   

• Your people
  
• Sometimes a husband or wife will try to blame their spouse for one of the children.  Dad opens a conversation with "Do you know what your son did today at school?"  That's shorthand for "I fail to see any contribution of mine in this son of ours."
• Think of the last time that you prayed to God on someone else's behalf.  How did you try to motivate God to do what you wanted?
• Reminding God of all of the good that this other person has done?
• Reminding God that God is first of all merciful and kind?
• Reminding God that you, the one doing the praying, has been good and faithful, so now God owes you this?
• Offering God faithfulness and discipline on your part, if only God will have mercy on your friend?
• ...
• How effective do you think any of those are in moving God?
• What does that tell you about God?
• What does that tell you about you?
  

• Give me a clean heart
  
• How would you define a clean heart?
• Knowing what you do about King David, Moses, Abraham, did any/all of them have a clean heart?
• How clean is your heart before God?
• What would you think it would take to make your heart more clean?
  

• Mercy me, mercy why
  
• All of us can pinpoint times/areas in our lives in which God has shown us mercy.
• Why do you think that He did that?
• Did that abundance of mercy from God change you in any way?
• Did that mercy equip you for anything later in life?
• Have you found a way to share that mercy with others?
• Did God's mercy teach you something profound that you would not have realized otherwise?
• How are you doing in making good use of that mercy?
  

• Expectations
  
• The prodigal father in this parable forgives so much.  You would think that the father would rest assured that this lost and found son would never do anything so heartless again.  But we know that is not a given.
• Think of a time when you have extended mercy to someone.  What sort of changes did you look for in their life?
• Was that reasonable?
• If you knew for a fact that this other person was not going to live up to your expectations on them, would you still be merciful towards them?
• Why does God extend mercy toward us?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where might God be trying to reveal herself to you in new ways?
   
2. What would your life be like with a truly clean heart?
3. Where is God's mercy in my life changing me today?
   
4. Where might God be calling me to reckless mercy?

 Shalom!