23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

1. Ezekiel 33: 7-9
   
2. Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. Romans 13: 8-10
   
4. Matthew 18: 15-20
   

• Radical humility
  
• If we think about it, one reason we don't speak up when we see injustice, corruption, oppression is that we're afraid that we might be wrong about it all, that we might not have the last word on what we are seeing.
• How do you think that prophets mature in life?
• How would you define a false prophet?
• Is this someone who says the wrong thing as God's revelation?
• Or is the false prophet someone who says something with the wrong motivation?
• How do present-day prophets speak?
• Do you think that the message emerges, matures, comes to fruition in the course of sharing it with others?
• How would you know if God gifted you with a message to share/bear?
  

• Seeking a soft heart
  
• Our God is a God of second chances.  We don't have to be right the first time (though that saves a lot of grief if we are right the first time) but our God stands ready to welcome us back if we are willing to admit that our first response to a situation was less than God's best for us.
• Think of a time when your first response was less than your best.
• How did you come to realize that?
• What made it difficult to admit that you had missed the mark?
• What did you do to make that right again?
• How might you make that whole process easier in the future?
  

• First do no harm
  
• A true friend is one who is somewhat prophetic in your life, someone whom you trust to have your best interests at heart, even when you yourself don't know or understand your best interests.
• Have you ever had a close friend tell you something that you didn't want to hear?
• What happened to that relationship in the wake of that exchange?
• Did your trust in them increase, or decrease?
• Do you ever wish that you had more such friends?
• What could you do to cultivate such vital relationships?
  

• Everyone is offended
  
• A tee shirt that I'm fond of says "Just because you're offended doesn't mean that you're right".  Sometimes, we have a right to be offended, but we hesitate to say anything because we are afraid that our being offended will offend.  Matthew 7: 3-5 teaches us how to gently offer correction with humility.
• What are some blind spots that you have in your life, things about you that you don't notice?
• How do you even know that you have blind spots?
• Is there anyone in your life that you could comfortably go to and ask them whether something that you said or did was appropriate, life giving, holy?
• Are you that person to anyone else?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God offering me a chance to speak up/speak out on His behalf?
2. Do I genuinely desire a soft heart before God and His people?
3. Am I humble enough to accept correction in my life?
   
4. Where is God calling to me to more freedom?

Shalom!