21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time are:

1. Joshua 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b
   
2. Psalms 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21
   
3. Ephesians 5: 21-32
   
4. John 6: 60-69
   

• Uncharted territory
  
• Life is full of letting go and picking up.  Upon entering the Promised Land, the Jews had to let go of their nomadic lifestyle, their dependence upon God for the manna and quail to feed them, and learn to depend upon God in new ways.  Yet they were still God's children, and He still their God, in spite of any changes that might come their way.
• What are some big changes that have come in your life?
• What stayed the same in spite of those changes?
• What did you have to give up in order to step into that next season of your life?
• What gave you the courage to make that transition?
• Would you do it all over again?
  

• The lowly will hear me.
• Richard Rohr speaks of a downward mobility here.   I'm reminded of Fr. Greg Boyle, the father of Homeboy Industries.  Fr. Greg never does a speaking engagement without a handful of the homeboys and homegirls with him.  He doesn't bring them as exhibits.  Rather, they are as much a part of his ministry as he is, as much a part of the celebration of new life.
• Who are some of the people that you minister to?
• What do they offer to you in your ministry?
• How has that give and take helped you grow?
  

• Eternity in your eyes
  
• The great work of the Church is to be the ongoing incarnation of Jesus into our world.  One of the ways that He is made Present among, and through us is the sacraments.  Of those sacraments, perhaps the most intimate is marriage.  As the decades of a marriage flower, bear their fruit, and ripen, there grows a security in knowing that you are known, and that there is no end to the growing knowing that you will have with your spouse.
• When you look into the eyes of your spouse or a loved one, do you see God there?
• What do those eyes tell you about God?
• About yourself?
• What would you like for those eyes to be telling you in five years?
• What would you like for those eyes to be telling you on your deathbed?
  

• Do you also want to leave?
  
• This sixth chapter of John is poignant.  Jesus is risking everything in this dialog, knowing that the easy way for his disciples is to just give up.  Jesus could have tried so soften the message, make it a little easier to swallow, maybe delivered it in installments that would gradually lead to the climax that we see in this week's Gospel.  But no.
• What are some ways that life, other people, God Himself have challenged your faith?
• Were you able to meet that challenge immediately?
• If you turned away from God for a time, how did you come back to God?  What drew you?
• Have you ever offered that experience of yours to anyone else to help them in their life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Is God calling me into a time of transition in my life?
• Am I letting pride get in the way of my deepening life with God?
  
• Where can I be more tender?
  
• Am I being truly honest with God and myself about my relationship to Him?

Shalom!