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!

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 21-23
   
2. Psalms 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13,14, 17
   
3. Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11
   
4. Luke 12: 13-21
   

• Leaving a legacy
  
• Deep down, all of us want our lives to matter, to mean something.  The challenge then becomes one of trying to find what is meaningful to God for us, essentially what we were created for, and let the rest go.  A story of how we often have to choose between those things that matter and those that do not can be found here.
• How much of your life is taken up with things that you do for the sheer joy and fulfillment of it?
• How much of your life is taken up with things that you do just to survive?
• Do you think that's a good ratio?
• Do you think that your life would be more beneficial to those around you if you spent less time just surviving?
• How do you think that could happen?
  

• Courage to be kind
  
• Does the phrase "mighty in kindness" sound like a contradiction in terms to you?
• How/when/where has God shown His kindness to you?
• What does/do that/those kindnesses tell you about God, and the strength of His kindness towards us?
• What does that teach you about how you might be more mighty in the kindness that you show others?
  

• Jesus people
  
• When I was a teenager and knew everything, we had a small group of Jesus People come as guests and speak to us.  They spoke of liberation from drugs, alcohol, greed, violence.  They were a scary bunch to a young, white, middle class kid.  Now I wish that I had paid better attention to them.
• Thankfully, all of us are surrounded by others who are different from us.  Think of a few people in your life who are radically different from you.
• Can you picture yourself ever serving them in any capacity?
• Can you picture yourself ever serving them humbly?
• Why is that?
• Does that need to change?
  

• Gifts from God
  
• If you think about it, everything that we have is gift.  We pause before meals to thank God for the bounty of the earth that has come to our table.  If we are thoughtful, perhaps we thank God for the farmers who grew the crops that made their way to our table, for the ranchers who made their contribution, for the cook who gave generously of their time and talent.  The meal thanksgiving should be only the start of our gratitude.
• Imagine that you achieve perfect gratitude: you are ever grateful for every gift that is woven into your life.  How would that change your prayer life?
• How would that perfect gratitude change your attitude toward your work?
• How would that change in your attitude toward your work change what you worked on, who you would work for, how hard you would work?
• How would such gratitude reignite your family life?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. What legacy is God building in me today?
   
2. Where is God calling me to care more, care more courageously, care more recklessly?
3. Where is challenging me to greater humility?
4. What is God calling me to act on gratitude to Him for all His blessings?

 Shalom!

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Genesis 18: 20-32
   
2. Psalms 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
3. Colossians 2: 12-14
   
4. Luke 11: 1-13
   

• Driving a hard bargain with God
• Abraham argued that God's own nature dictated that God behave in a certain way.  Often, we tell God how important something is to us, why it is important, what will happen if He does not give us what we want.  Rarely do we appeal to God based on His own nature.
• Think of a time that you really, really wanted God to do something for you.  What was it that you asked for?
• Did you try to help God understand how important this was?
• How did you try to influence God's answer?
• Did it work?
• How can you tell?
• Would you recommend that technique to anyone else?
  

• Answers to prayer
  
• Answers to prayer come in many forms, through many people, maybe even disguised.  Especially if we are not looking in the right places for those answers.
• If someone were to tell you flat out that God always answers prayers, and He answers them the very day that you raise those prayers up to Him, how would that change the way that you pray?
• How would that change the way that you look at your prayer life up to this point?
• Do you have an example of a prayer that was not answered, at all, ever?
• How do you know that God did not answer your prayer?
• Did you pray about that apparent abandonment?
  

• Trust me, trust in me, trust me in you
  
• How deep is your trust in God?
• What has that trust enabled you to do in your life that you would not have been able to accomplish without that trust?
• What has God done to earn that trust?
•  Do you trust that God is within you?
• Do you trust that Presence within you?
  

• Gifts from God
  
• How do you pray?
• Why do you pray?
• How has your prayer changed things?
• How has your prayer changed you?
• Do you think the words of your prayer are terribly important?
• Why?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Where is God revealing Himself to me in my prayer?  Who is He becoming in my life?
   
2. Where is God answering my prayer and I do not see/accept His answer?
3. Where might God be calling me to deepen my trust in Him?
4. What is God calling me to open my life to in my prayer life?

 Shalom!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Genesis 18: 1-10a
   
2. Psalms 15: 2-3, 3-4, 5
3. Colossians 1: 24-28
   
4. Luke 10: 38-42
   

• God with us
  
• Good hospitality has several facets: the host has to know what their guests need, and be able to provide that to them, the host needs to be generous, not just their provisions, but with their time, and most of all, the host must be humble.
• Do you think that God ever comes to us in unexpected forms, unexpected places, even inconvenient times?
• When might that have happened to you?
• How did you respond?
• How/when did you find God in that experience?
• Do you think that you'll be better prepared for such an encounter the next time?
  

• Sharing generously
  
• Sharing with others always carries a number of hidden costs that go beyond merely the time/talent/treasure given away.  Sharing without reserve creates a bond with that other, a bond that might be exploited.  Sharing leaves us more open, vulnerable not just to their needs, but the needs of others as our hearts are gradually opened up.
• Your closest friends and relatives have gathered to compose your eulogy.  You are otherwise detained during this meeting, so you won't be there to correct any misconceptions they might have about you.  Do you think that any of them will describe you as generous?
• If so, how have you been generous?
• How has that generosity changed you?
• How might you teach that sort of generosity to others?
• If not, what scares you most about becoming generous in your giving?
  

• The joy of the Lord
  
• Do you ever wonder what might be the origin of the joy of the Lord?  Is it that everything goes your way, that every thing that you put your hand to prospers, that no harm ever befalls you, or is the joy of the Lord something more resilient, deeper, stronger than that?
• Think of someone in your life that you would describe as joyful.
• Where do you think that springs from?
• Is that joy steady, or does it come and go?
• What would you be willing to do to have such joy in your life?
  

• Worship begins at home
  
• We are left to imagine how the Holy Family treated each other at the end of a long day, how they managed to get by on meager income, how they treated their neighbors, the rest of the family, what stories they shared with each other and guests about their lives.  I think all of us in families could learn a lot from that.  Clearly Jesus learned a great deal from His family as He grew up.
• What would you say that you have learned about God and how to serve Him from your young years?
• If you are a parent, how much of that do you think you managed to pass along to your children?
• They never stop being your children, what does change is what worries you about their lives, and what options you have for helping them.
• All of us doubtless have children that we may know nothing of, those who look up to us for values, who look to us for the secret to the meaning of life.  How well do you think you have served them?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Who has been the unexpected Presence of God in my life lately?
   
2. Where can I be more deeply generous?
3. Where might God be leading me to unexpected joy?
4. How am I building a place of prayer in my home, my life?

 Shalom!

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!