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Posts Tagged ‘Beatitudes’
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Reflection Question 4: Offering no resistance and turning the other cheek sounds initially like becoming a ‘doormat’. Yet violent resistance breeds violence. Offering the other cheek is neither submission or surrender. Culturally it would force a person to use the open hand rather than the backhand (a shameful way of hitting slaves) and force a re-think of the oppressors position. Offering your cloak as well would bring the community to rebel and shame the offender as they had made someone go virtually naked in public. Jesus seeks to change the status quo and make a bold declaration of God’s will of love for the human family. Is this way of ‘perfect’ living possible? What does this challenge within you?
Two Ways: There are only two feelings, Love and fear: There are only two languages, Love and fear: There are only two activities, Love and fear: There are only two motives, two procedures, two frameworks, two results, Love and fear, Love and fear.
Download: 6th Sunday Yr A
Reflection Question 4: Does a brother or a sister (anyone) have ‘something against you’? Jesus challenges us not to separate right relationship with God with being ‘right’ with others. Ritual is not separate from relationships. Is there any words, conversation, letter, action that could show you taking a step toward reconciliation? What urgency would you experience if you were required to do this before receiving Holy Communion?
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Reflection Question 3: Jesus shared the Beatitudes last week, and immediately gives two images as to what it will mean for disciples to live them. Salt was an extremely valuable ingredient to preserve food from rotting. What salt is to food, christianity is to the world. The idea is still found today in the expression ‘she is a real salt of the earth type of person’. What values would you consider ‘preserve’ the world from going rotten? Do these match up with the beatitudes? How are these values being lived out in your life? On a ‘salty’ scale of 1(not much) -10 (very much) what number would you rate yourself? Your parish? Why?
WAITANGI DAY – Feb 6th, 1840.
In New Zealand, The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is celebrated today. Do you know what obligations are created by the treaty partnership? What aspects of ‘salt’ and ‘light’ are contained within it? A broken covenant requires injustices to be acknowledged and corrected. As a New Zealander do you want to know of the injustices that have taken place? Listening and knowledge is the first step to compassion and understanding. Consider spending 20 minutes on the internet researching the Treaty and the founding covenant of our Nation. click here for information
Download document: 4th Sunday Yr A
Reflection Question 3: In Matthew Jesus goes up the Mountain and gives a new law in contrast to Moses going up Mt Sinai and giving the Law of the Old Testament contained in the 10 commandments. Jesus is the New Moses. The Beatitudes are understood as a profound insight into the core teachings of Christianity and what it will mean to follow Jesus. Some people have called the Beatitudes the ‘Be’ – Attitudes. Jesus wants disciples to ‘be’ like him.
if you want to see what the kingdom of God could be like, if you want to live a blessed life, take the world as youknow it and turn it on its head. Imagine a world free of the tyranny, poverty, oneliness and greed that now hold it in thrall. Imagine it free of ignorance, arrogance, and indifference … imagine the hungry fred and the just vindicated, the poor satisfied and the pure sanctified. Imagine a world governed by compassion rather than a will to power. Imagine this because this is what God imagines… and this is what God wants us to make of ourselves. Imagine such a world, then live in accordance with it. Live it into being. Live as though the world is turned upside down, because when you do you will see the kingdom, if not come, then at least coming. Live the ‘Be-Attitudes’