livingtheword

Download Reflection Document 5th Sunday

Reflection Questions

1. Isaiah shares his vocation call from God. His response of feeling unworthy ‘I have unclean lips’, God’s healing response ‘your sin is purged’ and his response ‘Here I am, send me!’. Call, resistance, healing, acceptance, is the common pattern of vocation. What is your personal vocation story and what ‘stage’ are you at? What fear would have to be dissolved before you could genuinely say to God; Here I am…. Send me!?
2. St Paul is writing to the Corinthian community which was beginning to practice a ‘selective christianity’. They discarded teaching which they did not like. Some could not accept the teaching of the resurrection because they thought matter was evil and spirit was good. They are reminded that christian teaching can be traced back to Jesus, from the scriptures, from the Apostles – and Paul himself is faithful to their teaching. Is there elements of the Church’s teaching which you want to be ‘selective’ about? Who could you talk to to find out more about the ‘why’ of the Church’s teaching?
3. Paul says of himself that he was ‘abnormally born’. It took a while for Paul to be able to meet and share faith with the apostles. They were possibly afraid of him (he did persecute christians!) and he was a little uneasy if he and his teachings would be accepted. Have you wanted to share your faith journey with a friend or spiritual director? Studies have shown people who share their faith grow more deeply in their discipleship journey. Who would you be willing to share with?
4. Simon was using ‘reasonable thinking’ suggesting to Jesus that it was not a good idea to go fishing. He had plenty of evidence that it wasn’t going to work. But he moved beyond ‘reason’ to ‘risk’. ‘At your command I will lower the nets’. Is there a word, experience, invitation from God recently which you need to be obedient to? What is the fear that stops you from taking a ‘risk’?
5. Isaiah, St Paul and Peter all share their human experience of frailty, guilt, unworthiness. Paul even refers to his feeling ‘abnormally born’! God uses this painful self-awareness positively and it is important to notice that God is not afraid of our human weakness. In God’s eyes, only those who have tasted personal frailty are ready for pastoral leadership. “Do not be afraid.” Consider what it would be like to live and make decisions not based in fear. What would you do, how would you live?
6. In the greek, the text hints at ‘catching people alive’. The special use of words points to catching people to lead them into the fullest life. Do you consider leading people to Jesus as joyful and life- giving? Do you presume people will come to you rather than having to go to them in the ‘deep water’? Where is the ‘deep water’ for you at the moment?
7. Luke inserts a particular word more than the other gospel writers. ‘Everything’. He will repeat this phrase 8 times. What would it mean for you to let go of ‘everything’ so that you are free to ‘follow him’?
8. What is one action that you will do to be ‘livingtheword’ this week?