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Posts Tagged ‘Catholic Sunday Readings Yr B’
Reflection Questions
- The Book of Proverbs shares many short wisdom sayings. Wisdom and Foolishness are two pathways we can walk. Two ‘women’, are presented as preparing a home and a banquet. A prostitute (foolishness) chapters 5-7. A Lady (wisdom) chapters 8-9. Stolen bread and water are contrasted with fine food. Which voice and house will you enter? Where do you go for ‘wisdom’ and ‘guidance’? What recent wisdom have you learnt from walking down wrong paths?
- Paul continues to explain the life-style of a baptised person in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘watch carefully how you live’. When was the last opportunity you took to have some time of reflection and review of your life….. asking for a clear vision and trying to understand ‘what is the will of the Lord’. Consider planning a few hours in the week to reflect on how you could live the life-style of Christ more deeply.
- We are at week 4 of 5 weeks sitting with the Gospel of John chapter 6. Jesus has challenged the Jewish understanding of Passover ‘bread from Heaven’ and insists he is the one sent from Heaven. He is ‘living bread’ and he goes even further to claim he will give his ‘flesh’ for the life of the world. Ponder what the symbol and experience of ‘bread’ means for you. How is Jesus’ life like ‘bread’ for you?
- The gospel of John invites us to make a significant transition from ʻbreadʼ [the Jewish Passover meal] to ʻflesh-and- bloodʼ – the whole person [Jesusʼ replacement of the passover with the offering of his life on the cross]. The special Jewish celebration of Godʼs love and forgiveness is now replaced with the Cross – the sign of Godʼs love and forgiveness for the whole world. Unleavened Bread and Passover Lamb has now become a sacrificial meal transformed. Wine and Bread is now transformed to Blood and Flesh because Jesus has said it, promised it, given it. Enlightened or confused?
- The deep language and expression of love helps our heart seeking understanding. Love desires to ʻgiveʼ and gift oneʼs ʻpresenceʼ to the beloved. To resolve the human difficulty of not knowing how to come to God, we find God comes to us through the gift of the true presence of Jesus in the body and blood at Mass. We are seated at a God- given (wisdom) banquet. For John, it is not enough to ʻbelieveʼ in Jesus, we are also called to ʻreceiveʼ the physical gift and life-presence of Jesus into our physical bodies. Do you receive in ʻignoranceʼ or with ʻknowledgeʼ?
- True life, ʻeternal lifeʼ is given and received. The life and spirit of Jesus is now present within the receiver of the Eucharist (good -gift). It is because of this truth we call the experience ʻHoly – Communion (many becoming one with the one who is Holy – God). After receiving communion how could you develop a greater appreciation of this physical intimacy with Jesus? Consider making up a personal prayer to pray at this time of silence after communion.
- St Thomas Aquinas offers two simple sentences for reflection. Where do these sentences lead you in reflection…..
- “What food is our bodies, the eucharist if for our souls”.
- “The proper effect of the Eucharist is to transform us into God”
- What is one action that you will do to be ʻlivingthewordʼ this week?
Download 2nd Sunday Advent
Reflection Questions
- Isaiah chapters 40-55 are known as the ‘Book of Comfort’. The prophet is speaking encouraging words to the exiles as they return home and seek to rebuild their lives and the Temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah is also known as the ‘carrier of the hope of the Messiah’. Foretelling a time when God will come among his people. Can you see the prediction of John the Baptist and Jesus in the reading from Isaiah? What image speaks personally to you on your advent journey?
- The preparation of a straight road or a royal highway was known to happen in ancient times when a very special person was to visit. Physically, valleys were filled and hills were lowered to make the way smooth and easy. At great expense! As Advent invites us to make a clear pathway for the Lord, what roadblocks, ditches, hills require the earthmoving equipment of prayer, spiritual direction, reconciliation?
- The 2nd Letter of Peter is regarded as possibly the latest of the New Testament Letters. Obviously they are concerned with the delay of Jesus. Peter teaches God’s final judgement is not based upon human calendars. While Peter uses the popular belief of the time of a final ‘fire’ at the end of time, he also emphasises the need for good behaviour and ‘righteousness’ (whereas gnostics did not consider there would be a future judgment and therefore immorality was irrelevant). Would Christ’s coming find you ‘eager to be found without spot’? At peace? What is the source of your ‘dis-ease’?
- Today we hear the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel we will listen to for the rest of the Year. Mark immediately shares the ‘secret’ in the first line. We are about to hear ‘gospel’ (good news about a victory battle over evil) done by Jesus Christ. He is the one who reveals by words, actions of power, that he has all the attributes of God = Son of God. Is your interest raised? Consider spending a few hours to read Mark (the shortest gospel) for Advent.
- To announce a figure of such great importance requires a voice to ‘proclaim’ the immanent arrival. This is the role of John the Baptist. Significantly John does this at the Jordan river (at the same crossing point Israel left the desert and entered the Promised Land). A new rescuing by God is taking place. John is painted to be like the great prophet Elijah who was to return to prepare for the ‘great day of the Lord’. Who has been a holy witness and ‘prophet’ like John the Baptist for your journey? Who could you be a holy witness for this advent calling them back to God?
- What is one action that you will do to be ‘livingtheword’ this week?
Download 23rd Sunday Yr B
Reflection Questions
- The Prophet Isaiah is with the community of Israel as it endures exile in the foreign land of Babylon. No temple. No liturgy. God is experienced as ‘silent’. In their difficulty Isaiah reveals the hope of God rescuing his people through a promised ‘Messiah’ – anointed one – who will ‘come to save you.’ Have you experienced the ‘silence’ of God? Isaiah teaches God seeks complete restoration and wholeness: imagine blind people now seeing. Deaf hearing. Crippled leaping. Silent singing. Desert now flowing. Do you consider yourself as an agent of God’s hope for a broken world?
- James demands concrete behaviour and action. It is not enough to know and say we care for the poor. We must show it. James highlights the christian Assembly. As we gather for worship we reveal our truth to the world: equality as brothers and sisters in Jesus. Gold rings or shabby clothing is irrelevant. Have you ‘made distinctions’ amongst friends, extended family? Do you ‘change’ when you are in the company of different people? Are you in relationship and friendship with the ‘poor’? Would they experience you as kind but still instructing them to ‘stand there’ or ‘sit at your feet’?
- An early document called ‘Statutes of the Apostles’ charged the priests with making a seat available for a poor person arriving at Church, but he did not have to go out of his way for a rich person. Why? Can you see how our liturgical gathering is to mirror the world we seek to create.
- Mark uses the same greek word from Isaiah to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah who helps the mute speak – healing his speech impediment. Today theology and geography connect. Jesus intentionally travels back to Galilee but by a very long and unusual route stepping into ‘gentile – unclean’ territory. Not only would the Pharisees and those spying on him now not follow him, but like a bull-dozer, he shows by his actions he will not live by the ‘clean’ ‘unclean’ categories that label people as distant from God. Have your words of concern for the poor been transformed into practical action? What boundaries could you ‘step over’ to welcome in those who feel distant from God?
- Healing passages are powerful opportunities for healing in our own lives. Consider the ‘deaf man’. He was lucky to have some friends. Normally illness or disease was considered the result of sin, the presence of an evil spirit. The person was shunned, isolated from family, considered ‘unclean’. In addition this man could not hear or speak. A picture of the most painful experience of human life and our broken humanity. As you reflect on this passage do you identify with the deaf and mute man or the carers who ‘brought him to Jesus’? Why?
- Jesus took the man ‘off by himself, away from the crowd’. Saving him from embarrassment, and tenderly healing the parts of his wounded body. What parts of your life need to ‘be opened’ so that you may be whole, reunited and accepted with the community. What would it mean for you to be led ‘away from the crowds for healing’. How could you take up this offer this week? What would it take for you to hear God. Sing God’s praises. Dance for joy?
- What is one action that you will do to be ‘livingtheword’ this week?
Download 16th Sunday Yr B
Reflection Questions
- Jeremiah had witnessed over 10 years Jerusalem being captured, the Holy Temple destroyed and God’s people walked out of their land into exile. Jeremiah’s early message and warning to the King and people had been ignored. The King even burnt Jeremiah’s first manuscript of writings and warnings! Jeremiah spoke to the ‘Shepherds’ – Priests and Rulers of Israel and told them they were at fault for not helping people remain close to God. Their ‘lack of care’ caused people to be ‘scattered’. What qualities do you wish to see in your Leaders? ‘Priests’? How could you encourage them in their responsibility as shepherds? Does ‘leadership’ also require ‘followship’?
- St Paul is the great teacher of how Jews and Gentiles – two peoples who were very ‘distant’ and ‘dis-liking’ of each other – have become one family through Jesus. How? The laws teaching Jews to be ‘separate’ from everyone else have now been completed and ‘abolished’. The purpose of the ‘laws’ was to be close to God. The ‘blood of christ’ has now become the forgiving sacrifice given by God to show all sin and ‘distance’ has been removed. And this applies to everyone. Jews and Greeks (Gentiles). Have you had any experience that united you to many people? Do you recognise this takes place profoundly at Mass?
- Can you identify any barriers of culture, language, fear, perception that has stopped you feeling and living as a ‘brother or sister’ with someone different from you? What would be required to ‘put that enmity (obstacle causing hostility) to death? Is there a ‘clean’ ‘unclean’ distinction at the root of the problem? What do you think St Paul would say?
- Today is the only time in the Gospel of Mark the word ‘Apostles’ is used. It means ‘ones sent’. We come ‘from’ someone and ‘report’ back to someone. Disciples are missioned by Jesus and need to return to Jesus. Jesus ‘takes them to a deserted place’. So excited, so busy ‘they had no opportunity even to eat’, Jesus guides his disciples toward rest. Do you consider you have a healthy balance of ‘work and rest’? Where is your ‘deserted place’? What is the most enjoyable way you find to ‘rest’? Jewish people connected ‘rest’ with ‘sabbath’. Are you allowing Sunday to be experience of real ‘rest’?
- Imagine a close family and personal friend has died. A busy atmosphere at home or work. People demanding many things. While wanting to rest, there is a vast crowd needing you. Jesus was ‘moved with pity’. The word is translated also as compassion – mercy – which has its origin in the Jewish word for ‘womb’. What does this teach about Jesus? Can you relate to this experience? When have you ‘fed’ people with your life, words, presence? What happened?
- This passage of Jesus teaching a large crowd will lead to his feeding the Jewish crowds (Mark 6) and the Gentile crowds (Mark 8). To teach us more about this the next 5 Sundays will jump into the Gospel of John chapter 6. Jesus, the Righteous Shepherd and True King of Israel will feed all people with the Eucharist. The Bread from Heaven. Consider a personal decision how you could learn more about the Eucharist over the next 5 weeks. Prayerfully reflect on John 6.
- What is one action that you will do to be ‘livingtheword’ this week?
Midnight Mass – Download Midnight Mass
Mass During the Day – Download Christmas Day
Reflection Questions: Read Christmas Story – C.S. Lewis. The Master and the Puppy (see download doc)
- ‘The Lord bares his holy arm’ is an image of God ‘rolling up his sleeves’ to get stuck into the work of salvation. Rolling up one’s sleeves recognises the work may get messy. The Incarnation is God entering our messy world. Is this good news for you? How?
- Today’s reading from Isaiah brings us the original meaning of ‘Good News’. It was a messenger running back from battle with news of victory – good news! The messengers feet were ‘dirty’ but also beautiful as they brought a joyful message. Do you ‘carry’ a message of joy and peace in your heart because of Jesus?
- The Letter to the Hebrews is essentially a long sermon explaining to Jewish People and Jewish Temple Priests the significance of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. Jesus is the ‘Son’ of God, and ‘the very imprint of his being’. Some translations use the phrase ‘the perfect copy of his nature’. The Letter to the Hebrews also had to make clear that Jesus was above the angels and not an ‘intermediary’ or angelic ‘messenger’. What words or ideas best explain Jesus’ identity for you?
- In the Gospel of John, Jesus is given the title ‘Word’. Your ‘word’ expresses your deepest being. Is intimately ‘you’. It is self revelation. Jesus = Word is a creative way of teaching us about Jesus’ identity and one in being with God. ‘In the beginning’ is John’s way of referring back to Genesis 1,1 and the existence of Jesus prior to creation. The great climax is the ‘Word became flesh’. The image is one of God pitching his tent among us. It is this truth that writers call ‘the marvelous exchange’. It is this truth shown in the crib scene of Jesus and Mary and Joseph. We look on in wonder. How could you look at Christmas in a new and fresh way? How could you be surprised by Christmas again?
- What is one action that you will do to ‘livetheword’ this week?
Merry Christmas from livingtheword – Enjoy and Share
See also Joseph and Mary’s experience if they had Facebook
Download 1st Sunday Advent
Reflection Question 2: Isaiah promises a future time when all nations will ‘go up to Jerusalem’. This will be a time of Justice and Judgment. Fighting will change to Feeding. Outside the United Nations is a sculpture where a sword is beaten into a plough with the inscription ‘they shall beat their swords into ploughs’. What changes in the world need to take place for this ‘transformation’? What change needs to take place within ‘you’? What weaponry do you use: Wounding words? Cutting looks? Angry attitudes? Arrogant pride? Blindness toward to the hurting? How could you ‘walk in the light of the Lord’?
Advent Story: William Barclay. 3 Devils. Three apprentice devils were coming to earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin people. The first said: I will tell people there is no God. Satan said, ‘that will not delude many, for they know that there is a God.’ The second said ‘I will tell them there is no hell.’ Satan answered, ‘you will deceive no on that way; they know even now that there is a hell for sin.’ The third said, ‘ I will tell them there is no hurry.’ ‘Go’ said Satan ‘and you will ruin them by the thousand’.