In this Sunday's Gospel Jesus talks about making a commitment and following through. In this case it is the most basic commitment - to become a disciple. Jesus tells us exactly what it costs to be a disciple. He doesn't hide it from us. He tells right up front that it will cost everything. It means putting Jesus ahead of any human relationship.
Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sep. 8, 2013 (23C)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University
Sunday Mass Readings
Podcast of the Readings
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios
Prayer of the Hours
Burning Question: Do we adore "Bling?" more than God?
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Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
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First Reading
Book of Wisdom, Chapter 9, Verses 13-18
1. The writer says that it is hard enough “to guess what is in our grasp, let alone the things of heaven.” Can you relate to that statement? Is there anything you are uncertain about in the political arena in your country? Is there anything uncertain in your spiritual life?
2. Does God give you help when you are uncertain? Which does God prefer from you, perfect certainty—or your best guess, trusting in God?
Responsorial Psalms
Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
1. The Psalm speaks of 'numbering our days aright.' What are you doing to make your days on earth count for something in the eyes of the Lord?
2. Our Psalm carries a strong message that our human lives are fleeting but that God is eternal. How are you preparing to be in God's presence forever?
Second Reading
Letter of St. Paul to Philemon, Verses 9-10, 12-17
1. How did Paul bring about a change or a conversion in Onesimus? What part does love play in any change for the better? Does love work any change in your life?
2. Slavery was an accepted institution in Paul’s time, but he states a revolutionary idea anyway. There are no divisive social barriers in Christ. Are there social institutions today that create social divisions, even divisions in the Lord?
Gospel
According to Luke, Chapter 14, Verses 25-33
1. Why would Jesus tell us about the high cost of discipleship? In getting rid of possessions, Jesus was a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Where do you think you fit? Do you want to move your number up a little higher? How?
2. Is following Jesus a one-time choice or do you have to make it daily? Which would you rather have, all the possessions you could ever want without Christ or Christ and no possessions? Think about it. Can you name some people who lived/live in Christ and possess/ed nothing?
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“You turn man back to dust.”
ReplyDeleteOur Psalmist describes us humans
as miserable creatures, whose lives are
dismally brief. We are like the “changing
grass, which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.”
What hope is there for us humans
whose lives are cut short in our sleep?
Our sinful nature incurs the righteous
anger of the Lord. “The corruptible body
burdens the soul.” (1st reading)
What are we to do?
We are to take refuge in the Lord,
as the Psalm says. We are to pray that
we may gain wisdom of heart, as our
Psalmist says. We are to ask for God's
favor in our lives. We are to humble
ourselves and to learn to fill our limited
days by doing the Lord's will in our lives.
However fleeting our lives, we pray that God
will “prosper the work of our hands,” that
we will know the will of God and act upon it.
We are to pray through the dark night that
God will fill us at daybreak with his kindness,
for this will be the day of our salvation.
We are to have a right relationship with
the Lord, believe in His Son, who took upon
Himself our weak human form, so that
we would know what it means to bear our
cross as He did for us. Christ took on the
earthen shelter of human flesh in order to
show us how to let go of it.
It is no accident that older believers are
counted among those who attend daily Mass.
For as they approach the end of their brief lives
on earth, their days more and more are filled
with the hope of being part of God's kingdom forever.
All of us look forward to the day when we may
sing for joy in God's presence and be filled with
the love of the Lord. As the Psalm says, “May the
gracious care of the Lord our God be ours forever.”
Amen