"Are you envious because I am generous?"

This Sunday's Gospel for Sept. 21, 2014 (25A) may be the most puzzling of the forty parables of Jesus. It is found only in Matthew. Perhaps Mark, Luke, and John were afraid to touch it. This parable is clearly about serving the Master, or working in the kingdom, but the twist here is that many of those who worked in the vineyard did not think that the wages were fairly paid.

Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sep. 21, 2014 (25A)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University

Sunday Mass Readings
Podcast of the Readings 
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios 
New American Bible
Prayer of the Hours
BQ: Can a Catholic person marry a non-Catholic person?

--------------------------------------------
Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
--------------------------------------------

First Reading
Book of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 55, Verses 6-9

1. “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near.” Is God always near? Can God always be found? Name some times in your day when it is easier to find God than at others. What will help you remember to “seek God” in all the areas of your life?

2. Isaiah is writing about a call to conversion in this reading. How does this apply to you? How long do you withhold mercy when your best friend offends you? On the next level, do you have mercy on the perpetrators of the 9/11 ordeal, or the people committing genocide in the Sudan? Does God ever withhold mercy or pardon? Discuss.

Responsorial Psalm
Responsorial Psalm: 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

1. Our psalmist says he will bless the Lord every day and praise His name forever and ever.
What does it mean to you to 'bless the Lord?' Each day how do you give honor and praise to God?

2. The Psalm says the Lord is 'compassionate' toward all His works. In what way do you imitate the Lord by showing compassion toward your family and the members of your community,
and to strangers in your midst?

Second Reading
Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, Chapter 1, Verses 20c-24, 27a

1. Who “magnifies” the Lord for you? Is it true that every time you are around these people you feel as though Christ is somehow present? Why is that? What is it about them you would like to emulate?

2. What did Paul mean when he said, “For to me life is Christ and death is gain”? What do you think comprised “fruitful labor” for Paul since he had to stay in the “flesh”? What is your “fruitful labor”?

Gospel
According to Matthew, Chapter 20, Verses 1-16a

1. How would grace be handed out if people made the rules? How would you feel about God’s ways if they were like our ways, if God’s bountiful generosity did not exceed the level of simple distributive justice?

2. This Gospel reading must be about outrageous generosity, if it is not about strict justice. What is the message for you in your everyday life?

Online Sunday Bible Study Group
Please share below your reflections on the Sunday Readings. May we be blessed by God's words as reflected in your thoughts and experience-sharing. 

"How often must I forgive?"

Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sep. 11, 2011 (24A)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University

Sunday Mass Readings
Podcast of the Readings 
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios 
New American Bible
Prayer of the Hours
BQ: What commandments require restitution?

--------------------------------------------
Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
--------------------------------------------

First Reading
Book of Sirach, Chapter 27, Verse 30; Chapter 28, Verses 1-7

1. Is it harder for you to forgive to ask for forgiveness? How good are you at overlooking the faults of others as Sirach suggests? What about this: do you forgive yourself?

2. When you want to “hug wrath and anger tight”(to paraphrase the reading), do you have ways, or people, or places where you might find help in letting your anger calm down?

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

1. The Psalm says the Lord is 'slow to anger, rich in compassion.' What can you learn from the Lord about dealing with anger and how to respond with love when you are inclined to condemn someone?

2. The Psalm deals with the Lords' forgiveness of our transgressions. In what way are you encouraged by the Psalm to be forgiving and compassionate to those who have offended you?

Second Reading
Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Chapter 14, Verses 7-9

1. “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.” Do you live for yourself? Do you ever think about the one to whom you owe your existence? If you do, how does that play out in how you live your life?

2. Does God leave you alone in this world? Will you be alone when you die? Is it possible to have a mutual relation with the Lord? If you try to live for the Lord does he live for you also?

Gospel
According to Matthew, Chapter 18, Verses 21-35

1. When you say you forgive someone, do you just say the words or do you really forgive the person in your heart? Compare “hugging the wrath and anger tight” from the First Reading with the actions of the servant in this Gospel. Is the servant a fair person? Are you? Do you give good to others since you also receive it as a gift?

2. Do you think God wants you to forgive your neighbor just for your neighbor’s sake, or for yours too? What does forgiveness do to the love that was lost? When did Jesus forgive or when did he talk about forgiveness? How did Jesus “take away the sins of the world”?

Online Sunday Bible Study Group
Please share below your reflections on the Sunday Readings. May we be blessed by God's words as reflected in your thoughts and experience-sharing. 
--