Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Feb. 12, 2012 (6B)
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 we who are sinful be part of Jesus’ mission?
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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
Leviticus, Chapter 13, Verses 1-2, 44-46
1. Compare and contrast the way lepers were treated in the Old Testament (First Reading) with the way Jesus treated them.
2. How would you feel if because of some ritual, you were made to tear
your clothes, be excluded, made to live apart from those you love and
forced to announce your presence by shouting, “Unclean”? Discuss rules,
regulations or rituals that could be improved by taking people’s
feelings into consideration.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 32: 1-2, 5, 11
1. This Sunday's Psalm Response is, "I turn to you, Lord, in time of
trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation." Tell of a 'time of
trouble' in your life when you turned to the Lord, confessed your
faults, and were filled with the 'joy of salvation.'
2. Our
psalmist is grateful for God's gift of forgiveness; having confessed his
sin before God, he is a new creation thanks to the grace of God. Give
an example of how your anxiety over your sin ceases when you bow down
and confess your faults to the Lord.
Second Reading
1 Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 31, Chapter 11, Verse 1
1. St. Paul says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do
everything for the glory of God.” What is the “whatever you do” in your
case? During which of your day’s activities is it easy for you to
remember the presence of God? Which are hard?
2. "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." On his own, could Paul take
away people's sins? Could he reach out to people and heal them
spiritually through the power of Jesus? What can you do through the
power of Jesus?
Gospel
Mark, Chapter 1, Verses 40-45
1. Using Jesus’ healing of the leper as an example, describe the new
world order that he was trying to establish. The old laws were written
on stone—where do you think Jesus’ new laws are written?
2. "Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to
him, 'I do will it. Be made clean.' " If you come to Jesus with a
problem, do you think he will be moved with pity and touch you in some
healing way? Have you been healed in any way? Can you help heal those
who are ailing around you? How can your scars help in healing others?
Sunday Bible Study Group
Please comment on the Sunday Readings. May we be blessed by God's words as reflected in your thoughts and experience-sharing.
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This Psalm is one of David’s penitential psalms.
ReplyDeleteDavid sings out about the heaviness of his sin,
that weighs upon him so long as he keeps silent.
The Psalmist’s sins were hidden in his heart.
Then when he declares his sin, and confesses his faults,
his burden is lifted and his guilt is taken away.
David’s sins may not have been so obvious
as the sores on the lepers described in this
Sunday's lst reading from Leviticus.
But like those same lepers,
David was compelled to cry out “unclean, unclean”
and to seek God’s forgiveness in order to be healed.
Just as David threw himself on the mercy of the Lord,
so did the leper in today's Gospel who knelt before Jesus
and moved the Lord to pity.
The leper in the Gospel was shouting for joy
after he was made clean.
The same thing can happen to us
when we receive the sacrament of confession
and we are made clean inside.
We may not be joyful for the same reasons as the leper,
but as Jesus says, it is what is inside our hearts
that needs to be purified.
And having been cleansed from within,
we really have something to be joyful about.
We are all pitiful in the sight of Christ,
but once on our knees,
having confessed and repented of our sins,
there is hope for us sinners whose sin is forgiven.
As it says in the Psalm,
“Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.”
We all need a spiritual cleansing from time to time
if we are to obtain a pure heart.
They say confession is good for the soul
and from what we know from the Psalm,
confessing our faults will lead us
to be glad in the Lord and rejoice.
Amen