Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 8, 2012 (14B)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University
Sunday Readings
Podcast of the Readings
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios
New American Bible
Prayer of the Hours
BQ: What is freedom? What does it mean to you?
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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
Ezekiel 2:2-5
1.
Are there prophets in your life? Are you sometimes stubborn and closed
about listening to their messages? Why? Why do you reject the person or
the message?
3. Do you think the ordinary prophet has great
success or runs into opposition most of the time? Have you and/or your
ideas ever been rejected when you tried to change something for the
better? How do you handle rejection?
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 123: 1-2, 2, 3-4
1. Our psalmist calls for us to fix our eyes on the Lord. Describe how
you focus on the Lord in your faith journey. Tell how you are able to
discern God's will for your life.
2. Our psalmist says he is
fed up, having been the object of contempt and mockery from the arrogant
ones around him. Even Jesus was mocked in his native village. Tell of
how you deal with insult and persecution when you proclaim the Gospel.
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
1. If you went out shopping for weaknesses or crosses for you to
bear, would you pick the ones you already have or would you pick
different ones? Why? Do you find God in your weakness? Can weakness be a
constant source of grace?
2. “My grace is sufficient for you.”
Do you or your friends rely on these words? Are they easy or hard to
remember? How often do you bring them out and use them?
Gospel
Mark 6:1-6
1.
Which hurts worse, rejection by strangers or friends? Call to mind the
times Jesus felt rejection. Was Jesus happy about his rejection or
distressed? Can you think of theologians, saints, or scientists who were
rejected for their ideas?
2. How is your rejection related to
that of Jesus? When you are denounced, what good thing happens to you?
Whose power are you using when you have no power of your own?
Sunday Bible Study Group
Please share your comments on the Sunday Readings. May we be blessed by God's words as reflected in your thoughts and experience-sharing.
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“As the eyes of servants
ReplyDeleteare on the hands of their master,
... so are our eyes on the Lord our God.”
We are called to serve God
and to do His will, as Jesus did.
And so our eyes must be on God,
that we may know His will for us,
and that we may serve Him
and our neighbor as well.
Where else would we turn?
To be measured by men?
To get direction from anyone else?
Like Ezekiel (1st reading),
our success is measured
by doing God’s will and
following His direction in our lives.
Our psalmist says,
“We have our fill of contempt,
we have our fill of insult from the proud.”
For it is the arrogant ones
who rely only on themselves,
giving little thought to God.
Today’s Gospel tells us that
Jesus was not respected in his home town;
he was rejected
by his townspeople and neighbors.
Is that what we face from family or friends,
when we do the Lord’s work
or proclaim His Gospel?
If so, then we are united with Christ,
and like St. Paul (2nd reading),
“We can be content with insults,
hardships, persecutions and constraints …
His grace is sufficient for us.”
Amen
Were is the Store,? On Sunday Bible Study; with Family & Friends! Not Sunday School Bible Study Group. But as Catholic, everyday Parish Stewards, having a Bible Study Group.
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