"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life"

The Feast of Corpus Christi this Sunday gives us the one very important matter that still needs to come before us: the sacrament of the Eucharist. 
CATHOLIC LIVING TODAY Corpus Christi Sunday, June 22, 2014 (CorpisChristiA)
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
BQ: Do you really believe in the True Prescence of Jesus at Communion?

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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 Deuteronomy, Chapter 8, Verses 2-3, 14b-16a

1. Did the desert trials test the people’s obedience to God, or their trust in God? “He let you be afflicted with hunger, then fed you with manna...in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” In this statement is the bread or the promise of God the source of their life?

2. What kinds of situations require blind trust on your part? With those in mind, discuss, “He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna.”

Responsorial Psalms
Psalm 147: 12-15, 19-20

1. The Psalm tells us that our God is a good provider. In what way has the Lord filled you with the 'best of wheat?'

2. 'Swiftly runs his word!' according to our psalmist. In what way do you feel the power and presence of the Word of the Lord in your life?

Second Reading
First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verses 16-17

1. In the Eucharist we are joined both with Christ and with each other in love. Discuss. How can we be “Eucharist” to each other?

2. “When we eat, we incorporate our food into ourselves. The opposite is true with regard to the Eucharist. When we partake of that bread we are transformed into it” (Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.) Explain in your own words what this means.

Gospel
According to John, Chapter 6, Verses 51-58

1. Discuss Aelred R. Rosser’s statement, “Jesus gives us himself in the Eucharist, not divided or in part, but his very self: his life, his being, his force, his soul and divinity.”

2. God was with his people on their journey, nourishing them with manna and water. How does God respond to your needs on your journey? What is different about the food God gave the people in the desert and the food he gives us?

"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son"

The Triune nature of God is the principal mystery of the Catholic faith. It is the first and last horizon of the universe and of history: the Love of God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is not solitude, but perfect communion. All three in a great dynamic of love, are so close that they are One God.

Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Pentecost Sunday, June 15, 2014 (HolyTrinityA)
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
BQ: Why do you do the sign of the Cross?

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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 Exodus, Chapter 34, Verses 4b-6; 8-9

1. Besides his name, what did God reveal about himself to Moses on Mount Sinai? What was Moses’ response to this revelation? What is your response to knowledge of God’s love?

2. If the Lord were to come along in our company, would it mean that God loves us every moment exactly as we are, even though we are “stiff-necked” sometimes? Do you forgive others when they are harsh to you? Can you accept them as they are?

Responsorial Psalm
Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

1. If those courageous young men in the fiery furnace were able to praise God in these words, in spite of their circumstances, the least we can do is to sing His praises within our own relatively comfortable surroundings. What inspires you to sing His praises?

2). Have you undergone hardship or persecution because of your unwavering faith? Give an example.

Second Reading
Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
Chapter 13, Verses 11-13

1. What do you know about the Trinity from the following lines of the reading? ”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” If God’s nature is love, then has he invited us to come along in his company? What are the implications for our community?

2. We can all agree with and/or encourage each other in order to live in peace. How important is this to you? Can you agree with most people? Do you feel the tone of this reading is comforting or admonishing?

Gospel
According to John, Chapter 3, Verses 16-18

1. What did the Father do that tells you he “loved the world”? What did the Son do? What have you done as a response to God’s immense love for the world and for you personally?

2. The Holy Spirit is the Father and Son’s mutual love. How does the Holy Spirit help you enter the eternal circuit of love in God?

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. 
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“Receive the Holy Spirit."

Pentecost is not just another Sunday. It is a feast equal to Christmas and Easter themselves. The Feast of Pentecost, originally the Jewish Feast of Weeks commemorating the gift of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai 50 days after the Exodus, was the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out in the Upper Room upon the apostles and other disciples in the form of tongues of fire and a strong wind, fifty days after Easter Sunday, the day marking the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014 (PentecostA)
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
BQ: Should you Confess before you receive Communion?

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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
Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2, Verses 1-11

1. In the First Reading (Acts 2:1-11), the Holy Spirit was given as tongues of fire accompanied by a strong driving wind. In the Gospel (John 20:19-23) Jesus was in their midst and gave the Spirit to the disciples by breathing on them. Do you have an idea how there could be two different descriptions of this supernatural event?

2. Is the Holy Spirit that came only to the apostles and Mary in the upper room? Or is it dynamic and constant in every life? Is the Spirit in your own life? How were the disciples different after the Spirit’s arrival? Would you be different if you were confident that the Spirit is with you? Explain.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-31, 34

1. As the Psalm says, without the divine breath of the Lord we would be nothing. In what way does the divine breath empower you to be a new creation?

2. The Psalm Response asks the Lord to send out his Spirit. Having received the holy Spirit when you were baptized, in what way are you called to go forth and do His works?

Second Reading
First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
Chapter 12, Verses 3b-7, 12-13

1. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez was a Jesuit Brother (1533-1617), whose job was to answer the door of the Jesuit College in Majorca. He did this for forty years. Would his spiritual gift of service compare to that of St. Francis Xavier, who converted whole countries? How?

2. Were Vivaldi and Michelango given gifts solely for their own pleasure? For whose benefit were they given? Scripture says, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” What are your gifts and for what benefit were they given to you?

Gospel
According to John, Chapter 20, Verses 19-23

1. Jesus “breathed” on them. How does this relate to Genesis 2:7, “God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life?” What is the significance for you? How important is the Holy Spirit to you?

2. The disciples’ first task after receiving the Holy Spirit was to forgive sins. What impact does forgiveness of sin have on peace? Is it always easy to forgive? How is your peace when you experience problems with forgiveness?

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. 
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