"What is this? A new teaching with authority."

In this Sunday's Readings for February 1, 2015, the Gospel finds Jesus going to the synagogue in Capernaum with four of his disciples where people are astonished that He teaches with such authority. And then he casts out a demon from a possessed person. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Feb. 1, 2015 (4B)
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: Believe in God or to believe in the Church?

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

First Reading
Deuteronomy, Chapter 18, Verses 15-20

1. Does God raise ordinary people from our midst to become prophets? Think of some people you would call prophets. Do they do things differently? Is there a cause for which you might become a prophet?

2. Has God ever put “words into your mouth” to help others? Discuss. When God sends a message through a prophet, he can sometimes put “words into the prophet’s mouth.” How much do people understand? Does God help them “hear with their ears?”

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 7-9

1. Our Psalm tells us not to harden our hearts if we should hear the Lord's voice. What causes you to harden your heart in the presence of the Lord? What can you do to become a better listener when you hear His voice, and how do the verses of the Psalm help you in that regard?

2. Our psalmist says, 'We are the people he shepherds.' What does it mean to you to be one of God's sheep?

Second Reading
1 Corinthians, Chapter 7, Verses 32-35
1. Do you think you are the only one, or could everyone living today have anxieties of some kind?

2. What virtue do you think might help most in your attempts to control anxieties? What are the anxieties you feel most? Do you have a way to deal with them? What might help you to adhere “to the Lord without distraction”?

Gospel
Mark, Chapter 1, Verses 21-28

1. What incident showed the people that Jesus “taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes”? Would you like confirmation that Jesus or the Church have authority and love? If you can’t have absolute confirmation will trust work for you? Explain.

2. What is astonishing and spellbinding about Jesus’ teaching (“Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself”)? How is this message different from what the people of Galilee had been hearing from the scribes? What do you find spellbinding about Jesus?

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

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

When Jesus presents himself for baptism in the Sunday Gospel for Jan. 11, 2015, John the Baptist protests that he is not worthy to perform this ritual for one greater than himself. But Jesus insists and John relents. This insistence of Jesus seems to be based upon his desire to join all those in Israel, who are not just renouncing their sinfulness (which Jesus would not need to do), but are also declaring their readiness to receive the Lord in whatever manner he may wish to come. After all, the baptism of Jesus is not just an episode in his private life; it is the invitation of a whole people to accept God’s initiative for salvation.

Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 12, 2014 (BaptismA)
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 Catholics baptize their infants?

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

First Reading
Book of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 42, verses 1-4, 6-7

1. The main objective of the Chosen One is to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. How does Isaiah say he will accomplish this mighty enlightening of the world? How does the Church help to accomplish it today?

2. If enlightening the world isn’t in the cards for you, is there one dark corner you can brighten somehow?

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 29: 1-4, 9-10

1. The Psalm speaks of the power of the voice of the Lord. How do we hear the voice of God in our lives? What is the Lord saying to us?

2. The Psalm says we are to give glory and praise to the Lord. How do we do this in our daily lives? What inspires us to want to sing praise to our Lord?

Second Reading
Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 10, Verses 34-38

1. The Psalm asks us, as sons of God, to give to the Lord glory and praise. Tell of what you are doing to serve the Lord and adore Him within your family and your community.

2. Our psalmist speaks of a powerful, majestic God, who speaks with a mighty, thundering voice. How is God's majesty at work in you, and how have you been empowered to be a good witness for the Lord?

Gospel
According to Matthew, Chapter 3, Verses 13-17

1. Compare the visitation of the Magi with the baptism of Jesus. Are they both epiphanies?

2. Was the Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus? Do you think the Father and Holy Spirit were with Jesus throughout his entire earthly life even when he was on the cross? How does that thought make you feel about God the Father and the Holy Spirit? Do you think they are with you even when you feel as though they are absolutely not?

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