These are Bible Study Questions for this Sunday's Gospel story which presents us with the last of the three parables that form Jesus' final discourse in Matthew's Gospel. Each of the three parables relates a different kind of accountability required of Christians as they prepare for their glorious encounter with Christ.
Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Nov. 16, 2014 (33A)
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: Is it OK for God to get angry?
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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 Proverbs, Chapter 31, Verses 10-13, 19-20, 30-31
1. “The woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Do you see a connection between the woman in this reading with the wise servant portrayed in the Gospel? What is the return on her investment? How does fear of the Lord (awe and wonder in the presence of God) help make a person wise?
2. Would you call the woman in this reading holy? Why? Do you know some people like her? What actions do they perform that you would call holy?
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 128: 1-5
1. The Psalm says that those who fear the Lord will be blessed, and favored. Explain in what way you are being blessed materially and spiritually as a consequence of your faith.
2. The Psalm makes reference to a fruitful vine and olive plants as an example of how a man is blessed if he fears the Lord. This reminds us that our Lord is the vine and we are the branches. Explain how we bear fruit by having a right relationship with the Lord.
Second Reading
First Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verses 1-6
1. Can you be “overtaken like a thief at night” by “the day of the Lord”? Are you always ready? Almost ready? Dozing a little?
2. With false security concerning death at one end of the continuum and constant dread at the other, where would you put yourself? Explain.
Gospel
According to Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 14-30
1. God gives Spirit to human creatures because God is, in essence, self-donation. God’s nature, then, pushes us to cooperate with it by giving it away. What has been freely received is freely given. When Spirit is given away, it doubles. Explain the Gospel parable in light of this theory.
2. The servant who received one talent was afraid of losing it and so hid it in the ground. Thus, spiritual growth involves risk, as do love and trust. Are you willing to take risks, or do you react out of fear? If you were a leader in the Church, what kind of risks would you take to insure growth and meeting the needs of the faithful?
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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“Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”
ReplyDeleteThe Psalm is about the blessings God will bestow
on the man who has a right relationship with God.
And if a man walks with the Lord
and has a right relationship with God,
this will be reflected in the way he treats his wife.
Because if a man cherishes his wife,
as ‘flesh of his flesh’
and ‘bone of his bones,’
he nourishes his relationship with her,
as Christ nourishes the Church.
And the man’s reward is that his wife
will be like a ‘fruitful vine’ within his house.
This is how a man is blessed who fears the Lord.
Amen