Opening Prayer

Faithful Lord

You created us with a deep desire to seek YOU.

and we can never be completely satisfied

until we are filled by only YOU.

May we never give up the search for YOU

until we truly know this type of satisfaction.

No one knows us or loves us the way YOU do.

Journal/Reflection Questions

 Isaiah 22:19-23

• How does God show His authority in this reading?  How can you allow God to have authority over your life?  Who has authority now?
• This scripture is speaking of the coming of Jesus.  How can you shed light onto each statement with the knowledge and understanding you have of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection

Romans 11:33-36

• How might you seek to know what God is thinking?  How does one “know God’s mind”?
• Do you see God’s plan for you?  What makes you know for sure this is the path God intends for you?

Matthew 16:13-20

• Why would Jesus ask this question?  What do you think He was seeking?
• How do you describe who Jesus is to your friends and family?

General Questions for Journaling

• What qualities do you respect in a leader?  Are the qualities different depending upon what they are leading?  The Country?  They Church?  The Company where you work?

• Is the work you do or the job you have one you choose or one you “fell into”?  Could this have any bearing on your attitude toward it?

• Do you feel you are using the gifts God gave you in order to complete the tasks required of your job?  Are you fulfilling your vocation in the position you hold?  Do you feel as though God choose you to do the work you do?

• Are there things you value more than Christ?  Do you tell others about your relationship with Christ?  What keeps you from telling others of Christ?

• How can you be in Christ?  With Christ?  And Through Christ?

• What have you learned about Jesus which you want to preserve within yourself?  How can you be in unity with HIM?

• How is it that Jesus makes Peter the “ROCK” on which to build His church but Peter denies knowing Jesus three times?  How does this make you feel?  Disheartened?  Encouraged?

• What qualities of Peter make him the perfect example of a disciple?

   

   

   

Closing Prayer

Leader:  We have all been chosen to serve;

ALL:  may we fulfill the task you have called us to.

Leader:  We struggle with our faith and knowledge of you;

ALL:  may we find you in all the things in our lives.

Leader:  We stumble and fall, we make bad choices;

ALL:  may we always hold onto YOU!

Challenge for the Week:  When making a large purchase such as a washer and dryer or a car or a house, how long to do you spend researching it, looking it over, weighing out the pros and cons of the purchase?  Who are the people you might ask for advice or help in making such an important decision?  When it comes to our faith, whom do you turn to about important decisions, to whom do you ask the important questions?  Do you give it the same depth of attention, looking at where God is working in your life in every little detail?  Do you seek counsel from God when making decisions about what is happening in your life and listen to His response?  God doesn’t need to seek anyone’s counsel but it would be wise for us to seek HIS!

OR

St Ignatius of Loyola set the rule to “seek God in all things”.  This is a challenge to seek God in all things especially when choosing the TV show or movie to watch, the book to read or the music to listen to.  Where is God in the things you do the most?