23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father
May we understand the power of prayer.
Help us to come to you with all we need.
Gather our prayers with others,
let us pray for one another
so our prayers become ONE.

Journal/Reflection Questions
Ezekiel 33:7-9
• How can you recognize a present day prophet? Do they exist?
• Is there an injustice you see which you can help shed light onto? How does God lead you to take action?
• How will God hold us accountable for our sins? How will He hold us accountable for the sins of others?

Romans 13:8-10
• In your own words, define the whole law? What is it Jesus asks of us? Are you capable?
• How do you imagine you will be judged? On how much you love your neighbor or how much you do for your neighbor? How are those two things different?

Matthew 18:15-20
• Reflect on a time when you witnessed the power. What was the situation? Was it a prayer answered because of community prayer such as a prayer chain or a prayer service? Share the experience.
• Do you think it is possible for two people to agree on something, pray for it and for God to grant them the prayer? Explain.

General Questions for Journaling
• How can a person speak truth in the world without sounding as if they are calling someone out? Is it possible to find a happy medium?
• How does your life bear witness to the goodness of God?
• If you could give yourself a grade for how well you keep the commandments, what would your grade card say?
• How have you experienced divine love? Is there someone in your life in need of divine love? How can you give it to them?
• Make a list of the things you love about yourself. Is it easy or difficult to come up with 10 things?
• Jesus said to love one another…even when it is difficult. Are you shutting yourself off from a relationship or relationships because you fear getting hurt?
• Have you been hurt in a relationship but haven’t reconciled with the person? Stop ignoring. Figure out a solution to make the wrong that was done right.
• Is there a relationship you need to give some attention to this week? Something in need of repair?
• How do you know God is present in prayer? In a relationship?

Closing Prayer
Leader: Lord you are present in all things
ALL: May we not ignore the gentle nudges of our heart.
Leader: Lord you are present in all things
ALL: May we not ignore the gentle whisper in our soul.
Leader: Lord you are present in all things
ALL: May we not ignore the gentle invitation of faith.

Challenge for the Week: Too often we let our emotions get the best of us and when someone says something that hurts us or someone we love, we want to hurt them in return. However, this is not how we show each other love. We need to think before we speak. There is so much sarcasm in conversation these days and people just say things, hurtful things and for some reason we think it is funny. However, it is not funny…sarcasm hurts. This week, as you go about your everyday activities be mindful of how much sarcasm you use and how much you hear. What is really being said? Why is it being used? Reflect on it and see if you are able to find any truth in it.