30^th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer

Lord

Help us to see like you see

Help us to hear like you hear

Help us to love like you love

Let us have hearts which open to others

so YOUR love may overflow onto all we meet.

Journal/Reflection Questions

Exodus 22:20-26

• How are we called, like the Israelites to repay God’s love? Identify 1-3 ways you show God love throughout the week.
• Does this scripture inspire you to reach out to someone? Perhaps God has placed it on your heart to help someone and you have been holding back…What is God calling you to do?

1Thessalonians 1:5c-10

• When have you felt this “joy” from the Holy Spirit St Paul is taking about? How can you channel this joy more often in your life?
• How can you “send forth” God’s message of love to others? Identify one person whom you know who sends forth God’s love.  Identify one person whom you will share God’s love with this week.

Matthew 22:34-40

• Where would you rate how you love your neighbor on a scale of 1-10? Explain why you would give yourself this rating.
• Reflect on the people in your family. Are there people whom you can give love to freely and others whom you feel it takes much effort to show or give love?  What is the difference?
• Jesus says the Greatest Commandment is LOVE. How do you show or express love to God?  Your neighbors?  Yourself?

General Questions for Journaling

• Consider how you respond to others. How do you treat people you know?  How do you treat people you don’t know?  How is it similar?  How is it different?  ‘
• How do you define love? What does it look like?  Where does it come from?  What does it feel like?
• How do you show love? How do you receive love?
• Where do you see love in the world?
• How does God teach you to love? Where is God’s love needed?  What can you do to bring God’s love to where it is needed?
• Reflect on a time when someone showed you love. Did you welcome their love or reject it?  Why?
• Who taught you how to love?
• What are human expressions of love? What are examples of how God expresses His love?
• Does God put expectations on love? If yes, what are the expectations?  If no, why not?
• Draw a picture of God’s love.

Closing Prayer – Poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Challenge for the Week:  God calls us His “Beloved” but what does beloved mean?  According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary it means “deeply loved” or “close to the heart”.  Do we as human beings even have the ability to understand what it means or how it feels to be close to the heart of Jesus?  YES!  God created us for the purpose to be loved by Him!  This week, the challenge is to seek out these moments when we feel we are God’s beloved.  If you aren’t sure what this looks like or how it feels, consider the two words within the word beloved… be-loved.  This is the simplicity of feeling God’s love.  We need to slow down enough to recognize and feel God’s love in our lives.  He is reaching out to us and we too often pass Him by.  Seek Jesus!  He is waiting to show YOU love, how will you let Him?!?!?