The Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer

Lord

Teach us to know

when to walk away

and when to stand up.

Let us have the strength

to do what you call us to do.

Give us the conviction

to know your will for us!

Journal/Reflection Questions

Isaiah 50:5-9a

• This scripture gives birth to the phrase, if God is for me, who can be against me? Which line of scripture gives you the most strength and understanding of this fact?
• How does this scripture tell us to face turmoil or trouble? What attitude must we have when facing opposition?
• Is this attitude strictly for when people oppose your faith or believes or can it be true when facing any conflict?

James 2:14-18

• What does this scripture say about how we should treat others? Is it easy to follow?  Why or why not?
• Look closely at yourself. Draw a diagram or chart to map out how your faith and works compare over the past week, month or year.  Are there trends?  Are there obstacles which deterred them from coming together?  Or on the positive side, are there situations which cultivated them to overlap?

Mark 8:27-35

• The cross Jesus bore was made of wood, full of the sins of those He loved. What is your cross made of?  What do you carry?
• Have you, like Jesus in this scripture, ever been misunderstood by faithful companion(s)? What happened?  How was the misunderstanding resolved?

 

General Questions for Journaling

• Consider a time when you lived out the first scripture. What was the situation?  How do you know God was on your side?
• Imagine the first scripture playing out in a movie or play. What emotions would you feel to witness someone turning the other cheek?  How are those feelings different if you were the one who turned your face for another blow?
• What in the first scripture lets you know you are not supposed to simply let people abuse you or trample you under foot? Is it a fine line or a wide divide between what the scripture teaches and physical, mental or emotional abuse?
• Can you identify the “satan” in your life? What is it that consistently causes you to step backwards instead of leaping forward?
• What does it truly mean to “deny one’s self”? Is it like saying no to a fourth piece of pizza or skipping dessert?  Why or why not?

Closing Prayer

Leader:  May we not turn our backs on a person in need.

ALL:  Open our hearts to YOUR love!

Leader:  May we not be quick to judge a person or situation.

ALL:  Open our hearts to YOUR love!

Leader:  May we not rely on what the world says is truth.

ALL:  Open our hearts to YOUR love!

Leader:  May we not use words to strike out and cause harm.

ALL:  Open our hearts to YOUR love!

Leader: Empty us Lord so we may be made new…

ALL:  Open our hearts to YOUR love!

 

Challenge for the Week:   Make of list of well-meaning phrases which mean nothing without love.  If you are paying attention, it is easy to see through body language or hear through tone of voice if someone truly wishes you to have a “good” morning or if they are just saying the words to fill the quiet.  It means much more to you that someone says Happy Birthday to you, even if it is a day late, than a “oh, it’s your birthday? Happy Birthday…”  This is not to say you can’t tell someone Happy Birthday without giving them a gift, but you should give them Christ’s joy.  You are God’s messenger, how are you getting the message of love across to your neighbor?  This goes for “have a nice day” or actually stopping to listen when you ask someone “how are you doing”.  Being Christ’s love in the world is a tough job…are you willing to work to put this into practice at least once a day each day this week?  Who knows it might catch on!