7^th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

Opening Prayer

Almighty God,

You are the lover and creator of our soul;

from you come all things good.

Send Your Spirit to dwell in us;

so we may be holy, as you are holy.

Help us surrender to your grace;

that it may overflow in our lives.

 

Journal/Reflection Questions

Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18

• How is holiness described here? How is your personal holiness connected to others?
• To love others as Jesus loves is a tall order. Are there people in your life with which you hold a grudge?  Feel contempt toward?  Consider unworthy of your time or attention?

 1Corinthians 3:16-23

• How can others see “the Spirit of God” within you? How do your actions change when you act upon this truth?
• How do you treat the “temple of God”? What can you do to take better care of yourself knowing within you dwells God?

 Matthew 5:38-48

• Jesus said the “old” law was to seek justice, “an eye for an eye” but the “new” law says to “turn the other cheek.” This is easier said than done but have you done it?  Reflect on a time when you were able to “turn the other cheek”, how were you able to do this?
• Consider your actions toward someone who has hurt you. What are the feelings you feel when you are around that person or when you know you know you will need to interact with them?  What steps can you take to transform those negative feelings into more positive ones?

 

General Questions for Journaling

• What does it mean to be holy? How can you be holy like God is holy?  Where do you start?
• Where do you see God’s holiness in your life? What signs of heaven do you find here on earth?
• Imagine your heart is a garden, what condition is your garden in? What do you need to do so God can grow more abundantly in your heart?  What do we need to weed out?  What do we need to plant?
• Are there people in your life who have hurt you? Have you forgiven them for that hurt?  What did you do or what do you need to do in order to let go of the hurt and allow forgiveness to work?
• Identify where evil lurks in your life. How do you identify it?  How do you feed it?  What can you do to resist evil?
• One of the hardest things for humans to do is to let go and forgive. Is there someone who is in need of your forgiveness?  What can you do to begin to work on forgiving that person?
• Spend some time reflecting on how Jesus lived out this Gospel message in his final days on earth. What can you take from this example and apply to a situation you are experiencing at this time in your life?

 

Closing Prayer

Leader:  The Lord shows kindness and mercy…

ALL:  when we speak with gratitude.

Leader:  The Lord shows kindness and mercy…

 ALL:  when we forgive others. 

 Leader:  The Lord shows kindness and mercy…

 ALL:  when we show compassion.

 

Challenge for the Week:  Pray, Pray, Pray.  We pray for ourselves, we pray for those we love, we pray for friends and family who are sick or have asked for prayers but do we pray for those who have hurt us or who persecute us?  Perhaps we pray for those who hurt us to stop hurting us but this week, the challenge is to pray for their soul; pray for their conversion; pray their hurt may be healed; pray they seek God.  It is not easy to pray for good things for those who hurt us or persecute us, our human instinct is to wish them harm, though Jesus says in the Gospel this week we must love our enemies.  Consider also how we can show love toward those who hurt us.  What examples of Christ can we follow?