29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer

Creator of all things good,

You made me out of nothing,

to live and be and breathe.

Oh, how can we repay you!

Make me blind to the promises of this world;

        so I may more intentionally follow you Word.

Teach me to live from the inside out;    

        to give from the abundance you planted within me!

Journal/Reflection Questions

Isaiah 45 :1,4-6

• Identify three ways God is showing His power in this scripture.
• How do you make sense of the last line, “I am the Lord, there is no other,” how can you explain?

1Thessalonians 1:1-5b

• St Paul is telling the Thessalonians that they have been chosen by God and so they must act in a way worthy. Share one way you acted worthy of the call this past week.
• Explain the role of the Holy Spirit in this scripture passage.

Matthew 22:15-21

• How do you think the Pharisees expected Jesus to respond to their question?
• What were the Pharisees trying to get Jesus to say? What were they hoping would be the outcome?
• What lesson is Jesus teaching here? How does His example speak to you?
• Reflect on the Gospel message of giving to God what belongs to God and to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and identify parallels of what the world values still today.

General Questions for Journaling

• What title do you give God?
• Can you identify people who “breakdown” walls or free people from “bondage”? Who are these people? 
• What are characteristics of a person who is full of the conviction of the Holy Spirit?
• What role does the scripture say the Holy Spirit has in your life? On a scale from 1-10, how do you think the Holy Spirit is doing?
• On a scale of 1-10, rate your ability to think before you speak. How often do you check with Jesus before you say something? How would your words be the same or different if you consulted Jesus before you spoke?
• Describe how it felt/feels or describe how you imagine it would feel like to be chosen by God.  How does expectation compare to reality?
• What has authority in your life? What rules your time? What dominates how your money is spent?
• In what areas of your life do feel free? In what areas of your life do you feel oppressed?
• How do you know when something is true? Where is truth learned? 
• Is it possible to believe something as truth that is not actually true? Explain.
• Have you ever been used in a relationship?
• Have you entered a relationship with someone to gain something? Explain.
• How can you tell if flattery is true or if someone is buttering you up?
• Name 10 ways you give to God what belongs to God.

Closing Prayer

Leader:  You welcome the sinners, Jesus

ALL:  as though they are Saints!

Leader:  You walk with the angry and those full of doubt

ALL:  as well as the patient and joyful!

Leader:  You love us and forgive us

ALL:  even though we neglect you!

Leader:  May we know and understand

ALL:  that it is through Christ we are redeemed!

Challenge for the Week:  If we live our lives for Christ, then we become a new creation, not of this world.  This task is not for the faint of heart!  It requires us to learn how to balance the both/and of life.  We can get caught up in only following what God teaches and neglect our obligations of this life and separate ourselves from the realities of this world or we can put God on a shelf and visit Him on Sunday or occasionally throughout the week.  Finding balance helps us not become like the hypocrites who say one thing and do another.  Strive to live from the inside out, work on building up the Jesus within you and then there shouldn’t be any effort needed for His grace, mercy, love and forgiveness to overflow from you.  God wants us to live with mission and purpose, bringing Him into every aspect of our lives.  Work this week on bringing God into one or more of your daily tasks whether it be mowing the lawn, driving kids to school or at a meeting for work.  Focus on the Jesus within you and say a prayer to help you be aware of His presence within you…be open to listening to how He guides your thoughts and your words and allow HIM to come out!