St. Matthias Men's Life Ministry

Saturday, August 28th, 2016, 7:00 AM



Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
Merciful like the Father
Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 through Sunday, November 20th 2016




" In Deo Speramus "
(In God We Hope)
22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
 
When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their
inability to repay you..
Readings:
Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.

Jesus,
at times
we hobble.
We are frozen.
We see through a fog.
We forget.
 
But please,
let us come to your banquet.
Hold us up, teach us the way to walk.
Tell us how to love one other,
and how to help
others.
 
Give us a taste of your feast
every time we meet you,
in Mass, communion,
and every time
we love.
 
Amen
First Reading
My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.


The Word of the Lord
Discussion Questions

1.          The word used by the ancient Romans, "humus ," had a lot of meanings, among which were ground, earth and soil. Use this meaning as a springboard and make up your own definition of humility.
 
2.       Name someone you think is a truly a great person. Is that person humble? What does humility look like in him/her? The Gospel mentions the lame, poor, crippled and blind. From your experience with these people would you say most of them are humble?
Second Reading
Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.


The Word of the Lord
Discussion Questions

1.    What do you feel when you read the words from the old covenant ("blazing fire," "gloomy darkness," "storm," "trumpet")? What mood do the words from the new covenant bring to you ("heavenly Jerusalem," "countless angels in festal gathering")?

2.      What is a covenant? What does it mean to say that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant? Why does the sprinkled blood of the new covenant speak more eloquently than that of Abel, as this reading asserts?

Alleluia
 MT 11:29AB 
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.

Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor. 
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
'Give your place to this man,'
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place. 
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
'My friend, move up to a higher position.'
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. 
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." 
Then he said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The Gospel of the Lord
Discussion Questions

1.      Does anything cripple you, sometimes make you blind? Discuss the fact that Jesus experienced our human pain along with us in order to help us get to the banquet. Do you feel any responsibility as a member of the body of Christ to help other people get to the banquet?

2.     "When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind ... " In Evangelii Gaudium [The Joy of the Gospel], Chapter 4, p. 198, Pope Francis offers an explanation of one way "you will be blessed" if and when you do this. Have you experienced this blessing?

... I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us. Not only do they share in the sensus fidei, *  but in their difficulties they know the suffering Christ. We need to let ourselves be evangelized by them. The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the center of the Church's pilgrim way. We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.

 For what are we born if not to aid one another?

Ernest Hemingway

 

 

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we'll have peace."

By: Jimi Hendrix

 

"My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

Abraham Lincoln

 

 

If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.

1 John 4:12
 

 

Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus

God became human so that humans might become God

(Catholicism, Page 2 by Fr. Robert Barron)

 

"The Glory of God is a human being fully alive."

Meyers, Robin R. (2009-02-19).  Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (Kindle Location 639).  Harper Collins, Inc..  Kindle Edition.

 

God "dwells in us." 
God's love is not meant for us alone;  
we must give it away.

 

 

Do small things today and for many tomorrows,
with a generous heart.

 

Give God Away Today!
Help us then, Lord,  
to be so united with the paschal mystery of Jesus,  
that through Him the world can become a better place to dwell.  
You promise us much for this life  
and for our eternal presence with You;  
may we live into that promise  
each day.

 

 

An interesting thought:

The birth of St. John is celebrated on June 24th, in the moment of the summer solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to reduce. On the other hand, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25th, during the winter solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to grow, to get longer.