St. Matthias Men's Life Ministry
Saturday, February 25th, 2017, 7:00 AM
" In Deo Speramus "
(In God We Hope)
(Contact First Name)
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
Readings:
Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
Expensive clothes? Juicy food?
Fastest car, giant house?
What should we be
 yearning
 for?

 "See 
the lilies.
Consider them.
Do they spin or toil? Yet
Solomon in all his finery was
never clothed like any one of them."

Lord,
make us lilies.
Help us trust you for
every single thing we need.

Amen
First Reading
Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me;
my LORD has forgotten me."
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.

The Word of the Lord
Discussion Questions
1. "The Lord has forsaken me." Did Jesus say this? Did he he endure it? Who can relate to such misery today? How do you think God comforts people in 2017?
2. The second half of this reading is God's response: comfort to the forsaken. How do you feel when God compares himself with a nursing mother? What do you think Pope Francis means when he compares the Church to "a mother with an open heart"?

Second Reading
Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God

The Word of the Lord
Discussion Questions
1. Do the motives of our hearts relate to being good stewards of the gospel? What motivates your heart?
2. "Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." What are the "mysteries" Paul speaks of? What does a steward of the mysteries of God do? Would s/he protect the mysteries and keep them hidden from sight or make them know to everyone? How would s/he do this?


Alleluia, alleluia
 Hb 4:12
The word of God is living and effective;
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?'
or 'What are we to drink?'or 'What are we to wear?'
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

The Gospel of the Lord
Discussion Questions
1. John Shea, STD, suggests that the Gospel offers two scenarios: "(1) understand and inhabit your life as an anxious project for future physical survival or (2 ) understand and inhabit your life as a present gift sustained by God prior to any human activity to secure it." What happens to the concerns of (1) if you choose (2)?
2. In Laudato Si, Pope Francis says that Jesus asked us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds. If every person and creature has something to say to us, what do you learn from the lilies and birds when you really look at them? 

We are speaking of an attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, "he looked at him with love" (  Mk 10:21). He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.

  Encyclical Letter Laudato Si
of the Holy Father Francis, #226,
May 24, 2015

 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.