Opening Prayer Series: 27th Sunday of Year

OPENING PRAYER SERIES:

THE MASS: OPENING PRAYER SERIES ICON.

OPENING PRAYER

The Opening Prayer of the 27th Sunday of Year C reads as follows:

Let us pray

(that God will forgive our failings and bring us peace)

.Father, Your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires.

Forgive our failings,

keep us in Your peace,

and lead us in the way of salvation.

In making this prayer tangible the following reflection questions emerged.

1.            Why do we need to pray that God will forgive our failings?

2.            Why do we need to pray that God will give us peace?

3.            What are our hopes and desires?

4.            Why does God's love surpass our hopes and desires?

5.            What are our failings (towards God, toward neighbour and toward
           myself)?

6.            How will God keep me in His peace this week?

7.            How will I be led in the way of salvation this week?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

In today's Gospel the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. The reply of Jesus is telling, since He explains that it is not the size of the faith (size of the mustard seed), but the quality of the faith (tell the mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea). The size of the mustard seed is very small, whilst the mulberry tree flourishes into a huge tree. If you wish to explore further the virtue of faith, you may wish to visit my virtue series.

The other aspect of today’s Gospel focuses on doing what the Master (Jesus) asks of us. We are to know our place- we are God's creatures not the Creator. God loves us. However, just as the opening prayer says we need to be 'led in the way of salvation'. We need to do what Jesus tells us knowing that Jesus wants and gives us what is best for us.

The last phrase of the gospel 'We are only servants; we have done no more than our duty' is not meant either to be an easy way out or a cop out. No, we must try to do our best, since scripture also tells us 'when much is given, much is expected'

So, like the disciples let us ask God to increase our faith. This week, even if our faith is the size of a mustard seed, let us have the courage to say to the mulberry tree of our lives to 'be uprooted and be planted in the sea'