Opening Prayer Series: 33 Sunday of Year

OPENING PRAYER SERIES:

THE MASS: OPENING PRAYER SERIES.

OPENING PRAYER
 

The Opening Prayer of the 33rd Sunday of the Year reads as follows:

Let us pray

(that God will help us to be faithful)

Father of all that is good,

Keep us faithful in serving You,

for to serve You is our lasting joy.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

1.            What does being faithful to God mean in my life?

2.            What areas in my life hinder me from being faithful?

3.            How will endeavour to remedy these areas- what is my action plan?

4.            How do I serve God?

5.            Why do I serve God? (My compendium series no may assist you in developing your response to God)

6.            In what ways will I endeavour to be more faithful this coming week?

GOSPEL; REFLECTION

Today's Gospel might be considered an action-packed doom and gloom' gospel, but if we read until the end and last the distance, it is also with hope since Jesus tells us 'Your endurance will win you your lives'. Enduring the doom and gloom will win us our lives.  

We must also follow Him until the end, rather than being caught up with falsehood in whatever guise it may be dressed. We also need to be alert to the signs of the times with earthquakes and plagues and famines, but realize that human persecution will be the precursor. We will hated and persecuted on account of Christ.but ' 'not a hair on your head will be lost'.

Today's Gospel challenges us therefore to ask:

1.            Am I prepared to be persecuted because I am a follower of Christ?

2.            Will I endure to win my life and the lives of others knowing that God has promised it?

Let us pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith, and pray that we all will endure and persevere in following Christ whatever the cost, since the prize worth fighting for- the reward of eternal life.