COLLECT SERIES.
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THE MASS: COLLECT SERIES ICON. |
COLLECT
The
Collect for the 13th Sunday of the Year reads as follows:
The
Collect for the 13th Sunday of the Year reads as follows:
O God,
who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light,
Grant,
we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error
But always
be seen to stand in the bright light of truth.
Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who
lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One
God for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
In making this prayer tangible
for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged.
1.What does it mean to me to
be an adopted child of God?
2.When you think of parents
who adopted a child, what do you think about? How does this relate to being an
adopted child of God?
3/ How can I be a child of light
this coming week? ( name one or 2 areas of your life to focus on this week).
4. What areas in my life are
wrapped in the darkness of error?
5. How will I embrace the
light of forgiveness this week in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
6. How can I stand in the bright
light of truth? (eg Am I prepared to stand up to someone engaging in bully
behaviour to someone else or stand up for what is right rather than go with the
crowd).
GOSPEL REFLECTION.
Today’s Gospel is for all of
us who at any stage in our lives are sitting on the fence, making excuses or
just not moving forward out of fear/ inertia or some other reason.
Jesus understands our excuses
but wants us to be the best we can be- He knows we can be the best we can be
for He made us. He did not make rubbish, rather a work of art. He is the potter
and we are the clay.
However, although God believes
in us as His creation, do we believe in ourselves as God’s creation? Is God first place in our lives in everything? We make excuses, it is not going to work out,
it is all too hard, nothing is changing. We need to stop thinking or talking
aloud the excuses and know in our hearts that nothing is impossible with God.
When we are on board with God and work together with His divine plan for our
destiny, we don’t have time for excuses- there is no need for excuses, sitting
on the fence, or being frozen with fear.
We know in our hearts that Jesus is with us, loves us and we are His
adopted children-why simply because He loves us so much that He sent His only
Son to die and redeem us. Think about
for a moment- that much.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
When you hear this Gospel this
week, why not: divide your page into 3- put headings physical, emotional and
spiritual.
- Write down areas of your life in each area that are excuse ridden.
- Choose 1 of these areas for each month for the remainder of the year to do something about- to change, to throw away the excuse, the fear.
- Have a family meeting- do the same process and decide as a family which areas you will choose to walk in the light not in the darkness of error. Use the Collect Prayer to help you. Keep it close by so that family members can read it and stay committed to walking in the light.
- Have a parish meeting- do the same process- what are the areas hindering growth in the parish in the true light of Christ—where has inertia set in, where has the darkness of error have a hold in groups. Discuss what it means to be a child of God and consider the love of God for every person in the parish and for the parish itself. Have no fear- reinstate Jesus as the no 1 ticket holder into your parish today in every aspect of it.
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