Collect for 20th Sunday of Year.

COLLECT SERIES

THE MASS: COLLECT SERIES ICON.

 COLLECT

O God, who have prepared for those who love you

Good things which no eye can see,

Fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of Your love,

So that, loving you in all things and above all things,

We may attain Your promises,

Which surpass every human desire.

Though our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You in unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1.      What are the good things you hope that God has prepared for you?
2. .      How is my relationship with God currently? What areas need to change?
3.      What does God’s love look and feel like to you?  
4.     What areas in our lives can we emulate God’s love? 
5.            How will I love God in all things and above all things this coming week?
             ( Name at least one way I can do this with the grace of God helping me).
6.     What are the promises of God which surpass every human desire?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today's Gospel from Luke 12:49-43 is another one of those Gospel's that should make us sit up and take notice. Why because in a good proportion of his Gospel, he speaks of peace.  However, Jesus is telling his disciples (and us) that peace comes at a price/ a cost.  It has to be gained and it can be anything but peace.   

Standing up for what is right and holding out when the popular opinion cries something else is often very difficult for people to do. Sometimes they lack courage, they fear what will happen to them. They may be ostracised for their beliefs from those whom they love most and those whom they thought would support them. No, they stand alone it seems.

Even though a stand for the right takes courage, the good news is that Jesus is always with us.  Yes, we may be ostracised, fearful, lack courage and yet, if we know in our hearts that we need to stand up for the truth and/or for the right, we need to, for the sake of our souls, speak up. We cannot allow injustice to have free reign.

In most occasions, we do not have to speak out on the world stage- if that is our calling, then Jesus will give us the courage to fulfil our destiny. However, battles are lost or won in the day to day-in the family, at work, in the parish, even doing grocery shopping.  

Where ever we are, we need to stand up for what is right and be prepared to take the consequences in the full knowledge that we know we have Jesus on our side.  We can then know that we are not alone, that we will have the courage, the words and the disposition to speak up and out when it is necessary not only when it is convenient or will not cause us any harm. 

Be at peace in the battle of what is right 

because we have Jesus to support us.