Made For Eternity?
Discipleship
Questions for
Sunday
November 2, 2008
Scripture
First
Psalm
Second
Gospel: Mt
25:31-46
First Reading Ez 34:11-12, 15-17
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
As for you, my flock, I will judge between one sheep and
another.
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my
sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself
among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where
they were scattered
when it was cloudy and
dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the
Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring
back,
the injured I will bind
up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the
strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and
another,
between rams and goats.
Responsorial Psalm Ps
23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
(R.) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
(R.) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
(R.) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with
oil;
my cup overflows.
(R.) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the
house of the LORD
for years to come.
(R.) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second Reading 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
Christ will hand over the kingdom to his God and Father so that
God may be all in all.
Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits
of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the
dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall
all be brought to life,
but each one in proper
order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those
who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the
kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed
every sovereignty
and every authority and
power.
For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is subjected to him,
then the Son himself will
also be subjected
to the one who subjected
everything to him,
so that God may be all in all.
Gospel Mt
25:31-46
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
The Son of Man will sit upon his glorious throne and he will
separate them one from another.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his
glory,
and all the angels with
him,
he will sit upon his
glorious throne,
and all the nations will
be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from
another,
as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and
the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his
right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you
welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you
visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and
say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you,
or thirsty and give you
drink?
When did we see you a stranger and
welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and
visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least
brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave
me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no
clothing,
ill and in prison, and
you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked
or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your
needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for
one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal
punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
Discipleship
Questions:
1. It’s Christ the King Sunday – what does it mean then to worship and follow a King? What image do you have of your King? Please reflect upon and discuss.
2. What does it mean to have a King in your life the next time your - scared, tempted to indulge in an unkind or unseemly fantasy, tempted to do drugs or eat that pie or justify and unkind word?? Please reflect upon and discuss.
3. Jesus remind us that – we live and move and have our being – meaning in God. This means that God is all about at all times – He’s present with us always. Our God, our King is WITH us. How then should we life – think, act, be . . . in His presence. Please ponder and discuss.
4. Please read the Old Testament passage and discuss what this tells us about our King.
5. Now read Psalm 23 and discuss what this tells us about our King.
6. Our King then is a “Shepherd King.” In this title we have the full gambit of the human social strata – the King the highest and the shepherd the lowest. How then do we “imagine” such a being? What images come to your mind as you struggle to “image” our God? Please ponder and discuss.
7. Now read the Gospel reading for today. The fact is that our God wants us to imagine Him. He wants to reveal Himself to us. Think about that – we worship and follow a Shepherd King who wants to reveal Himself to us – that’s what the incarnation is all about – Jesus came to earth to reveal Himself and His Father to us. That’s what the Eucharist is all about – God revealing Himself- giving Himself to us! What does this mean to you? Please ponder and discuss.
8. Go to “Google images” and look for as many images that would in some sense capture what you think our Shepherd King might look like. You may also want to try “Flickr.com” for more images. I did it and it is fun!
9. Please read and then pray this prayer:
Shepherd King
Your eyes find me – know me –
search me – reveal me – disarm me – unclothe me – love me – delight in me –
cherish me – comfort me – calm me - . . .
Call me – draw me – entice me –
closer to you . . . my beloved Shepherd . . . my sovereign King!
How do I remember you? How do I not forget about you in the busyness
of my life?
Ah! To listen for your
whisperings, to look for your revealings . . . to
sense your appearings . . .
O Lord, forgive me . . . I am
so slow of mind and hard of heart.
Renew my mind – renew my heart
– draw me anew to You and awaken my love for you so
that my very heart’s yearnings will awaken me again and again to your callings.
O Lord, may this New Year be
one in which I look for and find you again and again . . . every day.
Amen and Amen!