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January 15: A Whole New Perspective Week 1 / 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Can you see Christ in the Crowd?Is 49:3, 5-6; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34
Can you see Christ in the Crowd? It’s a challenging question. John the Baptist does it so boldly in the Gospel today. John was actively on the lookout for the Son of God. He knew to look because he was in tune with God’s call, God’s voice, in his life. While John points to Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, I think there is also a call to action for us today. In our daily routines, it is easy to look past people, and instead be in survival mode. “I gotta get x, y and z done today.” That’s understandable. There are a lot of demands that make us busy…sometimes (maybe often) we get busy without even trying to pack our schedule…it just happens. When I hear this question: “Can you see Christ in the Crowd?”, I receive it as a challenge to not only pause (which I definitely need to do more), but also to reframe my daily routine. What would my day look like if I walked through it with a compassionate awareness of people around me? If I saw them as people carrying a cross, or burden, and searching for meaning and belonging? I think it would be easier to find Christ in them if I took a step to be more intentional like that. And if we looked at people intentionally and compassionately as human beings who reflect the face of God…would that not make us more Christlike? What step can you take to be more intentional in how you approach people in the “crowds” of your daily routine? What can you do to be “on the lookout” for Christ in the crowd like John the Baptist?
Discussion Questions:
- What three words would you use to describe your “daily routine”? What three words do you want to be descriptors of your daily routine?
- List as many people as you can think of that you encounter in your daily routine. Who is the most overlooked?
- How would your daily routine look different if you walked through it with a compassionate awareness of people around you?
- What step can you take to be more intentional in how you approach people in the “crowds” of your daily routine this week? What can you do to be “on the lookout” for Christ in the crowd like John the Baptist?
January 22: A Whole New Perspective Week 2 / 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Will You Journey in the Light of Christ?Is 8:23—9:3; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23 or 4:12-17
Will You Journey in the Light of Christ? It’s an interesting question. I think it can be put this way as well: Will you follow Jesus? Peter, Andrew, James, and John quite dramatically show us their answer was yes. They drop their fishing nets and follow him. What could prompt people today to make such a drastic life change as following Jesus? Well, first I think it takes realizing that something is missing, something is off, something is not right…inside us and in our world. Isaiah speaks of people being in deep darkness, gloom, held in contempt, and in anguish (8:23 -9:1). Then comes the light, and Isaiah tells us that the light brings joy because the light has lifted people’s burdens and removed their oppressors (9:3). The light that does this is a person: Jesus Christ. But it doesn’t end there. It isn’t just about us having the brokenness in our lives healed by the light. The light (Christ) calls us to something. Saint Paul today reminds us that, as Christians, we are to “be united in the same mind and the same purpose” (1 Cor. 1:10). We all have a calling from Christ and a purpose. Jesus tells Peter, Andrew, James, and John: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mt 4:19). Once we start walking in the light of Christ, we start to discover and live out the true meaning of our lives. As a Church we have a mission, and a significant part of that mission is bringing other people in to become disciples of Jesus, to journey in the light of Christ with us. This does not look exactly the same for all of us because we are each given different gifts. Today, reflect in prayer on how God’s light has shown in the darkness in your life, and thank Him for it. Worship God through prayer or song for the great things he has done in your life. Then, reflect on the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given you. Pray for guidance on how to use those gifts as a follower of Jesus. How are you to be a “fisher of people” for Christ?
Discussion Questions:
- If the Church did a global poll asking how Catholics who previously had no faith life decided to take a first step into the light of Christ, what do you think the top 3 reasons would be that they took a first step into the light? Why?
- What about light makes it such an apt description of walking with or following God?
- In the Gospel today, Jesus says: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men'' (Matthew 4:19). Jesus gives this call again in what is called the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). What does this call mean for your life? How prominent has the call to invite other people into the light of Christ shown up in your life?
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines evangelization as “The proclamation of Christ and his Gospel by word and testimony of life, in fulfillment of Christ’s command” (glossary). Why do you think this is difficult to do for many people? What gifts, talents, or abilities has God given you to evangelize?
January 29: A Whole New Perspective Week 3 / 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Do you have true happiness?Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12a
Do you have true happiness? A great question! Or do we instead find ourselves focusing on projecting an image of a happy life (successful, put together, comfortable, etc.?) Also, what makes for true happiness? These are very appropriate questions for today given the Gospel reading which contains The Beatitudes. Oxford Languages defines beatitude as “supreme blessedness.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (see paragraphs 1716-1718) states that the Beatitudes are “the heart of Jesus’ preaching”, the “countenance”, or face, of Jesus, and that they address our desire to be happy as humans. This should make us pause and really take a close look at the Beatitudes in this light. Look at them as the ingredients of a happy life. See if you can identify where these beatitudes show up in the people you encounter in your everyday life, and how they can, or should, show up in you. Choose a Beatitude to laser focus on this week. Ask the Spirit to help you discover what He wants you to see about it.
Discussion Questions:- Imagine someone who knew nothing about the U.S. flew in one day and walked around a city or town and could view social media and television. How might that person say Americans define “true happiness”?
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the Beatitudes as, in part, the ingredients for a truly happy life (1718). Read through the Beatitudes again in Matthew 5:1-12a. How does this compare to your answer to the first question?
- Given that the Beatitudes, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, are the face of Christ (1717), where can you find the face of Christ in your daily life? Once you find Him, what should you do?
- Which Beatitude do you feel pulled to laser focus on this week? Why?
February 5th - A Whole New Perspective Week 4 / 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Salt and Light: The Key IngredientsIs 58:7-10; Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 1 Cor 2:1-5; Mt 5:13-16
In the Gospel today Jesus gives us 2 key ingredients to being his followers: salt and light. In this reflection, we are going to focus on light. The reading from Isaiah gives us some key ingredients to make our light shine in the darkness. Isaiah says: “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness…” So here we have a list of some key ingredients for our light to shine. This week, consider how you can implement this passage in your daily life. Here is some food for thought: Can you point your finger less, or cast blame less, on other people? To avoid speaking evil, ask yourself: do I curse or gossip or talk behind people’s backs? There are so many opportunities to address the needs of the hungry and afflicted. Many are afflicted by burdens such as isolation, anxiety, and burnout, and reaching out to them can do some good. Our food pantry and bed ministry offer great opportunities as well. These are practical ways you can start to mix these ingredients of being a shining light to others in your everyday life. So identify a darkness in your world that you can do something about…then add your light to it.
Discussion Questions:
- “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness…” Isaiah 58:9-10
Which of these “ingredients” for light shining in the darkness is most urgently
needed in your community, family, or workplace?
- Isaiah speaks of “…satisfying the needs of the afflicted” (Isaiah 58:10). Who are the afflicted in your midst and what afflicts them? Be specific.
- Read Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus is clear: your light is meant to shine (Matthew 5:16). What are the “bushel baskets” in your life that prevent your light from shining? What steps can you take to overcome them?
- Read Matthew 5:13-16. Imagine Jesus is speaking directly to you. How do his words speak to you as you are right now?
February 12 - A Whole New Perspective Week 5 / 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
It all matters.Sir 15:15-20; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34; 1 Cor 2:6-10; Mt 5:17-37
Have you ever wondered if anything you do or say will make any impact in the long run, or make any difference in people’s lives? It’s easy to feel insignificant in a society that glorifies the tiny percent of people who are super-famous. Most of us will never be presidents or popes or world renowned celebrities. The Gospel today completely inverts the perception of what matters and what is significant. Jesus spends a large portion of one of his most important sermons talking about the small everyday ways we treat people, and even our thoughts. I think an important message that we get from these commands is that God really cares about the details of our lives. The small things in our everyday lives mean a great deal to God. How we talk to people, what we think about other people, our marriages, and our words all have a place in Jesus’ important Sermon on the Mount. The small things are the big things. Saint Theresa of Calcutta captured this concept well when she said:
“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”
–Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Reflect on how the small things you do each day matter to Christ. Try writing some of those little things down. I’ll leave you with one final quote from Saint Teresa for some inspiration: “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”
Discussion Questions:
- If you took a poll on the street tomorrow asking people: “What in life really matters?” or “What is most important in life?” What sort of responses do you think you would get?
- Do you think it is hard for most people to believe that God cares about the details of our lives? Why or why not?
- How we talk to people, what we think about other people, our marriages, and our words all have a place in Jesus’ important Sermon on the Mount. The small things are the big things. Given this, looking at your life to this point, what do you think God would consider to be your most significant accomplishments? Does that align with what you consider your most important accomplishments to be?
- List some everyday opportunities you have to do a small thing with great love.
February 19 - A Whole New Perspective Week 6 / 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
A Whole New PerspectiveLv 19:1-2, 17-18; Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Cor 3:16-23; Mt 5:38-48
Think about a moment or experience in your life that completely changed your perspective. Maybe it was an incredible teacher or coach you had that left a lasting impression. Or maybe it was when you got married or had children or faced a health crisis or the death of a loved one. There are moments that shift the way we look at life. From that moment on, we see differently. We gain a whole new perspective. For the past few weeks we have been looking at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, we can say, is a whole new perspective that turns the status quo expectations of life on their head. Jesus continues to challenge us in the Gospel reading for this Sunday. Much of the focus in the Gospel reading today is on people who mistreat us. For many of us, these can be some of the most challenging demands from Jesus. Jesus says “Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Jesus is saying that loving our enemies and praying for them makes us children of God. Jesus modeled this in the extreme, forgiving even those who executed him. Our situation may not be as extreme, but the call is the same: forgive. Sometimes it can feel easier to wallow in a grudge than to forgive. But if we forgive, we lean into the peace, joy, and freedom that comes with being a child of God. It’s appropriate to reflect on forgiveness this week, including our own need for forgiveness as we approach Ash Wednesday and Lent. Let’s make this call to forgive concrete. Identify who you have to forgive this week. If you can’t think of anyone, remember, sometimes we can be our own worst enemies, and need to forgive ourselves too.
Discussion Questions:
- Write about a moment, person, or experience in your life that completely changed your perspective.
- Do you think it is hard for most people to ask for forgiveness? To forgive?
- Do you think forgiveness has a prominent place in most families and communities? What takes the place of forgiveness if it isn’t there?
- Looking back over this series, what are the most significant ways Jesus offers a whole new perspective in his Sermon on the Mount? What key learning do you want to be sure you take into Lent?