Let's Try Again: How Is This Reading Relevant to Your Life?

[Amppax]

12 hours ago, Amppax said:

I guess I'm just a little confused by this, Gabriela. What exactly is the purpose of the thread? To help priests preach with concrete applications/connections of the readings to daily life, correct? I guess the problem I see with this is that specific applications and such are typically very personal or unique. I could sit here and tell you what I pray with when I do lectio on the readings, but for the most part, it typically is something specific to my situation in life. Which would not be the same as most other at a Mass with me. To me, the place for these sort of things is in personal prayer, not a homily. 

That being said, I did read through the readings, and I'll add something, so I'm not just the guy that comes in and distracts from the purpose of the thread. 

I chose the first reading, specifically "But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you." For me, this reminds me of all those times I'm in conversations with either family members or friends and matters of faith come up. I have a tendency to shrink away from these conversations, especially with others who are opposed to the faith. I feel, however, a particular duty to engage in this sort of conversation, not just as a Catholic, but as someone who has been prepared for these discussions (at least, after a bachelors in theology and all but 1 class for my masters, I better be). 

Edit: Is this the sort of thing you're looking for? 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Amppax

[Not A Real Name]

I chose the 2 reading because I think of the importance of sanctifying grace and being in the state of grace. God's image and presence lives in us. He so desires us to be one with Him that He gave us the sacramental life so that everything we do can be done with Him, in Him, and through Him. How amazing is that?  If I'm not in the state of grace then my actions never reach the infinite hights of supernatural charity, and if I'm not doing all I can to preserve this charity then I'm not truley loving my neighbor nor myself, and I'm also not truly loving my God who loves me beyond measure.

In my life I have lived on the other side of the tracks of God's commandments. What I thought was love was really just selfishness and worldly love.  I never took it that way though.  I had always looked at the Church and the commandments as obstacles to me loving others.  I would get angry and say "why can't I love this or that person?" Later through prayer I realized that God knew in my own imperfect way I cared about these people, but that He also cares about them and He cares for them perfectly.  If I want to ever truly love another then I must care for them as He does.  Any actions which oppose His commandments are not actions of true love. Any actions done while not in the state of grace are likewise not loving. 

To love with supernatural charity is to love without caring about a reward. To love regardless of what obstacles you meet and to love regardles of if others will reciprocate. To give your all for the benfit of others and the Glory of God who gave, and continues to give, His all for us.  He loves us not for His benefit but soley for our benefit. 

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Not A Real Name

[Gabriela]

On 1/30/2016, 9:28:47, Amppax said:

I guess I'm just a little confused by this, Gabriela. What exactly is the purpose of the thread? To help priests preach with concrete applications/connections of the readings to daily life, correct? I guess the problem I see with this is that specific applications and such are typically very personal or unique. I could sit here and tell you what I pray with when I do lectio on the readings, but for the most part, it typically is something specific to my situation in life. Which would not be the same as most other at a Mass with me. To me, the place for these sort of things is in personal prayer, not a homily. 

The purpose: Basically, I'm doing a test run of a resource I have in mind for the preaching initiative I'm running now (at an accredited school of Catholic theology). Empirical research with Catholic laypersons has shown that Catholic preaching suffers from three primary deficiencies:

1. No clear relevance of the topic to the listeners' lives

2. No clear central message of the homily

3. No clear organization of the message

The first one is what I'm targeting here. If clergy don't know how Catholic laypeople see the Bible as relevant to their lives, then it's very difficult for them to make their homilies relevant. And since clergy live such different lives from laypeople (in many cases), and self-selected into seminary (which means they are, in an important way, different from us from the outset), and spent years receiving theological education (which tends to intellectualize them and so render their homilies abstract and "irrelevant"—or at least, not clearly relevant to many people), they need to hear from laypeople themselves what their lives are like and how the Bible relates to that.

It sounds to me like you are accustomed to hearing these abstract homilies, but that you have no problem finding a connection in them to your personal life. You make that connection yourself. But the majority of Catholics won't make the effort to do that. They'll just stop listening or write it off as irrelevant. One must already care about finding relevance to be willing to do the connecting work oneself, and many Catholics don't and won't.

You are right that such stories are very personal, but you would be surprised how many people can relate to the same sort of experience. We are not so unique in our spiritual journeys as perhaps we would like to think. And even if a story is unique, a preacher may be able to use it to gain an understanding of your way of life (and that of many others), your worldview, and how the Bible fits into that from your perspective. That's what he needs to begin crafting clearly relevant homily messages.

On 1/30/2016, 9:53:31, Seven77 said:

 I have been meaning to reply…

 Whenever I think about the Sunday Mass Readings I like to think about how they are all connected, and that serves as a springboard from which to apply them to my life.  I think that in recent years we've been hearing more and more about the importance of prayerfully reading Scripture  (Lectio Divina).  And I think that  one of the great things about Vatican II and the Novo Ordo is the lectionary of readings we have… the readings are  so ingeniously connected, definitely a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Anyway, here are my quick reflections on the readings for this Sunday:

Jesus Christ is the priest prophet and King per excellence… ultimately, his mission of redemption can be summarized as a mission of love. Preaching the truth in love is often met with resistance, especially by those to whom the prophet is sent.  We who are baptized in Christ have the same mission. That's a brief synopsis of my thoughts… I could write more but I don't have time right now.

Gabriella, correct me if I'm wrong but you are trying to gather insights about the readings and that's why you're asking us for our input on them.

I am trying to gather insights about how YOU relate to the readings. You personally. The phenomenon that you mention, that of trying to tie all the readings togethers, is extremely common. It's what most priests try to do in their homilies. It creates many problems in homilies, and quite a few priests have complained to me that the readings are sometimes very difficult or even impossible to connect coherently (the 2nd reading plagues them in particular). I never recommend to a cleric that he attempt to cover all the readings—or even more than one reading—in a single homily. It leads to lack of focus and thence directly to problems 2 and 3 (and indirectly, 1) above. Sometimes the connection between the readings is obvious, and then it may be fine to include more than one in the homily. But this is actually very rare. Focused homilies tend to have more impact. They also help clergy (especially new/young ones) to minimize the fear that they will "run out of things to say" (in homilies) one day. Most clergy never do, but many struggle to say something they feel is "fresh" and "new" after years of preaching. More-focused homilies that don't attempt to do it all in 3–15 minutes would preserve a great many ideas for later and even make the present homilies better.

On 1/30/2016, 11:34:00, Spem in alium said:

I believed Gabriella was actually researching this topic for a dissertation or thesis. Also correct me if I am wrong.  

I am working on my dissertation, but that's on a different preaching topic. These threads are directly related to the resources I'm creating for clergy through the preaching initiative.

22 hours ago, Amppax said:

That being said, I did read through the readings, and I'll add something, so I'm not just the guy that comes in and distracts from the purpose of the thread. 

I chose the first reading, specifically "But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you." For me, this reminds me of all those times I'm in conversations with either family members or friends and matters of faith come up. I have a tendency to shrink away from these conversations, especially with others who are opposed to the faith. I feel, however, a particular duty to engage in this sort of conversation, not just as a Catholic, but as someone who has been prepared for these discussions (at least, after a bachelors in theology and all but 1 class for my masters, I better be). 

Edit: Is this the sort of thing you're looking for? 

That is precisely what I'm looking for, Amppax. Thank you! This shows a struggle you face in everyday life that this reading can be connected to. A cleric who knows this can run with this idea, setting up a homily that will address this very concrete problem you face in life, using the reading YOU saw the problem in to draw out advice or encouragement that will help you decide how to approach such situations as a conscientious Christian. I have also struggled with this issue. I expect many of us have. (In fact, I know we have, cuz it comes up all the time on Phatmass.)

Also note that you made a connection to a very specific part of the reading: One sentence only. THAT'S focus!  

See what I'm getting at?

Edited February 1, 2016 by Gabriela

[Maggyie]

When I hear proclaimed the verse "before I formed you in the womb I knew you," I specifically think of the babies who I lost, and that even so tiny (one was a "blighted ovum" where the embryo didn't even develop 1 day) God already knew them and loved them.

It's a helpful counterpoint to Limbo, which obviously we don't teach anymore even informally, but the concept is still out there that unbaptized babies can't possibly be with Jesus, including miscarried or stillborn children. A very comforting reading. 

[Amppax]

Thanks for the response, Gabriela. That does help clear it up. 

 

[Gabriela]

3 hours ago, Maggyie said:

When I hear proclaimed the verse "before I formed you in the womb I knew you," I specifically think of the babies who I lost, and that even so tiny (one was a "blighted ovum" where the embryo didn't even develop 1 day) God already knew them and loved them.

It's a helpful counterpoint to Limbo, which obviously we don't teach anymore even informally, but the concept is still out there that unbaptized babies can't possibly be with Jesus, including miscarried or stillborn children. A very comforting reading. 

I don't want to prop this because it makes me sad. But I am glad that you've found consolation in Scripture!

[enitharmon]

> R. (cf. 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
> In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
> let me never be put to shame.

This passage has often confused me (Psalm 31 opens in the same way), for the phrase "let me never be put to shame." Every time I read this translation (which I believe is similar in several modern translations), I always think it says "don't put me to shame by turning out not to exist", as in "O Lord, you better be real, because I have taken refuge in you, an I'll really lose face before my enemies when you turn out to not exist!"

But then I always remember that this passage is not about that kind of shame. Older translations put this differently: "let me never be put to confusion" (Douay-Rheims & KJV). St Augustine comments: "Already I have been confounded, but not for everlasting. For how is he not confounded, to whom is said, "What fruit had ye in these things wherein ye now blush?" [Romans 6:21] What then shall be done, that we may not be confounded for everlasting? "Draw near unto Him, and be ye enlightened, and your faces shall not blush." Confounded you are in Adam, withdraw from Adam, draw near unto Christ, and then you shall not be confounded. "In You I have hoped, O Lord, I shall not be confounded for everlasting." If in myself I am now confounded, in You I shall not be confounded for everlasting."

And so I am reminded that the shame here refers not to the type of shame I am thinking of--shame before people--but to shame that arises from sin--shame before God. I like that phrase from Romans, in this translation, "these things wherein ye now blush".

And so I am reminded every time I read/hear/pray this psalm that I need to stop caring less about myself, become more humble and care less what people may think, and look more to God, and wonder how my actions look to him, and whether they would make me blush if I were more aware of his presence. In other words, I need to do more what the first part of this sentence says: "In you, O LORD, I take refuge."
 

(I am not sure if this counts, Gabriela, as this happens to be a psalm that has long stuck in my mind, and so I have some pre-formed thoughts about it. Obviously, when I hear this, I would not mentally cite the full passage from St Augustine--I've just added it here because I find it a beautiful passage, and it made me first realise what this psalm is really about.)


 

Edited February 1, 2016 by enitharmon