Sunday, January 23, 2022
The readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year C focus on the call to ministry and the importance of scripture. In the first reading (Nehemiah 8:2-4A, 5-6, 8-10) Ezra the priest teaches the people and interprets the law for them. The psalm (Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15) sings “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.” In the second reading (1 Corinthians 12:12-30) we learn that we are all parts of the same body of Christ. In the gospel (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21) Jesus interprets the writings of Isaiah and declares his public ministry.
Topics for this weekend could include community, the sacrament of Holy Orders, the universal priesthood, and scripture study. Here are some ideas:
In this video, Fr. John Muir shows us what a typical day is for him. As a priest, he doesn't abandon his gifts and the things he is passionate about. He uses them to serve the church.
People sort is an activity which can be used as an icebreaker or opening activity for a youth group meeting focused on human dignity, immigration, or institutional racism. Use the debrief time to have an honest discussion about why we group people by race rather than other characteristics.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.
Why should we pray for more vocations to the priesthood? It is no secret that we need more priests in the Catholic Church. Giving your whole life to the service of the Church is counter-cultural and many young people do not even consider it. God calls us all to a specific vocation. So we should pray that those being called to the priesthood will hear and answer that call.
Lectio Divina means "divine reading". It is a prayer practice which trusts that God speaks to us through scripture. This is a practice I started doing regularly a few years ago.
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