Scripture Study/Sharing for March 31st

We will continue our online Scripture Study/Sharing with Fr. David.  Visit www.wordbythesea.com to register for FREE.

This week's passages:  Matthew 5:1-7:29.

The Reflection Questions...


1.)  What is the importance of both the location of Jesus' sermon and his posture in delivering it (5:1)?  (See Exodus 18:13, 19:3, 16-20)


2.)  Which of the beatitudes seems most important to you?

3.)  Why might Jesus' attitude toward the Mosaic Law be of special importance to Matthew's community (5:17-20)?

4.)  If we're not to take literally this teaching about dismembering parts of our body that we think are leading us into sin, how are we supposed to understand it (5:29-30)?

5.)  When we ask God for "our daily bread," what are we asking for (6:11) (See Proverbs 30:8; Acts 2:46)


6.)  How would the lifestyle of early Christian communities as described by Luke in Acts 2:44-45 have contributed to their ability to live without worry for the needs of tomorrow (6:25-32)?

7.)  How does admitting and attending to one's own spiritual shortcomings make someone more fit to address the faults of others (7:5)?

8.)  What concern might there be today for 'false prophets' and what 'fruit' might you recognize them by (7:15-20)?  (See Deuteronomy 13:2-5; Jeremiah 23:16-17, 25-28)

(Questions from The Gospel According to Matthew Study Guide, Little Rock Scripture Study, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 2005.)

We will be meeting online this Thursday, March 31st from 7:30-8:30PM to share what we have read.

Until next time...

Online Scripture Study/Sharing for March, 24th

As mentioned last week, Fr. David Frederici is facilitating a Lenten online Scripture Study/Sharing on Thursday evenings from 7:30-8:30 PM on the Gospel of Matthew.  Even if you can't make the live online session, we will post the passages to be read that week (it is impossible to cover the entire Gospel in five weeks) along with the questions.  You can post your reflections for discussion as comments to this blog.

Passages for 3/24/11 - Matthew 1:1-2:23 (The Infancy Narrative)

Reflection Questions: 

1:16 - Who is the person to whom Mary gave birth?  What do you know about Joseph and Mary?

1:17 - What is unusual about this part of the story?  What might be the reason why Matthew mentions these    people in this particular verse?

1:21 - What did the messenger tell Joseph?  Why should Joseph call the baby 'Jesus'?  What does the name 'Jesus' mean?

What do you learn about where Jesus was born?  Who was the king?  What do you learn about the wise men?

2:7 - What did Herod do?  What might be the reason why kept it as a secret?  What was important about the time when the star appeared?

2:15 - How long did Joseph and his family stay in Egypt?  Why was that?

The above questions were taken from www.easyenglish.info/questions-about-the-bible/matthew-qbw.htm

When have you said "yes," allowing God to be present in a very real way in your life or in that of another?

Why does the presentation of the Holy Family as an "ordinary" family give us a sense of encouragement?

The above questions were taken from The Word Into Life:  Cycle A, Liguori Publications (c) 1995

We hope to see you online this Thursday.  You can register (for FREE) by visiting www.wordbythesea.com and clicking on Scripture Study.

Until Next Time...

 

Studying and Sharing Scripture Online...

I last blogged about how we can use technology to help spread the Good News of Christ's message.  Well, last night I had the privilege of joining Fr. David Frederici, Parochial Vicar at St. Elizabeth Seton (N. Falmouth) and St. John the Evangelist (Pocasset) and Chaplain for Cape Cod Community College & Catholic Scouting for the Diocese (he's not busy or anything!) as he tried something new this Lenten season.  Usually, Fr. David holds a Scripture Study/Sharing each week during Lent but he discovered last year that it is very difficult to gather people, especially busy young adults, to come out for an evening.  So instead he's trying something new this year.

Last night, we gathered online for the first of several Lenten webinar sessions to study and share on The Gospel of Matthew.  Each week, we will be given chapters from Matthew's Gospel to read and reflect upon and then gather online from 7:30-8:30PM to share what we discovered in the Scripture that week.  Fr. David also provides us with reflection questions to consider.  

If you would like to join us online next Thursday, we will be reading the Infancy Narrative in Matthew.  You can register for the webinar by visiting www.wordbythesea.com and clicking on Scripture Study.  We will also be posting the reflection questions here on the blog each week so if you can't join us "live" online, you can read and reflect on the Scripture passage and then respond right here.  All you will need for the webinar is your computer with speakers and a microphone (usually built in on most laptops or you can purchase a headset with a microphone).  If you don't have these, then all you will need is your computer and a phone line.

I will be posting the actual chapters and verses we will be reading for next Thursday later this weekend as well as the questions for reflection.  Why not consider joining us this Lent as we journey through some key passages in Matthew and share with each other in this online community.

Until next time...

Keeping Up with the Bloggers...

Mea Culpa!  Mea Culpa!  Mea Culpa!

I have committed the most cardinal of sins when it comes to blogging...I've neglected the blog and haven't written in a couple of months.  I think I echo the sentiments of many who say, "Life just gets in the way."  So, with Lent in full swing, I am using this time to discipline myself a little more as I jump into the world of blogging with both feet.

Actually, it was a little more than just a Lenten discipline but rather I read the Holy Father's Address to Social Council.  You can find the article here (Benedict XVI's Address to Social Council) I found the lead-in quote to be a challenge to any of us who minister to anyone under the age of 35.  "It is urgent to reflect on the languages developed by new technologies."  If you follow the pope's annual communications day messages, he has spent the last couple of years recognizing the importance technological communications and social networking plays in the life of our young people.

Tools like blogs and social networks are the "printing press" of this generation.  Much the way the printing press changed how information, including the Good News, was spread, so too is the internet.  Most of recognize the need to be involved in and learn these new technologies well enough (I still can't figure out my twitter account!) to spread His message to our young people.  Old.......errr....traditional forms of communication are not being used by today's generation so if we want to reach out to them, to minister to them where they are at, then we must become comfortable with this technological realm they find themselves.  Even Pope Benedict XVI agrees with how technology is changing the culture.  Here is what he says:

"[I]mportant is the work carried out by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications to deepen the "digital culture," stimulating and supporting reflection for a greater awareness of the challenges that await the ecclesial and civil community. It is not just about expressing the evangelical message in today's language, but of having the courage to think in a more profound way, as happened in other times, the relationship between faith, the life of the Church and the changes man is experiencing. It is a commitment to help those who have the responsibility in the Church to be able to understand, interpret and speak the "new language" of the media in their pastoral endeavor (cf. "Aetatis Novae," No. 2), in dialogue with the contemporary world, asking oneself: what challenges does so-called "digital thought" pose to faith and theology? What are the questions and requirements?"


So what may you ask can you do to help spread the Good News?  How about post a status update or post a tweet (does one post a tweet or does one simply tweet???) with a Scripture quote or post a question that one of the Sunday readings raised for you.  There are endless possibilities.

I can't promise that I will update this blog every day, although I'm sure going to try.  But I can promise that like the Vatican, the Office of Faith Formation and its additional blogs will journey along side our youth and adults as we navigate cyberspace and how to use it to spread His Word!

Until next time...