Think about your experiences in life:
How do you care for other people?
How do you care for the natural environment?
How do you care for yourself?
THE MISSION OF JESUS:
Luke 4:16-21 Writing during the Assyrian conquest and exile of the northern kingdom of Israel in the 6th century BC, Isaiah is poetically referring to an ideal King and a return to an ideal, peaceful world rather than a prediction of the future. Jewish Kings and prophets were often anointed with oil as a sign of their holiness and in the case of kings to give them divine strength and wisdom. How do you think the listeners in the synagogue, living under Roman occupation, might have responded to Jesus’ interpretation of the passage, given that he is speaking in his home town to people who watched him grow up? |
Luke is writing around 80-90AD, at a time when Christianity was emerging as a religion in its own right, particularly to a Gentile audience. The Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. What parallels does Luke 4 draw with Jesus’ ministry and the development of the early Christian church?
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John 13:20 and 20:19-23
John 13 describes the scene at the Last Supper of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples where he says “I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you”. The gift of the Holy Spirit in John 20 gives the disciples strength and courage to continue the mission of Jesus - to manifest God, who is love, through their words and actions. Why do you think this Gospel author has Jesus repeating “Peace be with you”? |
John 20 describes different responses to Jesus’ resurrection: the confusion of Peter. The immediate belief of the Beloved Disciple, the belief of Mary Magdalene after seeing the evidence herself or the denial of Thomas until he was in a position where disbelief was impossible. The author of the Gospel is asking his audience to consider which response reflects their own response. Which response aligns most with your position - Peter, the Beloved Disciple, Mary Magdalene or Thomas - why do you think you hold this position?
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WOMEN AS LEADERS IN EARLY CHURCH: Romans 16:1-16
The passage above lists some of the people who helped establish the church in Rome. In a time when communication was slow and travel dangerous, letters of recommendation were necessary, especially for females: Phoebe is identified as a “sister” and deaconess. In the first couple mentioned, Prisca would have had access to women’s quarters which were generally inaccessible to men. To what extent do women have more opportunities to spread the Good News of Jesus in contemporary society than the traditionally male clergy? |
Many of those listed in the greetings appear to be chiefly slave names. Regardless of different social status, all are greeted with a kiss and on behalf of “all the churches” and as previously mentioned, Phoebe is referred to as “our sister”. Why do you think St Paul, who was a well-educated, successful businessman and Jewish-Christian convert himself, emphasises these bonds of fictive kinship?
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GOD’S GIFT: Genesis 1:26-30
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES: Genesis 2:15 Genesis 1 suggests humankind being created simultaneously male and female. Genesis 2 begins with creation of man (Adamah = earth creature) and later the creation of woman (Eve/Havah = to breathe/to give life) to alleviate man’s loneliness. Neither creation accounts are intended as historical, scientific fact. They tell us about the Abrahamic faiths understanding of the relationship between God, humans and creation. In Genesis 1, the plural first person pronouns “us” and “our” are used which some interpret as representing the Trinitarian nature of God. What do all of these things suggest to you about the importance of relationships? |
Before Original Sin, which caused conflict and division, there was Original Goodness based on harmony and love. The phrases “subdue”, “have dominion over” and “till it and keep it” have sometimes been inaccurately interpreted to mean that humans dominate the rest of creation. What alternative phrases might more accurately describe the Original Goodness intended for humans’ relationship with creation?
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“Laudato Si” means “Praise be to you, my Lord” and comes from the patron saint of ecology, Saint Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures” (Song of Creation) and reminds us that the earth, our common home “is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us”. We ourselves “are dust of the earth (Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters” What are some of the ways described in Chapter Two in which we can heal and reconnect in order to promote harmony?
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Chapter 3 details causes for the disharmony such as unchecked technological progress, emphasis on economics over the environment, misguided anthropocentrism, a culture of relativism, a devaluing of work as vocation and new biological technologies. Do you agree that these are areas of concern and how would you explain “integral ecology” as described in Chapter 4 of Laudato Si?
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