20-second Summary
This week the message in the Mass readings is all about complacency and selfishness..and what it means to be selfless. Each of the readings continues the message from last week, that we can’t allow the material world to become our idol. We have to be purposeful in living our faith, focused on God and His Way.
Catechesis At Home – Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Complacency Kills
First Reading
Woe to the complacent in Zion!
Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!
Improvising to the music of the harp,
like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed is he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Second Reading
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called
when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I charge you before God, who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
Gospel Reading
Alleluia
Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied,
‘My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'”
Mass Readings are presented verbatim from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) web site in good faith accordance with its “Web and Other Digital Media Usage” guidelines. All Rights are reserved to the USCCB.
Complacency Kills
REFLECTION – Complacency = Death
This week we hear that selfish people will be condemned, while those who are selfless, focused on God and His ways, will be rewarded. The prophet Amos describes in detail the lazy, “complacent” ways of certain people and warns that they will be the first to be taken into exile. The Psalmist points out who the Lord helps – the poor, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widows. St. Paul tells Timothy to remain faithful in his work and prayer and living in Christ, in order to come into eternal life at the end. And finally, Jesus, tells the parable of the rich man, complacent in his wealth, and Lazarus, the poor man at his gate.
Each of the readings continues the message from last week, that we can’t allow the material world to become our idol. We have to be purposeful in living our faith, focused on God and His Way. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). When we seek the Truth, it points to the Way that leads to Life everlasting. That is the basic message this week. Being faithful to Jesus’ message of salvation so we can receive eternal life as our reward.
DISCUSSION – Faithfulness = Life
Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven! Anyone who has an inkling of what heaven is will raise their hand. The real question is how do we get there? Discuss with your family and friends this week the Scriptures and what ways they point to in order to receive the eternal reward of heaven. Help one another recognize and focus on God and His Way, and being faithful to Him.
ACTIVITY – Complacency and Faithfulness in Action
For this activity, act out the readings. Here are a couple of ideas:
First reading: actors can pretend to be lounging around eating and partying while soldiers come and drag them off.
Gospel: act out the story – a rich man, Lazarus, and Abraham. A narrator can be Jesus, telling the story.
After the acting, talk about how we can be more faithful and less complacent in our faith life!
DIG DEEPER – Other Complacency Kills resources from Holy Owned and Operated:
Page: Spirit in Life: The Fruits of the Spirit
TWMWU: All Things are Possible For God
TWMWU: The Important Things
Podcast: Faithfulness – Episode 29
Podcast: Fruits of the Spirit: Faithfulness
How does Complacency Kill in your life?
by Beth & Kristofer Cowles
HOO™ Co-Founders
Other Help on HOO
Lust And Love – Episode 133
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:04 — 24.0MB)
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What is the difference between lust and love?
During this “season of Valentines” Beth and Kristofer cover this (often unknowingly) confusing and vitally important topic before we dive headlong into the pink and roses and hearts and whatnot.
Beth and Kristofer share how to tell the difference between lust and love, and how to teach that to impressionable minds and hearts.
And they do this in the context of Mortal Sin and Theological Virtue: Lust and Love, respectively.
They also, right out of the gate, point to Nick’s seven-part series about Love as a great resource on our web site for this discussion, which is linked to in the show notes.
Living in this world, but not of it, is difficult, and Beth and Kristofer offer us some pointers on how to do that, particularly in this day and age.
And, no, there is no inappropriate or “parental discretion advised” content in this episode.
But they do get attacked by a tree!
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