Does your parish have a Men’s groups? If not start one, it’s as simple as meeting once a week. The group I’m in reads the up coming Sunday Mass readings on Friday mornings from 7am to 8am. We use the questions from the National Fellowship of Catholic Men http://www.nfcmusa.org/Reading-Questions
We open with a prayer, go through the readings, and end with shared prayer. There’s no attendance, men show up when they can, some are late, some need to leave early. Each week I send out readings and the questions and bring some extra copies on Friday morning. A sample is below. We meet in a room at the parish but you could meet anywhere. Think about it.
Reading 1 Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers, “he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. But the LORD said, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you. God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. “This is my name forever; thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
Reading 2 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.
Gospel Lk 13:1-9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”
Rethinking Our Approach to Prayer
When God called Moses from the burning bush, he launched him on one of the longest, most significant journeys in history—and began by telling him: “Remove the sandals from your feet” (Exodus 3:5). Why would God say that?
The second half of the verse offers a reason: “The place where you stand is holy ground.” Imagine how fast Moses obeyed! In Egypt, where he grew up, people were required to go barefoot before Pharaoh or any other superior. It was both an expression of respect and an admission of a lower-status position. Standing before the greatest Lord of all, whose glory shimmered out like an invisible force field, Moses must have felt awed and humble indeed. at does this tell us about our approach to prayer? Without any burning bushes to jolt us, it’s easy to relate to God casually, even as if it’s something of a chore. The image of Moses removing his sandals reminds us that our loving Father is an awesome God whose holiness we cannot even begin to comprehend. It tells us to approach him with reverence, humility, and an awareness of our sin and frailty. But the scene speaks to us in other ways as well. Shoes and sandals get dirty, and still today in many cultures and homes, people take them off before entering the house. In a way, that’s what we’re called do when we come before God. Grimy footwear can also symbolize the distractions that pop up when we pray. If this happens, we can follow the advice of St. Alphonsus Liguori and try our best to leave all extraneous thoughts at the door of our prayer time. We can also say, along with St. Bernard: “O my thoughts, wait here. After prayer we shall speak about other matters.” So as you go to pray today, take off your sandals! The One who called Moses is calling you!
“Father, who am I that you should love me so much—enough to give up your only Son for my sake? Help me to set aside everything that separates me from you and to return your love as fully as I can.”
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
- For the second week in a row, we read in the first reading of God’s recommitting himself in covenant to his people for the purpose of “rescuing them.” In what ways has God rescued you from the power of sin and the devil? What are the areas of your life that still need God’s intervention? Take some time to pray for one another for the strength to overcome these areas.
- The Responsorial Psalm tells us that God is “kind and merciful.” As Christians we are called to be imitators of Christ who “pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion” (Psalm 103:3-4). Since Christ has done this for you, what are some ways you can show kindness and compassion to others, and pardon others’ iniquities, especially those who have wronged you?
- In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians not to “grumble”, which for us can often be a cause of disunity and harm to others. What practical steps can you take individually, and as a group, to build up your families’ or your fellow parishioners’ faith?
- In the Gospel reading, Jesus warns us of the danger of assuming that the sufferings or misfortunes of others are caused by their sin. Are you judgmental? How can you reach out more to others who are suffering?
- Also in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable on the importance he attaches to our lives’ bearing fruit. What are some of the fruits Jesus may be asking you to bear this Lent?
- As we come to God in prayer, it is easy to be distracted by wayward thoughts, the busyness of our days, and the struggles of our lives. The meditation suggests that when this happens, “we can follow the advice of St. Alphonsus Liguori and try our best to leave all extraneous thoughts at the door of our prayer time. We can also say, along with St. Bernard: “O my thoughts, wait here. After prayer we shall speak about other matters.” What steps can you take to apply these words of St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. Bernard to how you approach your times of prayer?
I’ve been traveling and relaxing and watching the snow fall and build up, and up, and up. I traveled home to Nebraska for the Christmas holiday leaving a day early to avoid blizzarding weather. We stopped in Nebraska City for lunch at Runza one of my all time favorite foods. A Runza is a basically a kinda of bread and meat hot pocket with cabbage and spices. It tastes way better than it sounds and I highly suggest you try one if you get the chance.
Deep End of the Theological Pool
Recently I saw a link in one of the comments on Fr. Z’s blog for a book from the Society of St. Pius X. The book is called “The Problem of the Liturgical Reform” which can be found here http://www.sspx.org/books/problem%20of%20the%20liturgical%20reform.pdf.
I’m not through reading it yet but I would say they have a pretty decent beef with how things were handled back in the 1960s. The book is at the theologically deep end of the pool. But I think any reader familiar with the Catholic Mass can pick up a few things and learn a thing or two about the prayers of the Mass prior to the Vatican II Council.
In the end I’m pretty sure the book is not going to change where I stand, but I will have an additional lens to look at my faith with and without stressing the relationship with my brother. I feel I am sympathetic to those who want to worship in what is now called the Extraordinary form of the Mass. I buy the line that the core worship of the Catholic Church for more than 500 years couldn’t be a bad thing, which is how it seems some priests and bishops today view the Extraordinary form of the Mass. I believe Pope Benedict XVI did the right thing to allow priests publicly to say that Mass without the approval of their Bishops. I believe the greater use of the old Mass will only have positive effects on our Catholic faith.
But from what I’ve ready so far I believe the SSPX’s beef goes beyond the issue of the allowing the old Mass to be said freely. Their beef is with the theology of the new Mass. They’re not buying into the “Paschal Mystery”, as the “Paschal Mystery” is not what was used to create the old Mass. The theology of the “Paschal Mystery” is basically in it’s infancy if you look at the history of the Catholic Church as a whole. This is very weighty stuff but then shouldn’t we know some of this anyway? This is our faith after all, we are talking about our eternal salvation.
So when things get deep or heavy, I think thats a sign we should pray. May we pray to the Holy Spirit for unity among all Christians while remaining true to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen