7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

February 19, 2023

INTRODUCTIONHOMILIESPAPAL HOMILIESGROUP SHARINGCHILDRENMUSIC

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Word Sunday

Scripture Study

RCIA Seekers

According to Pope Francis

Sunday Micro Retreat


7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

READINGS

  • Leviticus 19: 1-2. 17-18
  • Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 8,10, 12-13
  • 1 Corinthians 3: 16-23
  • Matthew 5: 38-48

OPENING REFLECTION

Perfection is a tall order, but Jesus tells his disciples that they are to emulate the perfection of God in their dealings with one another. His followers are to conquer their enemies with love and pray for their persecutors

QUESTIONS FOR DEEPER REFLECTION

  • What surprises you about the Gospel?
  • What do you think it means that God dwells in you?
  • Do you need to change to follow Jesus’ way?

QUESTIONS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

  • Adults: What is the point of “turning the other cheek” in an argument, and why is it so hard to do so?
  • Children: When have you or someone you know insisted on “having the last word” in an argument? What happened afterwards?
courtesy of
RCL Benzinger

DOCTRINAL DISCUSSION STARTERS

A Universal Calling

The call to holiness is universal. The exhortation of Jesus regarding perfection which concludes today’s Gospel challenges every member of the Church to live daily as a disciple of Jesus. In the Second Vatican Council, the Church made it clear that all believers are called to holiness of life. This teaching appears in the fifth chapter of the Council document Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964). The bishops referred to the baptismal inheritance of every believer. Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, each believer is gifted with a share in the mystery of Jesus, the Holy One of God. Thus, holiness is always a grace given from God.
The gift of holiness is showered upon the Church. By his loving sacrifice on the Cross, Christ makes the Church his bride. She is clothed in the Holy Spirit and joined to the Lord Jesus. The entire ecclesial community is called to holiness in the conditions, duties and circumstances of their lives. By partaking of the Sacraments, by listening to and reflecting upon Sacred Scripture, by a devout life filled with faith, hope and charity, by striving for a moral life in accord with the Commandments, and by putting into practice the Beatitudes of Jesus, believers respond together to the promptings of divine grace and seek that holiness which characterizes God.
courtesy of
RCL Benzinger

The Gospel in Life

God has bound himself to us, first in the Covenant with Israel and definitively in the new Covenant forged with all humanity in the Body and Blood of Jesus. Our relationships with one another are linked in that quest to share God’s holiness. Jesus joins together the Commandment to love one’s neighbor with the same command to share God’s holiness and perfection.
courtesy of
RCL Benzinger

Correlations

Be My Disciples

Blest Are We

WORD SUNDAY

LARRY BRODING

Love Your Enemies

Video  | 1st Reading Psalm  | 2nd Reading | Gospel

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

How hard is it to respect people that you detest?

Face it. We don’t like everyone we meet and many people don’t like us. It’s the way of the world. But, as Christians, we are called to a higher code of conduct. While we have hurt or broken relationships, even people have to “love” from a distance, how we treat them speaks volumes about our faith and our character. The trick for these distant people is to keep the door of reconciliation open. Maybe, someday, there will be forgiveness and healing. If we cannot give these people friendship, at least we can pray for them. If we must keep our distance for our own mental health, at least we can hope for a change of heart.

In these next passages, Jesus spoke of Christian justice, not the justice of retribution, but the justice of the Kingdom. Not an “eye for an eye” but a way to show others the path to God. He shows us the way to love.

How can you show others Christ? How can your words and deeds increase love in your world?

Children’s Reading | Catechism Link | Family Activity

SOURCE: WORD-SUNDAY © Larry Broding
SCRIPTURE STUDY

VINCE CONTRERAS

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 

  1. In the 1st Reading, how is the commandment given by Moses, though good, still limited? In what way or ways is the new commandment given by Jesus superior?
  2. n the 2nd Reading, what is the basis of our dignity in the Lord (verse 16)? In the context of verse 17 and Mt 5:48, how should we conduct ourselves?
  3. What was the original intent of “an eye for an eye”? How is this law being perverted? What qualities should replace those desires for revenge?
  4. Although the standards Jesus gives are not a new law we must attain before God will have mercy on us, what do they suggest about the direction God wants us to grow after we have received his mercy? Which of these qualities do you want to cultivate most right now? How would your life be different as God helps you to do this?
  5. What “enemies” has God given you to love? How can you love them? Why does he command you to love them?

Catechism of the Catholic Church

§§ 1693, 1825, 1933, 1968, 2013, 2054, 2262, 2303, 2443, 2608, 2844

OVERVIEW OF THE GOSPEL (PDF)

DON SCHWAGER

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

SOURCE: Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics
RCIA SEEKERS

MICHAEL MARCHAL

Love of Neighbor

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

BACKGROUND: Once more Jesus teaches us how his new Law of love goes beyond the old Law of rules and commandments. The command to love our neighbors was part of the Mosaic Law; the difference is that now we are called to live not only by our own efforts but in “the convincing power of the Spirit.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. When have others treated you unjustly or disrespectfully? How did you respond?
  2. When have you treated others unjustly or disrespectfully? Why?
  3. Jesus suggests other courses of action that are perhaps challenging but are what is expected of those who live in God’s kingdom/reign. Which part of his advice is directly addressed to you?
  4. Which people in our church or society are stereotyped as unworthy of respect, as throw-away people? What could your parish community do to make a sense of respect for everyone part of your parish culture?
Practice: Whom do you need to ask for forgiveness? Although the relationship may not be broken, how can you seek healing? Remember: we ask for forgiveness, humbly and politely; and, if we receive it, it is a gift. Do so as soon as possible, for everyone’s sake.
SOURCE: TEAM RCIA
ACCORDING TO POPE FRANCIS

ANNE OSDIECK

The Extremism of Charity

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

1. Why would Jesus tell you to “Love your enemies?” Who can do that? Did Jesus tell us about a new revolutionary kind of acting when he showed us how to love our enemies? How far was he willing to go for them with his radical self-emptying? How far was the Father willing to go for his children?

2. Pope Francis speaks about the “extremism of charity.” Why does he say it is the heart of the Gospel?

… Having been touched by love, we are called to love without waiting for others to love first. … Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. This is the Christian innovation. It is the Christian difference. Pray and love: this is what we must do; and not only with regard to those who love us, not only with regard to our friends or our own people. The love of Jesus knows no boundaries or barriers. The Lord demands of us the courage to have a love that does not count the cost. … Yet his commandment of love is not simply a challenge; it is the very heart of the Gospel. Where the command of universal love is concerned, let us not accept excuses or preach prudent caution. The Lord was not cautious; he did not yield to compromises. He asks of us the extremism of charity. This is the only legitimate kind of Christian extremism: the extremism of love.

Pope Francis homily for 7 Sun Ord A 2020

MORE QUESTIONS

SOURCE: Sunday Web Site – Saint Louis University
SUNDAY MICRO RETREAT

spiritual online retreat

MONIKA KORZEC

The grace of….

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Click on Link Above to Go To Micro Retreat

Take a weekly break from the business of life and enjoy a mini do-it-yourself Sunday Retreat. These retreats are based on Sunday’s reading and prompt reflection questions that you may want to think about. It is a good idea to keep a personal journal in which reflections that stood out for you are recorded. The outcome of those Sunday Micro Retreats is good material that you can talk about in your spiritual direction.

SOURCE: CONTEMPLATIVE RETREAT | Recent Retreats

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