May 2022: Seeing your Life through the Lens of the Gospel

Seeing your Life through the Lens of the Gospel

 

John Byrne OSA
Email jpbyrneosa@gmail.com

 

Third Sunday of Easter
1 May 2022

 

  1. The disciples spend a fruitless night fishing and catching nothing. Things change dramatically when Jesus appears and invites them to try again. Remember those who came to you and encouraged you to try again when you felt discouraged. Perhaps on some of these occasions the results were beyond your expectations.
  2. Some people view the synodal process proposed by Pope Francis as a futile exercise, and others see it as an opportunity for renewal and growth. What have you seen or heard that encourages you to engage in the process?
  3. The story can serve as a reminder that sometimes we are wasting our time if we try to work on our own without the Lord’s help. When have you found that your work or life was more fruitful when you acknowledged that you needed God’s help and you spoke to God about your need?
  4. Peter is given the chance to be fully reconciled with his Master aer his denial during the Passion. Remember those who have given you an opportunity for reconciliation aer you had hurt them or let them down. What was it like for you to be given this chance? To whom have you offered the possibility of reconciliation? 

 

* * *

 

Fourth Sunday of the Easter
8 May 2022 – Day of Prayer for Vocations

 

  1. Jesus tells us that we can rely on his relationship with us. Think of the relationships you have in which you feel safe and secure because there is mutual understanding, and the relationship has stood the test of time. 
  2. Jesus says that the disciple is one who listens. What is your experience of listening to the word of God in the Scriptures? To what other voices have you listened and found guidance?
  3. The faithful disciple is also one who follows the path of love that Jesus preached and practiced. Although it may be difficult at times, it is in following it we find life. Where have you had the experience of listening, responding, loving, and finding life?

 

* * *

 

Fifth Sunday of Easter
15 May 2022

 

  1. Judas leaves and Jesus announces that the moment has come for God’s power to be made manifest. This is unexpected at a moment of imminent betrayal. Have there been times for you when the power of God was made manifest in strange circumstances?
  2. ‘I shall not be with you much longer.’ Jesus announces a parting of the ways. There are places we have to go in life where others cannot come with us. There are places others have to go and we cannot accompany them. When have you experienced this going on alone as necessary for a fuller life for yourself, or for someone else?
  3. Jesus proclaims love as the distinguishing characteristic of his followers. Have there been times when reaching out to others has heightened your sense of walking in the footsteps of Jesus?
  4. Who are the individuals or communities whose love for one another and for others has been a witness to you? Perhaps you have seen examples of this during the Covid pandemic, or in the response to the plight of refugees from Ukraine or from other countries in crisis.

 

* * *

 

Sixth Sunday of Easter
22 May 2022

 

  1. Jesus seeks to reassure his followers in the face of his imminent death. Although he will be leaving them he promises them the gift of the Spirit. How have you been aware of the gi of the Spirit of God in your life?
  2. Remember times of separation from a loved one, through change of residence or other circumstances. How has the love between you been a support after the separation?
  3. To his followers Jesus promises ‘we will come and make our home with them’. Our God is not a distant God but one who lives in us. What has helped you to be aware of the closeness of God to you?
  4. ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid’. When you have been anxious, who have been the Jesus people for you who were able to calm your anxiety. How did they do this? For whom have you been one who calmed anxiety?

 

* * *

 

The Ascension of the Lord
29 May 2022 – World Communications Day

 

  1. The Ascension of Jesus was an important growth point for the disciples. Jesus would be with them in a different way from now on. Painful though it was, it was necessary for them to let go of his physical presence and adjust to the new reality. Perhaps you have known similar transition points in your own life.
  2. Jesus invited the disciples to be witnesses to the good news they had learned. The way we live, speak and relate to others speaks of what we have learned about life. We all are witnesses. How have you been a witness to the goodness of life? 
  3. In particular Jesus invited them to be witnesses to the good news of forgiveness. Recall people who have been witnesses to you of forgiveness and reconciliation. What effect did they have on your life? Have you been able to be a witness to the good news of forgiveness in your life?
  4. Stay in the city until… Jesus instructs the apostles to wait patiently for the moment of grace. What been your experience of waiting for a moment of grace? What are the moments of grace that you particularly recall (a friendship, a new opportunity, birth of a baby, etc)?