Eighth Sunday of the Year C

The following are prayerful resources rather than a liturgy.

The gospel for the day
(a useful commentary on the reading here)
Some optional questions for reflection
Prayers of Intercession
Cluster Prayer
The gospel of the week ahead with questions

Luke 6: 39-45 Your words flow out of what fills your heart.

Jesus Jesus told a parable to his disciples:

‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit?

The disciple is not superior to his teacher;

the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher.

Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye

and never notice the plank in your own?

How can you say to your brother,

“Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,”

when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite!

Take the plank out of your own eye first,

and then you will see clearly enough

to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.

‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit,

nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit.

For every tree can be told by its own fruit:

people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles.

A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart;

a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness.

For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.’

This the gospel of the Lord

Having used our prayer resources, you might want simply to reflect yourself on them and how that might flow into your coming week. Some people have found it very helpful to meet with others and share their thoughts.
If you are interested in joining a small group to share your thoughts and feelings about God's Word from any of the resources you have watched please email us. cluster.alpha@outlook.com

Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)

Our relationship with God comes from what we believe.

What we believe is shown in what we say and do.

We'll bear much better fruit if we let God do some pruning.

What aspects of our lives have become "dead branches", hampering our growth? (Share)
When have you most felt like a hypocrite? How did you overcome this feeling?

Prayers of Intercession

Lord, as Pope Francis asks, we your Faithful set out on the Synodal path

we pray for an openness to listen and be inspired by the Holy Spirit

who is ever with us giving us hope and guidance as our journey continues in the cluster.

Lord hear us…..

We pray for tolerance in our country,

we pray for those who see the Gospel as a threat to liberty

that their eyes be opened to love and goodness of our heavenly Father.

Lord hear us……

We pray for those caught up in conflict and in fear of war

especially in the Ukraine and Afghanistan

may the leaders be open to the suffering of their people.

Lord Hear Us…….

As we begin our Fairtrade fortnight

we pray for the growing challenges that climate change brings

to farmers and workers in the communities at home and abroad that Fairtrade works with.

Lord hear us….

For the courage to seek peace and justice for everyone in the world.

That we may learn to forgive those who have hurt us and treated us unfairly.

Lord hear us….

We pray for the sick and those who have asked for our prayers. We pray for those who have died recently:

Sarah Duffy,

Rose Neilson,

Constance Kelly,

Loreto Spiridigliozzi,

Sheila Moir

and those whose anniversaries occur at this time.

May they be welcomed into the Eternal Kingdom to receive the rewards of their faithful service.

Lord hear us…..

Prayer to be Missionary Disciples

Lord continue to bless our community
in this time of transition.
Help us on our journey
to grow from a maintenance church
to a missionary church.
Give us the courage
to be missionary disciples.
Make our doors wide enough
to receive all who need
human love and fellowship;
narrow enough to shut out
all envy, pride and prejudice.
Kindle in us the fire of your love
that all who come here
will find joy, peace and love.
Make this a house of prayer
and a gateway to your kingdom.
AMEN

Preparing for next week - First Sunday in Lent

Luke 4: 1-13 Jesus was led by the Spirit through the wilderness and was tempted there
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness,

being tempted there by the devil for forty days.

During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry.

Then the devil said to him,

‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’

But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.’

Then leading him to a height,

the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him,

‘I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms,

for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose.

Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.’

But Jesus answered him, ‘Scripture says:
You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’

Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple.

‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said to him

‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says:
He will put his angels in charge of you
to guard you,
and again:
They will hold you up on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’

But Jesus answered him, ‘It has been said:
You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him,

to return at the appointed time.

This the gospel of the Lord

Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)

Jesus did not decide to go into the wilderness - he was led there by the Spirit.

He wasn't tempted at the end of 40 days - he was tempted FOR 40 days.

To paraphrase the Christmas jingle:

"Lent isn't the run-up to Easter, it's for Life - new life with God."

What are you going to start to give up (i.e. so that it makes way for) a new phase of your relationship with Jesus, your friend and Saviour?
How willing are you to profess your faith in Jesus Christ openly to others?