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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (21st September 2008) Freely Received Freely Give THE 7 STEPS
1.
SILENCE
2.
WORSHIP
3.
SCRIPTURE
4.
MEDITATION
5.
BY HEART
6.
INTERCESSION
7.
COVENANT
PRAYER God
forgave my sin in
Jesus' name, in
Jesus' name, I
come to you as
He told me to. He
said, “Freely, freely you have received; Freely, freely give. that
I live." All
power is given in
Jesus' name, in
Jesus' name; I
come to you as
He told me to. Carol
Owens
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…He answered one of them and said, “My friend,
I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius?
Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay
you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I
am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’ Meditation: Try to answer as many
questions as possible
1.
Why did the first
comers do after receiving their wages?
Were their actions justified? In
your opinion, did the landowner act justly?
2.
The landowner went out
as early as daybreak to look for workers in his vineyard and again at the
third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hour.
What does this tell you about the character of the landowner? What was his motivation behind this
action?
3.
In this parable, what
does the vineyard symbolize? Who is
the landowner? Who are the workers who
came at daybreak? Who are the workers
who came at the eleventh hour?
4.
Who ultimately decides
who gets paid and how much? Do the
first comers deserved to be paid more because they spent more time working
than the late comers?
5.
What are the advantages
of becoming the first comers? What are
the advantages of becoming the late comers?
Which one would you prefer to be? By Heart: Reflect on this in light of your
daily life situation A Christian is not supposed to ask from God, “What do I get in return
for serving you?” There will be much
joy if we come to church on Sunday for the love of God, not out of our sense
of obligation nor the expectation of reward. Mother Teresa said: “I am not sure what
heaven will be like, but I do know that when we die and the time comes for
God to judge us, He will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your
life?’ Rather, He will ask, ‘How much love did you put in what you did?’” It is not how many nor how long, how great nor how
good, that matter the most. What matter most is how we love at all. Intercession:
1.
For all who have yet to come to know God, that they might open their
hearts to his unconditional love and mercy
2.
For those who are sick among us, that they might go through their pain
and suffering with hope that God is with them every step of the way
3.
For Rev. Deacon Peter Hwang who will be ordained a priest in 2 weeks
time, that the Lord will continue to guide and strengthen him
4.
For all of us who struggle with accepting others, that we might let the
forgiveness of God permeate our lives and transform us
5.
For an increase in the vocation to the religious life, that young men and
women might say ‘Yes’ to God and offer their lives in humble service Covenant Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, by your suffering, death and
resurrection, you give us new life: a
life filled with joy and purpose; a life only you can give it, for you are
the source of life. Guide us on our
pilgrimage of life, that following you faithfully as
your disciples, we may witness boldly to the world, your love and truth. Enlighten our minds and hearts that your
Word which we read and meditated may take roots in our lives. Help us not to fall into sin and if we do
fall due to our human weakness, bring us back to you for you are the way, the
truth and the life. We also pray for all our brothers and sisters, wherever
they are, who are committed to this prayer, that their faith may be
strengthened, their hope assured and their love fulfilled. In your name we humbly pray. Amen |
