Readings for Sunday, June 30 — Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
1 Kings 19:16B, 19-21; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62
Suggested Reflection Questions:
- Today the psalmist calls God his “inheritance” and his “portion.” God is all he needs. What stumbling blocks keep us from understanding our total reliance on God? Why is it hard to trust?
- To the Galatian church, Paul writes that we are to use the freedom we have in Christ to serve one another with love. He goes on to explain that the whole of the law can be summed up in the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Why is this commandment the summation of the law? Why do we need to be free in order to follow it fully?
- In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells those who wish to follow him that “no one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” This teaching seems harsh … especially considering that the requests Jesus is confronted with include burying a close relative and saying goodbye to one’s family. Why does Jesus make this demand on those who wish to follow him? What is he asking them to do?
