Discussion Questions

First Reading

Jeremiah 20:10-13

F1. Suffering can lead to resentment, bitterness, and anger. Who do you think enabled Jeremiah to not only endure his suffering but also get beyond it and all the negative emotions that came with it?

F2. How can trust help you handle a situation when you are surrounded by “terror on every side”? How can you build this trust? Should you wait for “terror” to arrive before you start trusting?

Second Reading

Romans 5:12-15

S1. Paul tells us in this reading that “the gift is not like the transgression.” Does God’s mercy wipe out or destroy sin and go far beyond the forgiveness that we all need?

S2. Discuss the fact that proclaiming the gospel brings some suffering with it. If you let your sufferings be absorbed into Christ’s do you think they acquire saving significance for the community or for those you love?

Gospel

Matthew 10:26-33

G1. If Christ says to “speak in the light” that which he has said in darkness, is that speaking meant to dispel the darkness? Can you “proclaim” the Good News today “from the housetops”? What does that mean in terms of ending racial bias?

G2. “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” What does Pope Francis say about fear to the people in the middle of a war in South Sudan? Was Francis “speaking in the light”?

I gather here with you in the name of Jesus Christ, the God of love, the God who achieved peace through his cross; Jesus, the God crucified for us all; Jesus, crucified in those who suffer; Jesus, crucified in the lives of so many of you, in so many people in this country. … Jesus knows your anguish and the hope you bear in your hearts, the joys and struggles that mark your lives, the darkness that assails you and the faith that, like a song in the night, you raise to heaven. Jesus knows you and loves you. If we remain in him, we must never fear, because for us too, every cross will turn into a resurrection, every sadness into hope, and every lament into dancing.

Pope Francis homily at Mass in South Sudan
Feb. 5, 2023

Anne Osdieck
 

**From Saint Louis University