Discussion Questions

First Reading

Micah 5:1-4a

F1. A leader shepherds his flock in the majestic name of the Lord, but coms from Bethlehem, too small to be among the clans of Judah. With “majesty” at one end of the continuum and “poverty” at the other, where do you think today’s Church falls?

F2. If you were expecting a majestic ruler how would you have felt about the stable and manger? When you experience poverty in your life, do you accept it as a meeting place with God or do you run from it?
 

Second Reading

Hebrews 10:5-10

S1. What does “once and for all” mean? Is it that Jesus’ coming to do his Father’s will, completes the New Covenant and sanctifies us all?

S2. What is the mission of the Messiah? Why is Christ’s offering presented as effective whereas the “sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings” of the Old Covenant are made to seem less so?

Gospel

Luke 1:39-45

G1. The infant “leaped for joy” in Elizabeth’s womb at the recognition of the soon to be born savior. Discuss this moment as mankind’s welcome to the savior. How close do you come to leaping for joy when you recognize God’s presence in your life?

G2. Why would Mary travel to the hill country “in haste”? Pope Francis says Mary experienced the gift she received as a mission. Do we have the same mission: to reach all people with God’s love?

Mary’s is a faith that sets her on a journey. The young woman of Nazareth, after hearing the message of the angel, “went with haste into the hill country” (Luke 1:39) to visit and assist Elizabeth, her cousin. She did not consider it a privilege to be chosen as the Mother of the Savior; she did not lose the simple joy of her humility after the visit of the angel. She did not keep thinking about herself within the four walls of her house.

Rather, she experienced the gift she had received as a mission to be carried out; she felt urged to open the door and go out; she became completely caught up in God’s own “haste” to reach all people with his saving love. That is why Mary set out on her journey. She chose the unknowns of the journey over the comfort of her daily routines, the weariness of travel over the peace and quiet of home; the risk of a faith that makes our lives a loving gift to others over a placid piety.

Pope Francis Apostolic Journey to Budapest
Sept 15, 2021

Anne Osdieck
 

**From Saint Louis University