Discussion Questions
Holy Thursday
First Reading Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
F1. Who is the “lamb without blemish” referring to in this reading?
F2. How do we “mark our houses with the blood of the lamb” today? Could helping immigrants or feeding the hungry be signs of Christ’s presence? Could listening to the cries of the poor be a sign?
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
S1. While celebrating the Passover meal Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” What did he mean by “this”? Could “this” also mean a reenactment, i.e., lay down our lives, as Jesus did?
S2. Pope Francis has said that the Eucharist is “not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine for the weak,” and in this homily he also wants us to know that it’s not a magic rite. What needs to change so the “weak” can receive the Eucharist?
We go with joy because he accompanies us, he is with us … and the Lord Jesus, even in our personal lives, accompanies us with the Sacraments. The Sacrament is not a magic rite: it is an encounter with Jesus Christ: we encounter the Lord––it is he who is beside us and accompanies us.
Morning Mass homily at Casa Santa Marta, Sept. 24, 2013
Sacrament of the Eucharist is not a magic rite
Gospel John 13:1-15
G1. “Do you realize what I have done for you?” Jesus asks. What is it that Jesus did for us when he washed the disciples’ feet? Do you think they realized at the time what was going on? When do you think they realized it? How are the washing of the feet and the Eucharist related?
G2. What are some ways you can “wash your neighbors’ feet”? Are there degrees of service to your neighbor? How high would you place “putting up with your neighbor”? How about “laying down your life”?
Holy Friday
First Reading Isaiah 52:13-53:12
F1. Why would God the Father lay upon Jesus “the iniquity of us all”? And why would God the Son accept this? Do we call the driving force “Spirit”? Is that same Holy Spirit with us today? What kinds of things might the Spirit inspire us to do? To end wars and biases? To fix climate change? To feed the hungry?
F2. This reading says, “Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away. … ” Who relates to this part of Jesus’ suffering today?
Second Reading Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
S1. How does the following statement of Pope Francis relate to this reading?
Jesus is never far from us sinners. He wants to pour out on us, without limit, all of his mercy. (March 24, 2013)
S2. What does the following mean to you? "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” Why do we need a “sympathetic high priest”?
Gospel: Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John John 18:1-19:42
G1. To what “truth” is Jesus testifying?
You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
Did Jesus come to dwell among us so we would know the truth? Is truth related to love? How?
G2. To what degree are you willing to testify to the truth?
G3. “If you release him, you are not a friend of Caesar.” Do you make your decisions according to what you think is right, or according to what will bring you more friends?
G4. “I thirst.” Was Jesus’ thirst for a drink or was it for each of us, and our love? How do you respond to such a thirst in your everyday life? For what do you thirst?
Easter Vigil/Easter Sunday
First Reading Acts 10:34a, 37-43
F1. What is the significance of the word “witness,” in the sentence, “We are witnesses of all that he did”? Peter uses it both as a noun (meaning “observer”) and a verb (meaning “corroborate,” “testify”). It is something you can be (how are you a witness?) and do (what is your action to witness to truth?).
F2. Should we witness with more than words? Peter bore witness in a different manner after the Resurrection than he did before Christ died. To what do you attribute this? Was he consumed by love for Christ and his Gospel? Could the source of strength for Peter be the same source for us?
Second Reading Colossians 3:1-4
S1. “Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.” (See later in Colossians 3 for Paul’s meaning of “above”). He says that we should put on heartfelt compassion. What does compassion look like in our immediate world and in the larger one? What cries of the poor “deeply move” you? Dying children in Ukraine? People suffering from effects of global warming, unhoused people and starvation?
Discuss Pope Francis’ statement:
We incarnate the duty of hearing the cry of the poor when we are
deeply moved by the suffering of others.
Evangelii Gaudium #193
S2. One of St Paul’s last directives was to let the peace of Christ control our hearts. How do you do that when you’re feeling negative, cynical, despondent, or paralyzed with fear? Where do you find help? What happened to the desolate women when they found the tomb empty?
Gospel
Vigil: Luke 24: 1-12
Easter: John 20:1-9
G1. The same women who came to anoint his body in the morning had been with Jesus when he died. Were they deterred from their task by fear? Compare and contrast their behavior with some of Jesus’ other disciples.
Think about events like the Ukrainian war and protests against injustice. Is President Zelenskyy stopped by fear? Were people like John Lewis, Gandhi, Doctors without Borders, and Dorothy Day? Where is your courage on a scale of 1 to 10? Will it look different on every person and in every situation?
G2. What is it that allowed John to “see and believe,” to have this kind of clarity? Does love give you knowledge about a person, or insights into their behavior? In John, Jesus said “Whoever loves me, I will love him [her] and reveal myself to him [her]” (Jn 14:21). Is there a connection between Jesus’ statement and John’s “seeing and believing”?
Anne Osdieck
**From Saint Louis University