Accountability and Support
“Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Monthly Focus on Nurturing Relationship with Christ
When was I most aware of Christ’s presence in my life during the past 30 days? Why?
Discussion Questions for February 08, 2025 (A) Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading
Isaiah 58:7-10
Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.
First Reading Discussion Questions
F1. This passage isn’t just about helping the poor but removing “oppression.” How do you see the difference between charity (relief) and justice (restoring what’s broken)?
F2. Isaiah ties light to obedience: light comes after we act. Where do you sense God calling you to move from awareness to action?
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of Spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
Second Reading Discussion Questions
S1. Paul intentionally doesn’t rely on charisma, intellect, or persuasion. What “strength” do you tend to rely on to succeed or influence others?
S2. How does our culture reward self-sufficiency? Where has that shaped your spiritual life in good or limiting ways?
Gospel Reading
Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."
Gospel Reading Discussion Questions
G1. Salt preserves and enhances. What does influence look like in your life right now - at work, at home, or among friends? Are you influencing or just existing?
G2. Jesus expects visibility - not hidden faith. What are practical, non-showy ways faith can become visible without becoming performative?
Suggested Strategies for Managing the Clock
For those with smaller groups or those who have the luxury of enough allotted time, it is suggested that the group cover each question from the monthly focus through the Gospel discussion questions
For those with larger groups or don't have the luxury of operating on God's Time, it is suggested that the group cover the monthly focus question and then feel free to skip around and attempt to answer only a few questions - whether that’s just the gospel, or the second reading and gospel, etc.