God is Always Calling Us
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 13: 44-52- Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
“Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“… out of joy [he] goes …”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
God is always calling us. Ultimately God is calling us to share in His blessed, or happy, life. Along the way, He will call us to follow Him and to serve others in our particular vocation (e.g., the priesthood, marriage, etc.). Even within these different vocations, God will call us more specifically to work for Him according to our gifts, talents, and needs. He is always calling us to what will bring Him the most glory, to what will bring us the most happiness and the most benefit to others. We can always trust God’s calls, because every call from God is ultimately a call to Himself. This is message of the parable in the Gospel today. And Jesus’ hearers are overjoyed!
The moment when we realize that God is calling us to something is a moment of great joy. At such a moment, our life takes on even greater meaning for us because we realize how intricately it is connected to God. Whenever God calls us to anything, big or small, we must respond generously and fearlessly because this call is an occasion to join God in His very life of immense joy!
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above.(Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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