Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 06 September 2020

Ezekiel 33:7-9.  Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9.  Romans 13:8-10.  Matthew 18:15-20.

Christ Is Present.  The readings today lay out our duty to dissuade the wicked from their ways (Ezekiel); to not harden our hearts (Psalm); to love, love, love (Romans); and to lead sisters and brothers out of sin (Matthew).  Important.  Necessary.  Baptismal duty.  But let the last gospel sentence become our guide this week:  “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”  Christ is always present.   Christ is surely with us now in the liturgy, in Communion, in all the sacraments, in his word proclaimed, in the praying and singing Church –  and in this pandemic.  As few as two or three of us assures his presence.

• What is God saying to me about un-hardening my heart?
• Let me read a Bible passage each day this week, either reprising the Sunday readings or using this week’s gospels of Luke 7 and 8. What is Christ saying to me each day?
• With whom can I gather, even if kept from the church building, to sing God’s praise?

This post was first published on the worship pages of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois website.
Sunday Prayer Shaping Life and Belief
Written by Eliot Kapitan.

Permission is given to use, reprint, and distribute these bulletin shorts in any way you find helpful for your community.

Image credit:  Sandy Manoa,  Unsplash, CC0.