Individual Reflection Guide Week 3: Get Busy Living SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI
OPENING PRAYER Opening Prayer Instructions: If you are in a small group, your leader will guide you through prayer. If you re on your own, begin by asking the Holy Spirit to be present and to show you what He wants to show you through these Scripture readings from the past week. Read the following readings slowly and thoughtfully. Take a moment to reflect on what sticks out and why it might stick out. Then take a few moments to write about it in a journal or below. so that, as it is written, "Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord. First Reading: ZEP 2:3; 3:12-13 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them. Second Reading: 1 COR 1:26-31 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, Gospel: MT 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
REFLECTION FROM THE HOMILY: Have you ever found yourself Spiritually Hangry before? How? Have you ever thought about making your work a prayer before? What do you think offering up each hour for a specific intention can do for your day to day happiness? Chapter 12: Living Soulfully What also became quickly apparent to me was that you cannot stand still in the spiritual life. You can t take a break. That s like trying to stand in the midst of a gushing river, you are either being moved upstream or being pulled downstream- and only a dead fish floats downstream. pg. 57 God wants you to become the-best-version-of-yourself, and every moment of every day is an opportunity to become that person. Conversion is not a one-time experience; it s an ongoing journey. How often do we compare ourselves to others every day? How often do we focus on the faults of others instead of how to become the best version of ourselves? Chapter 13: Hour By Hour Resistance hates everyday ordinary action. Resistance likes to distract us, keep us thinking about things we can do nothing about. pg. 65 What is one way resistance distracts you in life? Make a list of things God might be calling you to offer up each hour of work for in the next week. Christianity is incredibly practical. It is beautifully human invitation to experience the divine. For a Christian, everything is a prayer. Eating is a prayer. Sleeping is a prayer. Exercising is a prayer. Traveling is a prayer. Making love is a prayer. Working is a prayer. Resting is a prayer. God loves ordinary things. pg. 64
Chapter 14: Interesting People If you want to be an interesting person, read books. pg. 67 Scripture gives us incredible insight into the mind of God. The next time you re in a conversation with someone, ask them about what they are reading at the moment. What is your relationship with Scripture? How often do you spend quality time reading God s Word? Take time to read at least a chapter of Scripture a day, meditate on what sticks out to you, and have a conversation with God about that. _ Chapter 15: Falling In Love Wherever you find excellence, you find continuous learning. The two go hand in hand. Wherever you find that continuous learning is missing, your find mediocrity. pg. 73 Fall in love with learning today. Go wherever your interests lead you. Learn something new that you re interested in. Ask Why. Matthew writes about losing his typical laundry list of new year s resolutions and focusing instead on 4 things that he aimed to do every day: pray, exercise, read and write. What would your 4 things be? Great books feed us. They focus our minds and inspire our hearts. Great spiritual books help us to pray. pg. 76 What great spiritual book have you read that s really impacted you? What is a new one you want to read?
Chapter 16: No Visitors Solitude is the cure for loneliness. pg. 84 Matthew talks about his experience of visiting the elderly people in nursing homes, and how he realized what a lonely stage of life this can be. In many ways, until we learn to be comfortable being alone- and more than that- enjoy our own company, we are really not ready to live a bold and passionate life. pg. 85 Have you ever been afraid of being alone and let that fear dictate your decisions? Or have you ever pressed into it? How can feeling lonely have value? Chapter 17: An Unconventional Education One man s trash is another man s treasure. And that is true not only of things but also of experiences and problems. pg. 90 What things or experiences in your life have given you a new perspective? Was it a person you met, a book you read, or a place you travelled? _ Chapter 18: Tuesday Evenings: Once you understand that God has an incredible dream for you, once you grasp that we wants you to become the-best-version-of-yourself and help others do the same, and once your start to listen to the prayers of the Mass with all this in mind, you very quickly discover that there is genius in Catholicism. pg. 96 Have you ever attended daily Mass? How is it different from Sunday Mass? Grace is help God gives us to respond to his call How have you seen God s grace helping you to overcome resistance? _
Chapter 19: Bored? Boredom is a manifestation of selfishness. It can only occur when we are overly focused on ourselves. It always means that we have set God and neighbor aside to focus exclusively on ourselves, and that is never a recipe for happiness.. pg. 100 Have you ever thought about how boredom is a manifestation of selfishness and an insult to God when we say we are bored at Mass? How can you overcome the temptation to boredom at Mass? CLOSING PRAYER Before Prayer: Follow Saint Clare of Assisi on Spotify and check out the Resisting Happiness Playlist, or look up the song on Youtube. This week s optional Reflection song is Wonder by Amanda Cook. Litany of Humility O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus. (repeat after each line) From the desire of being loved, From the desire of being extolled, From the desire of being honored, From the desire of being praised, From the desire of being preferred to others, From the desire of being consulted, From the desire of being approved, From the fear of being humiliated, From the fear of being despised, From the fear of suffering rebukes, From the fear of being calumniated, From the fear of being forgotten, From the fear of being ridiculed, From the fear of being wronged, From the fear of being suspected, That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. (repeat after each line) That others may be esteemed more than I, That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, That others may be chosen and I set aside, That others may be praised and I unnoticed, That others may be preferred to me in everything, That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should. Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X Next Week s Reading: Chapters 20-26