Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 6, 2009 (23B)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University

Sunday Readings 

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Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups, 
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
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First Reading
Book of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 35, Verses 4-7

1. What lines in this reading indicate that not only will healing abound, but that God will also transform all of nature? How does this promise of a new age relate to the coming of Christ? In the world of nature what can you help transform?

2. Isaiah writes about the hope of deliverance from exile. Do you feel the need of being liberated from suffering sometimes? Does this message of hope speak to you?


Second Reading
Letter of St. James, Chapter 2, Verses 1-5

1. Do you treat people who have money/prestige with the same respect that you treat those who don’t?

2. The disabled receive the blessings in the first reading and the poor were the chosen heirs in the second. How do these readings make you feel about the poverty in your life?


Gospel
According to Mark, Chapter 7, Verses 31-37

1. Do you think this miracle was performed simply to provide a cure for the deaf mute, or could it have been performed to teach a lesson also? What could the people of Israel, the Church today, or you personally learn from it?

2. If the message of this miracle went beyond physical hearing, what did “Ephphatha, Be opened!” mean to the Israelites? What does it mean to you?

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By Anne Osdieck of the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University 
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