Lenten Reflections from Catholicism

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Father Barron states: “We become what we worship. We conform ourselves toward what we consider the highest good.” The “highest good” is God and whenever something other than God usurps his place in this regard, sin follows. How do the practices of Lent (prayer, fasting, almsgiving) orient us to God who is the highest good?

2. Our worship of God is not something God needs, rather it is something that is necessary for us. St. Thomas Aquinas called the proper worship of God an act of justice because through it we render to God that which he is due- our adoration and praise. But worship is also for the Church a participation in the divine life. How is this participation made possible for us? How is this participation received? How is our participation in the divine life through the Mass an experience of conversion and transformation?

3. The prophets of the Bible summon Israel to the worship of the one, true God. The Church continues this summons to the whole world. Yet, the Church is not the only voice inviting people to worship. Other voices call for the worship of other gods. What are the false gods of our own age and what worship do these gods demand?

4. Christ proclaimed in regards to his own person “You have a great than the temple here.” What does this mean? How is Christ the new temple? In what ways does the Church in its liturgies and Sacraments display the reality of Christ as the new temple?

5. Father Barron speaks about “provocative non-violence” as Christ’s unique proposal to counter worldly powers of oppression and violence. What are some examples of “provocative non violence”? Do you believe that such approaches are an effective means of social transformation?

Please join Word on Fire Community Forum to discuss these questions and Contine our season of weekly Lenten reflections.