NOTE: Christ in Our Neighborhood is a parish-based program consisting of small Christian communities that gather in the home weekly to prayerfully discuss the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. It’s easy to form a community and you can find out more at Christ in Our Neighborhood – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix (dphx.org)
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The question the Christ in Our Neighborhood reflection asks us is: Is your heart a flashlight or a burning torch?
As the Reflection notes, a Christian heart must be conformed to the heart of Christ which burns with love for humanity, for goodness and truth. That is why depictions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus usually show the Heart aflame with love, in spite of being surrounded by a crown of thorns. “God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”
The question is, our are hearts mere flashlights or are they burning torches? Christ is calling us to be more than a simple flashlight that runs on batteries destined to eventually run out. When we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to fill us and empower us, our hearts burn with the love of God. We want to share that love of God with others and tell them of God’s goodness. A Christ in Our Neighborhood group is a good way to keep that fire in our hearts burning!
If you haven’t joined a Christ in Our Neighborhood small group yet, perhaps you are being called to start one yourself. Check out our website today to find out more: dphx.org/Christ-in-our-neighborhood.
Watch the video of the weekly podcast segment featuring Christ in Our Neighborhood with Bishop Dolan by clicking HERE.
Be sure to attend our Sept. 6 Morning of Reflection for all CION participants and leaders at the Diocesan Pastoral Center. You can RSVP for this free event HERE.
To sign up for our weekly Christ in Our Neighborhood newsletter that has everything you need for your next meeting, visit: https://phoenixdiocese.flocknote.com/CION
