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 by visiting the Diocese of Phoenix website: https://dphx.org/Christ-in-our-neighborhood.
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Christ in Our Neighborhood commentary asks us: What more does God expect of you beyond merely following His commandments?
As the commentary for this week’s Gospel reminds us, “If we live only by the letter of the law, we can get by through life without a loving relationship. God expects more!”
Being a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ means so much more than checking a box. It means surrendering our hearts and wills to Him and trusting that He has something good in mind for us, even when it doesn’t feel like it or the evidence we see doesn’t seem to support that. God in His loving providence, has a plan to use our difficulties, disappointments and heartaches for His mysterious purposes.
To completely surrender to this Providence and to trust in God brings us freedom of soul and peace of mind.
Rather than doing the bare minimum that is required of us, let us try this week to open ourselves to a deeper, more loving relationship with God.
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.
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
