Discussion Questions

First Reading
Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

F1. One of the images in this reading speaks of the ark of the covenant. Compare Mary with this image.

F2.  Does Christ reside in you and your neighbor? Might you be an ark of the covenant, so to speak? If you keep in mind that God is present in the people you meet, how might this change the manner in which you treat/greet them?

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 15:20-27

S1. The reading says that Christ will bring those who “belong” to him to life. What does “belong” mean? The thesaurus gives us these synonyms: connected to, be part of, feel comfortable with, be attached to, have a place, be one of the family. Which meaning would you choose?

S2. Imagine you are a Christian in Paul’s time and you’re hearing about the resurrection of the dead for the first time. Would this idea move you to make any changes in your life?

Gospel
Luke 1:39-56

G1. What in Elizabeth’s life helped her understand what had happened to Mary? How is the babe leaping in her womb like a “leap for all humankind”?

G2. Pope Francis mentions below that when God calls us he doesn’t pay any attention to our limitations. Did God call Mary, a 16 to 18 year old girl, to the most important undertaking in human history? No matter your age or ability, does God call you to make the world a better place? Does he call just once, or continually? What might God be calling you to deal with today to make the world a better place? Climate? Starvation? Justice?

Mary’s is a revolutionary prayer, the song of a faith-filled young woman conscious of her limits, yet confident in God’s mercy. … When God touches the heart of a young man or woman, they become capable of doing tremendous things. The “great things” that the Almighty accomplished in the life of Mary speak also to our own journey in life, which is not a meaningless meandering, but a pilgrimage that, for all its uncertainties and sufferings, can find its fulfilment in God. 

You may say to me: “but Father, I have my limits, I am a sinner, what can I do?” When the Lord calls us, he doesn’t stop at what we are or what we have done. On the contrary, at the very moment that he calls us, he is looking ahead to everything we can do, all the love we are capable of giving. Like the young Mary, you can allow your life to become a means for making the world a better place. 

Pope Francis World Youth Day 2017

Anne Osdieck
 

**From Saint Louis University