• It is natural to experience a desire to be loved by others because we are created by God, who is love.

• Jesus sees us, knows us, and loves us perfectly.

• Jesus invites us into a life of holiness through discipleship, which is the Christian vocation to love God and others.

SCRIPTURE:
John 13:1, John 13:34-35, Romans 5:8

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:34-35

CATECHISM:
27, 1823

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:

The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.

- CCC 27

Download the pdf below, and spend a few minutes to reflect and journal 

Seen, Known, Loved

Consider taking a few minutes and discuss your reflection on the above handout with a friend. 

Our desire for love is innate — God built it into the fabric of our souls — but the love of Jesus alone fulfills this desire. Whether we believe it or not, we are seen, known, and loved by God more perfectly and intimately than we could ever imagine. Since we are born out of this love, our response is to love God in return, love ourselves as God’s creation and love others as we love ourself. Therefore, let us take a few moments to recall where we have been seen, known, and loved by our family, friends, and Jesus, and how we have reciprocated that love.

Download the below PDF, and take a few minutes to fill our the seven-day calendar. Keep this calendar somewhere in your room and continue to fill ut the reflection questions after you completed the daily activity. 

Discipleship Calendar


The thought of the future might elicit feelings of anxiety. Some of you may feel anxious about the long-term future,
while others may be feeling distressed about the shortterm. Regardless, God continues to walk with us as we progress through our universal vocation to love others. Let us take a few moments to calm our thoughts as we begin to rest in the comfort of the Lord.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord Jesus, king of the universe, help us calm the anxiety in our minds and hearts. Let your overwhelming peace consume our lives, no matter how deflating the circumstances of our lives can be.
 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. - John 14:27

Provide for us your divine wisdom. In times of insecurity and doubt, give us the serenity to turn to you in prayer.
 

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Give us eyes to see your presence in our lives each day. Reveal your love to us in the most unexpected places so our trust in you may deepen.

From your presence, where can I flee?

if I lie down in Sheol, there you are.

and dwell beyond the sea,

your right hand holds me fast.
- Psalm 139:7-10

As we continue to grow in relationship with you and know more about the Church you have freely given to us, we ask that you continue to walk with us all the days of our lives.
 

on your own intelligence do not rely;

and he will make straight your paths.

fear the LORD and turn away from evil;
- Proverbs 3:5-7

We say this prayer with hopeful confidence. Amen.

• Through His life, death, and Resurrection, Jesus brought about the Kingdom of God on Earth.

• The Kingdom of God is a flipped power structure where the king is the servant of all.

• As disciples, our lives become a means of participating in the Kingdom of God.

SCRIPTURE:
Romans 4:25

But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides - Matthew 6:33

CATECHISM:
541-542, 763, 863

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying: 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the gospel.'" "To carry out the will of the Father Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth." Now the Father's will is "to raise up men to share in his own divine life". He does this by gathering men around his Son Jesus Christ. This gathering is the Church, "on earth the seed and beginning of that kingdoms".

Christ stands at the heart of this gathering of men into the "family of God". By his word, through signs that manifest the reign of God, and by sending out his disciples, Jesus calls all people to come together around him. But above all in the great Paschal mystery - his death on the cross and his Resurrection - he would accomplish the coming of his kingdom. "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Into this union with Christ all men are called.
- CCC 541-542

THY KINGDOM COME

We often hear about the Kingdom of God (which is synonymous with the Kingdom of heaven) within church circles for good reason: it is the common theme throughout all of Scripture. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God gives Adam and Eve dominion (the kingly act of ruling) over all of creation. God’s Kingdom is spoken about throughout the Old Testament, specifically in the prophetic books and psalms. In the New Testament, the Kingdom is mentioned around 150 times, and of everything Jesus spoke about in the Gospels, the Kingdom was the center of His message. Long story short, if Scripture is foundational to Christianity, the Kingdom of God is clearly important to us as Christians.

Genesis 1:28; Isaiah 9:7
Psalm 145:13; Daniel 7:27
Matthew 4:23

If we want to understand who Jesus is and what it means to live our vocation of discipleship, it is important to understand
what He was doing in regard to the Kingdom. In order to get a better understanding, it is helpful to look at the  ord “kingdom.” In English, when we use the word “kingdom,” we use it as a noun, specifically a place. In the Bible, the word is translated from a verb, which is the act of reigning or ruling. One meaning of the suffix “-dom” is “in the state or condition of.” So if I am experiencing boredom, it means I am in the state of being bored. Experiencing a kingdom means I am living in the state of being ruled by a king. Jesus was bringing about the Kingdom of God. When we say, “the Kingdom of God is here” we mean the reign of God is here. The Kingdom of God is a place where God’s will is done. Beginning with Adam and Eve, God reveals to us that He brings about His will in the world through His people. Because of sin, Earth has become a place where God’s will is not done because we often choose our will over His and there are ripple effects of that. In order to restore God’s will on Earth, God became a man — Jesus. Through His life, death, and Resurrection, Jesus brought about the Kingdom of God on Earth. It is through the human will of Jesus that the will of God “has been perfectly fulfilled once for all” (CCC 2824). Jesus does the will of the Father perfectly during His life. When we become His disciples, we learn to do the will of the Father, as well.

CCC 542; Hebrews 10:7
John 8:29

THY WILL BE DONE

If the Kingdom of God is about living in the will of God, it is important to know what God’s will is for us. While each of us has a unique role in God’s Kingdom, meaning His will for each of our individual lives looks different, God’s will for all of humanity is that we live the eternally abundant life full of love that is offered to us through the salvation of Jesus.

CCC 2822; 1 Timothy 2:3-4
John 13:34

Since we are so used to the effect of sin in the world (e.g., injustice, hate, violence, the struggle for power through money and influence), the picture Jesus paints of the Kingdom of God might seem a little strange — kind of like winning last place or slow motion olympics. In order to help us understand, Jesus invites people into the Kingdom by telling parables. A parable is a “simple image or comparison” told as a story (CCC Glossary). Jesus’ parables “confront the hearers or readers with a radical
choice about His invitation to enter the Kingdom of God”

(CCC Glossary).
CCC 546
Mark 4:33-34

Through the parables, we learn that the Kingdom of God requires us to give everything of ourselves. We also learn that, in the Kingdom, the rich are actually poor and the poor are actually rich. We learn that the last will be first and the first will be last. Everything seems a bit downside up from the way we know it and experience the world around us. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God is a flipped power structure where the king, the one who rules, is the servant of all.

CCC 544
Matthew 20:1-16

The Kingdom of God can be difficult to understand or seem mysterious, but that is because so much of our understanding comes from experiencing who Jesus is. We enter the Kingdom of God when we become a disciple.

When we become a disciple, one who takes on the discipline of life as Jesus lived, we learn how He served. We see how Jesus, the King of the universe, being the one who serves turns our life downside up and invites us to have a servant’s heart as well. We can learn about the actions and attitudes that describe the Christian life, getting a glimpse of eternal beatitude, through the Beatitudes given to us in the Gospel.

CCC 546
CCC 1716-1717

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

for they will be comforted.

for they will inherit the land.

for they will be satisfied.

for they will be shown mercy.

for they will see God.

for they will be called children of God.

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
- Matthew 5:3-10

The Beatitudes, which we just read, give us a vision of what the Kingdom of God looks like in its fullness. The most marginalized, disenfranchised, hurting, and suffering people are the most blessed people. Jesus not only reveals this with His words but shows us by becoming the most marginalized, disenfranchised, and suffering in His Passion and death on the cross.

CCC 1726

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

While this image of the Kingdom of God gives us hope of what is to come, it is not something we only live once we get to heaven or only something that was present during Jesus’ time on Earth. The Kingdom of God remains mysteriously present to us in the Church, specifically in the Eucharist, where we receive the grace we need to live our discipleship. When we live our vocation to love through discipleship, we participate in the Kingdom because we become people with a mentality of service.

Christ gave the work of proclaiming the Kingdom to His apostles. As disciples, who are united to Jesus in doing the will of God, our entire lives become a means of participating in and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. We experience this practically by making big and small decisions every day that are focused on loving and serving others.

Matthew 6:33

Because of the complexity of sin in our lives, we are “radically incapable” of surrendering our will to the will of God (CCC 2825). As a collective human people, we will always find ourselves seeking greater comfort and power at the expense of others. We can observe that, collectively, we find less value in being a servant king like Jesus and instead want to be the one whose will wins out over those around us. We continue to cycle through the same mistakes we have made throughout all of human history, and we will continue to do so if we seek our will over God’s will. Jesus and His invitation to discipleship interrupts this
cycle. Jesus ushers in a new reality. United to Jesus, we are able to participate in the will of God and are given glimpses of this reality in our current life.

Read the Beatitudes - Matthew 5:3-11

Discussion Questions
Which beatitude sticks out to you the most? 

Download the PDF below 

Contemperory Beatitudes


After completing the above handout, discuss the following questions

• What was this experience like for you?
• How does it change your perspective of what Jesus meant when He offered the Beatitudes?
• Based on the examples you have heard, where else in your life do you know that Jesus calls people blessed?

Beatitude Meditation

 

• Our personal vocation is not a goal we achieve but a response to God’s call to holiness.

• There are many different personal vocations in the Church that are oriented toward growing in holiness and serving the Body of Christ.

• While it is necessary to recognize how different personal vocations impact the Church, being a disciple happens in our current state in life.

SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 19:16-30

Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
17He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.^* If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
19honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect,^* go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

CATECHISM:
872-873, 897-898

 "The term 'laity' is here understood to mean all the faithful except those in Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state approved by the Church. That is, the faithful, who by Baptism are incorporated into Christ and integrated into the People of God, are made sharers in their particular way in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ, and have their own part to play in the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the World."
-CCC 898

• As Catholics, we recognize the role of God’s will in our decisions, which can add another layer of confusion or worry.

• When we talk about our personal vocation, the scope can sometimes be focused on a particular major life decision.

• While it is not a bad thing to think about, figuring out what God wants for the spiritual trajectory of our lives can feel overwhelming when we are trying to figure out how to navigate our current situations and experiences.

• A personal vocation is not a goal we achieve but the way our life develops as we respond to God’s invitation to holiness.

• While we cannot always know exactly how our life will turn out, our personal vocation should continue to make sense as it unfolds.

• God has given us free will so God intends that we make choices. Discovering our personal vocation is not a test

• God has set up for us to see if we will choose the right path for our life.

PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL

• Personal vocations are unique and communal, as they are meant to serve a particular mission within the Church.

• Church history shows that personal vocations come in many forms for the service of the Body of Christ.

• As an example, St. Teresa of Calcutta founded the “Missionaries of Charity” to help serve the poor.

• After her death, we learned that she experienced doubts, but she maintained incredible faith by living her personal vocation.

• Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s vocation of consecrated religious life became the vehicle for her to serve those who were suffering from poverty and the means by which she grew in holiness.

• Some helpful distinctions between approved states in life are lay people, the Church hierarchy, and consecrated men and women.

• These differences in these states in life purposeful on God’s part because they each play a particular role in the mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

• Through our baptism, most of us are currently living out the vocation of the laity, and we can live out our mission within the Kingdom of God when we go to school, participate in family activities, and experience life with friends.

• Lay people in the Church may continue to serve the Kingdom of God by getting married, raising a family, and working in the secular world.

• The hierarchy plays an important role in the Kingdom of God by celebrating the sacraments, teaching, and governing.

• Consider projecting specific men and women within the history of the Church who have lived different forms of consecrated life to give visual examples of the different forms each one can take.

IN THIS MOMENT

• Our mission in building the Kingdom of God is not done in the future. It is done now.

• An important step we can take right now is to become aware of how those around us are living their discipleship.

• The lives of the saints can give us a deep peace and sense of excitement about the life God is forming for us and how that plan can evolve as we make decisions out of love for Him.

• God has an incredible plan for your life as a disciple, but the choice to live it is yours.

What are 3 ways you can respond to God's call to holiness right now in your life?

Download the PDF below and take some time to journal with the questions. Then find a friend who you can discuss your responses with. 

Prayer Journal