Lent Day 10

Saturday, February 28: Words of Public Proclamation 46-50

46 Concerning discernment instead of signs 

47 Human vulnerability and the call to repentance 

48 The power of petition 

49 The testimony of His objective acts 

50 The end of Time

Reflect: If you are participating in the brown bag lunch discussion tomorrow (or even if you are not), which words of Jesus have stuck with you most in the 50 sayings you have read so far? Why do you think these words have hung with you? What might God be trying to say to you through them?

Lent Day 9

Friday, February 27: Words of Public Proclamation 41-45

41 The parable of the good Gentile 

42 On forgiveness 

43 On persistence in prayer 

44 On the relative importance of blood ties 

45 Concerning those who are clergy and professional functionaries of ...

Reflect: Why do you think Jesus spent so much time and energy addressing (often negatively) religious leaders? What prophetic words might he have to say to our leaders today? What prophetic words might he have for you?

Lent Day 8

Thursday, February 26: Words of Public Proclamation 36-40

36 The assertion of “I Am” 

37 His role as self-sacrificing shepherd and doorway 

38 The importance to Heaven of every repentant convert 

39 Second summary of the Law and the Tradition 

40 The salvific role of the Law

Reflect: Why do you think Jesus used so much sheep and shepherd imagery? Do these images still work today even though we are not a farming/agricultural society? Why did Jesus spend so much time talking about the Law? How does that focus still speak to us today?

Lent Day 7

Wednesday, February 25: Words of Public Proclamation 31-35

31 On religiosity as a rejection of God 

32 The source of personal defilement 

33 Assertion of His divine commission 

34 On judging the sins of others 

35 The assertion of His primal and fundamental nature

Reflect: What confuses you in these words of Jesus? What inspires you? What is the challenge to you today in these particular words of Jesus?

Lent Day 6

Tuesday, February 24: Words of Public Proclamation 26-30

26 The first prophecy concerning death and Resurrection 

27 Concerning occupation by unclean spirits 

28 The proper definition of family 

29 The parable of the sower and the seed 

30 Teaching the crowds at Capernaum

Reflect: Imagine being among the crowd in Capernaum, where Jesus did a big chunk of his early teaching. What would you have thought about what this man was like, just from his words? Would you have wanted to follow him? Why or why not? 

Lent Day 5

Monday, February 23: Words of Public Proclamation 21-25

21 The primacy of the Father’s will over all religious forms 

22 A parable about enacted and embodied faith 

23 John the Baptizer as fulfillment of prophecy 

24 The call to rest in submission 

25 The role of words in the soul’s life and eternity

Reflect: How do the headings Phyllis Tickle chose for these sayings change the way you read them? Are there any common threads that hold these particular sayings together or that might explain why they fall close to each other?

Lent Day 4

Saturday, February 21: Words of Public Proclamation 16-20

16 Counterbalancing admonition about discernment 

17 The first promise 

18 The summary of the Law and the Tradition 

19 Concerning the winnowing of the righteous from the unrighteous 

20 The proper method for assessing religious leaders

Reflect: What do you think about what Phyllis Tickle labels "The First Promise"? Why would this be the first thing Jesus promises us? What else strikes you from these words?