“The Lord saves us from the darkness that we have inside, from the darkness of daily life, of social life, of political life, of national, international life... But he asks us to see them first; have the courage to see our darkness so that the light of the Lord might enter and save us.”
Pope Francis, Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta, 6 May 2020
E te Atua, God,
each day you invite us to follow you.
You rejoice with us when we accept your invitation,
and you are patient with us when we falter.
We give you thanks for the abilities and strengths
you have gifted to us –
including the ability to think and make choices.
Help us to continue to choose the path that brings us closer to you.
Āmene.
Response:
Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Show me your paths
and teach me to follow;
guide me by your truth
and instruct me.
You keep me safe.
Response:
Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Please, LORD, remember,
you have always
been patient and kind.
Show me how truly kind you are
and remember me.
Response:
Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Every day we make choices …
Some of our choices do not affect others
or have lasting consequences.
Try and list all the choices that you have had to make today.
A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John 3: 14-21
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 3: 14-21
Jesus said to Nicodemus,
“God’s Chosen One must be lifted up
So that everyone who believes in him
will live forever.
“Yes, God loved the world so much that
God sent the only Son of God into the world.
Everyone who believes in him
will live forever.
“God, did not sent the Son of God
to judge the world, but to save it.
And everyone who believes in him is saved.
“But those who refuse to believe in him
are already being judged.
And this is how they are judged;
when the light came into the world,
they chose to stay in the dark
instead of coming into the light.
They liked to stay in the dark
because they things they are doing
are very evil.
In the dark, no one can see the evil things they are doing.
“But those who do good things
Love to come into the light.
In the light,
everyone can see they do good things
because they believe in God.”
A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John 3: 14-21
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 3: 14-21
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
W7: Answer the highlighted questions in your Gospel unpack:
Why do you think people make choices that put them into darkness?
What factors influence the choices we make in our lives?
Why is it hard to say sorry? Have you ever had to say sorry for a choice you made?
How does it make you feel to know that God loves you regardless?
Week 7 Activity: Choices
Firstly, in small groups consider/discuss the following scenarios and explain your choices/decisions with those around you.
You arrive early one morning at school to see someone getting pushed around and bullied by a few older students.
What choice do you make?
You promised your grandmother you would help her on Saturday, but you get invited to go to the movies on the same day with your friends.
What choice do you make?
You have not been doing well in class and your teacher has asked you to take a note home for your parents to sign and to be returned to school; you think about forging a signature.
What choice do you make?
You get invited to a party; most of your friends also got invited, but your best friend was left out, on purpose.
What choice do you make?
Week 7 Activity: Choices
Think of a time in your life when you had to make a tough decision.
What things influenced your decision making?
Did you think:
Does this choice only affect me?
How does my choice affect other people?
Is this choice a reflection of me living out my faith in my actions?
Would I make this same decision again?
Click here to make a copy for this weeks activity (it’s your job to jazz this up and make it your own!)
Link to scripture about making choices
E te Atua, God,
in the light of your love,
we recognise our need for you.
You reveal the paths to us,
but we must choose to walk them.
We ask you to stay with us at every step,
to be our strength and our courage
so that we can find the way to you.
Help us to make the best choices
that will deepen our relationship with you
and promote love, justice and peace in the world.
Āmene.