Small Groups

The Way of the Chosen

Week 1

Forgive As Jesus Forgives

OPENING PRAYER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.  Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Amen

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  Matt 6:14-15

“After hearing the Sermon on the Mount this episode picks up on the way Jesus’ followers understand His words and apply them to the complexities of their lives.  And that’s always the hard part!  Jesus’ words sound great and inspiring and true until the rubber meets the road and we have to actually apply them, starting with one of the most impossible exhortations of all:  forgive others their trespasses.  How is that possible?  With our own sinful strength, it’s not.  And yet the Bible tells us that in order to have fellowship with God, our accounts must be clear.  In order to receive forgiveness from God, we must extend radical grace to others. In order to interact with others in the way God wants us to, we must wholly depend on the sinless, steadfast, and unconditional love of the One we follow.”

(Chosen Study Guide Pg 20, 23)

WATCH THE VIDEO

Chosen Season 3

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’…Who can forgive sins but God… ‘to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ He said to the paralytic – ‘I order you; get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.’”  Mark 2:5-11

“On the evening of…the first day of the week, Jesus showed Himself to His apostles.  He breathed on them, and said to them: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”  John 20:19-23

Catechism of the Catholic Church – “To return to communion with God after having lost it through sin is a process born of the grace of God who is rich in mercy and solicitous for the salvation of men.  One must ask for this precious gift for oneself and for others.  The movement of return to God, called conversion and repentance, entails sorrow for and abhorrence of sins committed, and the firm purpose of sinning no more in the future.  Conversion touches the past and the future and is nourished by hope in God’s mercy.”  CCC 1489-1490

Jesus’ words to St. Faustina:  “Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which come forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it.  Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself in My mercy, with great trust so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul.  When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you.  I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul.  Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. If a soul’s trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity.”

Loving Lord, As I express my gratitude to you in prayer, may it be a pleasing, Joyful sound to You.

I thank You for this Time of Quiet to listen to what You want me to change in my life, as I prepare to enter into this Sacrament.

I thank You for Your Mercy when I pour out the litany of my offenses, as I feel sadness and repentance seep into my heart, which sometimes brings me to tears.

I thank You for Your Priest who gently listens to my confession and through the Holy Spirit, speaks what You would have me hear. 

I thank You for Your Peace as Your Priest announces Forgiveness of my sins through the Power of this Sacrament, and recommends more prayers of Private Penance.

I thank You for the Prayer of the “Act of Contrition,” which brings closure and resolve.

I thank You most of all for the Supernatural Grace that flows into my heart, as I recite these private prayers of penance, which give me courage to find my way back on the right path to becoming the person You planned for me to be.

THOUGHTS TO SHARE WITH OUR GROUP

1. What, or Who, impacted you most in this video today, and why? And what new insight did you receive from the Sermon this Sunday:

2. “Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  Mark 1:14-15
   Question – What are your feelings about this Sacrament – surprise, amazement?  What do you wonder about?

3. “And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.” Mark 11:25
   Question – Page 24   Why do you think God’s forgiveness depends on your willingness to forgive others? 

4. “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.”  Psalm 103:10-13
   Question – Page 27   God knows your comings and goings, intimately understands your sorrow, and forgives you every time you ask.  How does that make you feel about God’s merciful invitation to forgiveness, and the Sacrament of Penance? 

AT HOME

PRAYER FOCUS:  Praise God for loving you as His creation despite your sinfulness, for sending Jesus to be the sacrifice for that sin, and for extending radical grace and forgiveness to you.  Ask Him to help you do the hard work of forgiving others.  Remember, forgiveness is sometimes a process – we don’t always get there right away, which means we have to keep bringing our struggle and pain to the Lord each day.  Thank Him for His promise to change your heart when you do, and for His faithfulness to make you more and more like Jesus.