Opening Prayer Led by Group Facilitator

Proverbs 5:1-13

Pray the Canticle of Tobit together aloud, alternating verses between two sides.  When finished, share reflections on the canticle as a group

1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding;

2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.

3 For the lips of a loose woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;

4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;

6 she does not take heed to the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.

7 And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house;

9 lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless;

10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of an alien;

11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,

12 and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!

13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

The Younger Son Leaves

Luke 15:11-32

1.       As sons grow, many tend toward separation from parental authority and divine authority.   When and how did my father experience separation from his father?  How did he experience reconciliation with his father?

2.     When and how did I experience the drive to separate from my father?  How did my father expect my submission?  How did he empower my initiative?

3.     How have I experienced my children’s impulse to separate?  What were (or will be) my expectations of conformity and submission?  How will I empower their maturity and initiative?

4.     In relation to God, how have I “wandered far from home”?  How long did it last?  What prompted my “homecoming”?   Who welcomed me (back) to the Father’s house?

Resolutions

Choose a resolution for this week from the suggestions below or make your own. Click/Tap on a resolution to email it to yourself:

1. I will ask my father to share about his experience of separation and reconciliation with his father.
2. I will share with my children my own experience of separation and reconciliation with my father.
3. I will schedule a holy hour to prayerfully journal and reflect on question #4 (In relation to God, how have I wandered...)
4. I will spend time in adoration giving thanks to God for the blessings, gifts, lessons and strengths I have inherited from my father.
5. I will schedule a time or a trip to reunite/reconnect with my father.

Previous Resolutions - The Father of the Prodigal Son 1

Prayer Partners

Discuss with your prayer partner the success/failure of your previous resolution & offer a vocal prayer for one another.