Welcome to the Jesus Is Lord series, a course offered for adults at St. William Catholic Church in Round Rock, Texas.

If this is your first time visiting this series, I encourage you to take a few moments and read through the series introduction that will give a clear picture of the purpose and content of the Jesus Is Lord course. The introduction post not only outlines the course, but goes over the motivation to share in this class on the internet. 

Today the class met in the church for a prayer session. Last week’s class was about Holy Spirit: Going from the Seat to the Feet. If you would prefer to watch this class, please scroll to the bottom. Keep in mind the recorded classes are not from our current class and contain testimonies from different people presented in the text below. Check back next week for the sixth installment which will cover Jesus is Lord of my Talent. 

This is an evening that is not possible to translate into a simple post. There is no way to recapture the emotions, the prayers said over the participants and the general experience, but I did want to share just a snippet of what happened through pictures. The prayer session is integral to the Jesus Is Lord experience – so much so, that if you do not attend the session {or a makeup prayer session}, then you have not met the requirements to complete the class. It’s not about checking a box at this point, but rather the prayer session is the final step in bringing together the teaching of the Kerygma – without the prayer session, it’s all just words.

The evening in the church began with Father Uche exposing the Blessed Sacrament. He read from the Gospel of Mark 10:13-16

“And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.”

The slideshows each have audio attached if you would like to hear how the prayer session went. Above is the reflection that Father Uche gave on the Gospel as well as the evening. I apologize that there aren’t more photos, but really wanted to highlight the essence of the event while respecting the experience of the attendees without taking too many pictures. The audio may also be difficult to hear at times, and for that, I apologize. This is simply meant to give you an idea of what the prayer session was like and hopefully inspire you to do this at your parish one day when the Jesus Is Lord course makes its way to your church. 🙂

If you choose not to listen to the audio, Father Uche gave a short reflection and the Gospel and then shared with everyone how we should approach the evening. Anyone who was ready and willing to make Jesus the Lord of their life came to the altar and knelt. Father Uche renewed our baptism vows with us, next Noe led us in a prayer of committing our life to Jesus. Finally, Father Uche, Father Alex and Noe all agreed with our prayer of commitment and prayed over the attendees.

The rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

• HOMEWORK 

DAY 1: Jesus has given you a new life through the Holy Spirit. The life of the Holy Spirit in you is not like a pool of water that you have to guard carefully or it will turn dry. It is like a flowing spring that will grow in you unless you do something to stop it. Jesus promises you:

“…but those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give them will become in them a spring which will provide them with life-giving water and give them eternal life.'” John 4:14

DAY 2: Your life is in Christ; it comes from Christ. If you stay firmly joined to Him, it will grow and bear fruit. If you let yourself be separated from Him, it will wither away. Jesus says:

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me. Those who do not remain in Me are thrown out like a branch and dry up; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, where they are burned.” John 15:5-6

DAY 3: Jesus has given you a new self, a new way of life which is more spiritual, happier and better than the old. But you must actively put away your old self so that you might experience this new life. God’s word urges you:

“So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to – the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must be put on the new shelf, which is created in God’s likeness and reveal itself in the true life that is upright and holy.” Ephesians 4:22-24

DAY 4: In order to keep in contact with God who is our source of life, you should pray. Jesus prayed. Although He was the Son of God, although He was very busy, He knew He had to pray. You, too, have to pray if you wish to stay alive spiritually. Imitate Jesus.

“But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely, and crowds of people came to hear Him and be healed from their diseases. But He would go away ton lonely places, where He prayed.” Luke 5:15-16

DAY 5: In order to grow in the life of the Spirit, you need to know what God teaches. The Scriptures are the word of God and they contain the words of life. Read them and meditate on them faithfully and you will grow. God’s word says:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good dead.” 2Timothy 3:16-17

DAY 6: The Christian life is not an individualistic life. By himself, a Christian is incomplete. The gift of the Spirit led the first Christians to join together and to form a community in which they helped one another to grow. Be faithful to the Church and to meeting with the Christians who have helped you find new life in the Spirit. Imitate the Christians on the day of Pentecost.

“Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day. They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers…Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Acts 2:41, 42&46&47

DAY 7: If you love other people, you will want to share with them the best thing you have – the Lord. Share what you have found, with wisdom, following the leading of the Spirit. God’s word says:

“Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6

• STUDY: John 17 and Philippians 3

SUMMARY

Homework is to be done daily – reflect on Scripture and the Prayer Session {if you attended} through the week. If you are in a group, pair up two or three and commit to pray daily for your prayer partner. Small groups come together for a few minutes of question and answer in the large group. If you have any questions, please leave a comment in the combox below so that we can help in any way possible.

CONCLUSION

Prayer of Abandonment

Father,
I abandon myself into Your hands;
do with me what You will.
Whatever You may do, I thank You:
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only Your will be done in me,
and in all Your creatures –
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into Your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to You with all the love of my heart,
for I love You, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into Your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for You are my Father.

Charles de Foucauld

OPTIONS: There are no options for this week.