September 28, 2025 – Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Alpha & Our Great Journey

Welcome to Alpha & Our Great Journey. Our weekly post offers prayer resources, a glimpse of the upcoming Sunday Gospel with short commentary, discussion/reflection questions and suggestions for living the Gospel. Also included is a preview of the weekly Alpha session.

This week our theme is “Priorities” based on Luke 16:19-31/ Lucas 16:19-31

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Opening Prayer:

Sign of the Cross

Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God, teach me true generosity. Teach me to serve you as you deserve. To give without counting the cost, to fight heedless of wounds, to labor without seeking rest, to sacrifice myself without thought of any reward save the knowledge that I have done your will. Amen. (St Ignatius of Loyola)

Using the Bible, invite a family member to read the Gospel aloud.

Things to talk about:

Why do you think the rich man ignored the poor man in this Gospel story?
What lesson is Jesus trying to teach us with this parable?
Share about a time that you helped someone in need?

Things to do:

St. Vincent de Paul’s Feast Day is September 27. Research St. Vincent de Paul, click HERE to start. What were St Vincent’s priorities? What inspires you about this saint? Read more about the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Transfiguration. How can you help the poor?
The Catholic Church is the largest international organization offering the most assistance to those in need. Read about Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities Atlanta, and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The Church prioritizes helping those in need, regardless of their faith tradition.
Reflect about how and where you spend your time? Is this in alignment with your priorities?

Closing Prayer

God of life and love, in every time and place you call people to serve in your name. No one is too young, no one is too old to respond to your call. Show us how to share the Good News with our words and actions. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Name those who need our prayers. Close with the Sign of the Cross.

Catholic Insights

In this parable, Jesus contrasts the life of a rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, who lives in the shadow of the rich man and his wealth. What were the priorities of the rich man while on earth?

There are two principle characters in the parable–the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is wearing purple, the color of royalty, the color that sets the man apart as among the most elite of society The primary character is called by name and the afterlife is described.
While wealth and poverty are primary themes, Luke also uses this parable to evangelize people about the resurrection of Christ. First Lazarus dies, and then the rich man. Everything changes, the reversal of fortunes; Lazarus is on the inside and the rich man is out. There was nothing the rich man could do to change his bad situation.

The story of the rich man and Lazarus demonstrates the importance of the care of the poor and is a reminder to us of the unimportance of wealth in the eyes of God..

This week in Alpha we explore “How can I have faith?” To have a relationship with Jesus means to live and share His love and care for others the way he cares for all. It means evaluating our priorities and putting God first above all things.

Resources adapted from 52Sundays.com, Celebrating the Lectionary, At Home with the Word, Celebrating Families, Sunday Connection

Alpha Week 4: How can I have faith?

The focus for this session is on what it means to have faith. Christianity is not a club that we join. It is a relationship with Jesus that changes our life. We enter into this relationship through faith.

“… I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life…” 1 John 5-13

Adults: What does faith mean to you? How do you feel about having a personal relationship with God? What obstacles keep you from having faith?

Teens: The teen session focus is Why would I want a relationship with God? What do you feel when you hear that Jesus calls you friend? How does a relationship with God change us for the better?

Kids: What is faith? Ask the children about the feather experiment. What kept the feather afloat? Could they see their breath? When we say we have faith, we are talking about our belief and trust in God. How can we have faith in God? Ask children to share about their footprint activity and decision to follow Jesus. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1

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