Reflecting on Next Sunday’s Scriptures Readings
(This is a special project and currently my personal experiment to help Catholics and those of others denominations who follow the Catholic lectionary prepare for Sunday services. It’s currently an experiment and I need your feedback, comments and questions. Please read on and listen to the recording to help make this project a success.)
A spiritual practice I have found helpful is reading the Sunday readings before I show up at church. It helps me make Sunday more than just showing up and leaving an hour or so a week. It makes it a part of my week culimating when I do go to church. In case I get distracted, I’m already up on it. It’s something I know.
In order to do this prep, I’ve looked around for podcasts I could download to my IPOD and listen during my daily comute. However, I haven’t been able to find something that covers the Sunday church reading just the way I thought they should be covered. (I’d love to hear of any you have found you do like.)
My idea of a good one is one that is substantial and relevant to working and non-working professionals. I wanted it to be practical and not highly intellectual or theological going over the heads of the average Joe (or Jane) in the pew. My main focus is for it to help me prepare and reflect.
This is pilot or test recording. I’m saying that upfront. I haven’t fancied it up with any before and after music. I haven’t made this available on iTunes or the other podcast directories. What I have done is get together with my good friend Mickey Itchon, two microphones and my recording equipment. We grabbed the readings for Sunday July 27th off the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website. (Click here for the readings we used. It’s the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time.) Then I uploaded it to my blog.
We followed this format.
- We read the first reading out loud.
- Mickey sings the responsorial psalm.
- We read the second reading and gospel.
- We do a 15-20 minute back and forth/banter on the scriptures.
As I said earlier, I would really like feedback. I need to hear from as many people as possible:
- Do you like our style, approach, format?
- Did it work on your equipment? Any tips you can give us to help others get access to this?
- Would this help you prepare for your Sunday worship experience?
- Is the sound quality decent on our PC, IPOD, mp3 player, etc?
- Did you like us singing the responsorial psalm?
- Would you have prefered a video podcast instead?
- What additions would you make that would make this more valuable to you?
- Is this something you would download weekly to your IPOD/MP3 player and use weekly? Why? Why not?
I appreciate your comments using the feature below. I’m hoping to use your input to make this better before I make too many decisions on how I’ll proceed with this project.
You can listen to it hear in the player
|
|
To download it to your machine so you can play in on your IPOD or MP3 player, right click on the “Download” link above and click “Save Target As…” Let me know how this works on your machine so I can provide better instructions.
Jorge Lazaro Diaz is the "Original" Career Jockey who started this blog and now serves as the Managing Editor. You'll find he enjoys focusing on professional and personal development articles and frequently covers motivational and spiritual topics.
You can learn so much about this author by clicking here.
Hi Jorge – First I commend you for all you do for God and for people. Im sure you will be blessed. I also say…no matter what feedback I or others give…ask God what he wants you to do to improve, change or make it work for him.
Now…what I like. I like that you 2 are discussing areas you understand and what you dont. You are helping each other understand the scripture. I also like that you are 2 men talking about God. Families need examples of positive men.
Some possible ideas….more talk more about how YOU personally are applying or trying to apply the principle. Perhaps you could add this format:
1. the scripture
2. what we learned
3. how we tried to apply it to our lives this week
4. what worked easily and what you personally are stil trying to work on.
People respond to true stories of success. If others do it, we believe we can too.
Overall, I would just make it more personal. here is the scripture…here is what I got…here’s what i did with the lesson, and here’s what you can do with it. (You started this by discussing how it the message or the scripture need to be considered in relation to the Cuban and Phillipino culture and relationships. Explain more, people are people. We all go thru relationship challenges.)
Finally, ask people their thoughts and drive them to respond in your facebook or to call into your show (if possible).
Good work, Jorge. You are wonderful and I pray that God will see your heart and build for you. Blessings.
Thanks for the kind words. Getting this sort of very specific feedback is what I need.
Hi Jorge
Very cool idea, nice sound!!
Congratulations Jorge! I find the idea of preparing for mass to be very enlightening. The format you have works for me, I think it’s informative, hip, casual, not boring. Very down to earth. My only idea is to have the readings posted on the site so that we can read along.
Good luck with this project, God bless.
MariaElena
this is awesome, keep it up jorge =)
Dear Jorge and Mickey,
I wanted to say thank you for this beautiful idea and for the wonderful opportunity that you both have given me to “really” prepare before mass. I particularly love simple and personal way in which you guys did this reflection.
Following up on what Stephanie wrote, I see that because this was the first program, it was more general; however, you guys could make it more personal, giving real examples abt your day-to-day lives/experiences.
I loved the fact that it lasted only 23 minutes…!! I don’t think it should be more than that. So, having people call in is not appealing to me.
I felt challenged by God in the following ways:
-To stretch out… seek to expand my capacity to love and to apply that love in a practical way
-The need to respond to God (the two prophets’ faithfulness despite their inner struggles)
-To let my life be guided by the Spirit, REGARDLESS of my STRUGGLES and/or EMOTIONS… STAY FOCUSED!!
-Surrendering to and seeking His will (running away fr. today’s fast-food mentality), things in my life will be what He and his love permit for a greater good…
Again, thanks to you both! Know that the development of this podcast will be in my prayers. +M
Hi Jorge,
Your plan is wonderful. I have an app (imissal) that reads the scripture and sings the psalm for any date you choose, however it does not give an explanation of the reading. You should develope a huge following. What you plan on doing is what I have scowered the internet for and never found. The best I found was after the fact. I look forward to your success.
Again, it’s a wonderful idea. We have bible study every Monday and do exactly what you will be doing. Twenty guys pontificate. Join us if you would like to get twenty different opinions to sort through.
YBIC
Fred
Hey Jorge! Got the audio clip sent to me by my brother and just finished listening to it. First I commend you my brother on taking on this ministry in the name of Jesus. For far too long people have been intimidated by the text or simply told to leave the interpretation and application to the professionals (clergy). But as 1 Peter 2:9 says we, the Church, are a priesthood of believers and chosen people. We can all approach the Father because of the blood of Jesus. I appreciate your interest and passion for others to feed upon the life and breathe of the one true God.
A few comments: The Scripture (chapter and verse) should be stated each time something is read because I for one was lost at times. I would have liked to see the connections between the Old Testament and New Testament passages. The Bible is one flowing story from Genesis to Revelation not two seperate sections (Old and New). Bridging the gap between what Elijah experienced, Paul’s words and Jesus’ ministry would have been really neat. An example could have been the cost of ministry as stated by Jesus and compared to Elisha’s situation. Lastly I would avoid ambiguities like “following the Spirit’s voice or listening to the Spirit” inside of us. That’s a very churchy statement but what does it mean? The Spirit’s voice is the voice of God but in our day and age the Spirit reminds us of His Word (the Bible) and God’s character also found in the Scriptures. I appreciate the applicational aspect of the conversation as well as you and Mickey sharing your personal experiences. People can listen and feel like they are not alone in this rough world. We can endure the hardships of life because we have a God that has taken on flesh and has felt the disappointment, betrayal, hate, pain and death of this world. But that’s not the end of the story, just as He overcame the ugliest the world could through at Him, we because of Him are more than conquerers (Romans 8:37).
God bless you and this ministry as you continue to follow hard after Almighty God and show others the difference He makes in your life.
Hi Jorge,
I like the singing of the psalm, simply with the guitar, creates intimacy, it doesn’t need anything else. About the dialogue on the readings, it is always good for me to hear other people’s view. The sound was ok, with some eco, but not disturbing. Yes, it would help me prepare for my worship experience, even though I do prepare in other ways through prayer. I suggest you start with a prayer to call on the Holy Spirit and close with prayer too. Also there is a formal way to read the Gospel, it would be proper to incorporate it. I would not need a video. I don’t use iPod or all the other new gadgets. Silence is good for the soul.
Thanks for sharing!
Kind regards,
Pilar
Hello Jorge and Mickey,
I think you are doing a great job! It is very spontaneous and down to earth without being disrespectful. Keep up the great work.
Sr Teresa
Hey Jorge
I loved the idea that is presented. I think it s a great initiative to reflect back on the Scripture prior to the Mass on Sunday
What an interesting and enlightening concept, Jorge.
As one who is a believer but not a practicioner, I found this forum as an opportunity to experience my faith while sharing in a dialogue, albeit, vicariously, about how the Lord, His Words and everday life’s struggles and joys find themselves in unity.
Harmony stood out in your musings. I would, even without having to prepare for the weekly scriptions/readings, visit your podcast weekly, and quite possibly daily to experience and hear the thoughts and words you and your colleague Mickey offer. It is obvious from your conversations that you not only prepared, but are well versed in God’s teachings and scripture, understood the readings, and took the time to ponder and apply its message to our every day “normal” lives … very intuitive.
Good sound, wonderful acoustic music for the responsorial, and enjoyed your “banter” which provided much food for thought and the knowledge, that I am indeed, not alone.
Kudos!!! Saludos, Orietta
Jorge,
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts. Here goes: Regarding the sound, it was perfect on my PC. I only use my Ipod for music, I don’t know much about podcasts etc (I’m so not there yet!) Would it help me prepare for Mass on Sundays? Definitely! Would I use it regularly, honestly, not really. There is something so special about being at Mass and I would rather wait and hear it there. If I were ill, or unable to attend regularly, I definetly would listen to this. Your discussion at the end was the best!!! Its very Holy, personal, calming, positive and reassuring! Actually, the discussion was so good, that if I could skip the readings and Responsorial Psalm and go straight to that, I WOULD listen regulary, regardless!!!! What a gift! Looking forward to more….
God Bless you,
Silvia
Jorge,
I think this great and I am sure that many will enjoy and find this as a great option to be better prepared for Mass. I think the Psalm being sung sounded very good and very calming.
My recommendations are that you keep it short (15 minutes max) so you have the best impact and people dont tune off. We live in a fast world and more time than this may limit the audience. I also would leave the listeners with some question or thought to ponder at the end of the medition portion.
I congratulate you and Mickey for this idea and overall I think it is great…
PS. A second level to this might to translate this to other languages is possible.
God Bless,
[...] to last week’s pilot podcast giving me feedback both via blog comments and email. (Click here to hear last week’s program, read my explanation on the project and learn about how you can [...]
Chicky, Thanks for the feedback. As for the length, I’m shooting for 20 to 25 minutes. This matches the average commute to work which my research has told me is when a large number of people listen to podcasts.
I do like your idea of leaving the listeners with a questions. I’m not satisfied with the way I’m ending these programs. A question to ponder of some sort could do the trick.
I just released this week’s program. Keep the comments coming.
Leave your response!
Most Highly Read Articles
Archives
Blogs I Like
Privacy Policy
We are committed to protecting your privacy at Career Jockey. We will not collect any personal information from you that you do not volunteer, and we are the sole owner of all information collected on this site. We do not sell, share, or rent this information to others in any way that we have not mentioned in this statement.
Cookies
Like many other Web sites, CareerJockey.org uses cookies to identify members so they don’t have to re-enter a user id and password when they, for example, wish to post to a discussion. …
Recent Posts
Available Topics
Recent Comments
Powered by WordPress | Log in | Arthemia theme by Michael Hutagalung