Week 1 – “I Have Called You By Name”
Wow! What an amazing first episode to get our journey started! Fr. Raph and Abby had a great reaction and some interesting observations about the stage that has been set.
They now invite you to reflect on the episode yourself, either in a group or on your own. Maybe grab a coffee or tea and contemplate what you saw and heard. Below you’ll find discussion questions that can be used to get you started.
- What are your impressions of the first episode? What was the most memorable thing for you?
- Fear plays a role in a lot of our lives. What are some of the fears that you think are on the minds of people in your life situation?
- Do you identify with any of the characters in the first episode? Why or why not?
Prayer with Scripture – Week 1 Challenge
Try to spend some time praying with each of these at least once this week. Find a comfortable, quiet place, and give yourself at least 10 minutes (you can set a timer if it helps) to let God speak to you, and then to speak to God from your heart. Some people find it helpful to draw, or write, or to pray while out for a walk. Do whatever is helpful for you.
Isaiah 43:1
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.”
Read the words of Isaiah 43:1 slowly, a few times, and then stop and close your eyes if that is helpful.
- What are some of the things you are afraid of? Why do they scare you?
- Is there a word or a phrase that speaks to you?
- Imagine Jesus calling your name, and then saying these words to you, like He did to Mary Magdalene. How do you respond to Jesus?
Speak with him from your heart, as you would to a friend.
Psalm 139:13-18
“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.”
At the end of the first episode, Lilith is losing hope and feels like God has abandoned her. But when Jesus calls her by her real name, there’s this sense that he knows her whole story and everything she’s been through. And when he repeats the prayer she tore up and said she didn’t need anymore, it’s as if he was telling her “I hear you.”
- Is it hard for you to believe Jesus really knows what you’ve gone through or what you’re going through?
- Is it hard for you to believe that Jesus really hears you and really cares?
Read Psalm 139:13-18 slowly, and let it sink in. Maybe close your eyes if it helps.
- Is there a word or phrase that you feel drawn to? Say it to God as a prayer.
- What do you imagine Jesus will say in response to you? Allow yourself to have a heart to heart conversation with God.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish 