Virtual Reality

Questions to reflect on not only during Lent but throughout one’s life…

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…"  Matthew 22:37

1  Is God the center of my life?  Are there any "false gods" in my life that tend to replace God, for example: money, work, pleasure, selfishness?

2  How strong is my faith in God?  Am I trying to grow in my understanding of Jesus’ message and the teachings of the Church?

3  Do I pray each day?  Are my prayers heartfelt or routine?  Do I pray when I am tempted?  Do I thank God for the blessings in my life?

4  Do I worship God on Sundays and holy days?  Do I participate at Mass or am I just there?  Do I listen to God’s word and apply it to my life?  Do I reverence the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist?

5  Do I celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly?

6  Have I taken God’s name in vain?  Am I careless with God’s name?

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself…"  Matthew 22:39

1  Am I a loving person to all I meet?  Do I treat others as I would wish to be treated?  Do I ever "use" people to achieve what I want or to "get ahead"?  Am I holding a grudge or harboring feelings of hate toward anyone?

2  Do I show concern for others or are my time and efforts concentrated just on myself?  Do I give my time and/or possessions to those in need?  Do I show respect to all persons, regardless of their age, race, sex, religion, or social/economic status?

3  Do I value life?  Do I uphold the rights of the preborn, of children, the elderly, and those who are physically or mentally disabled?

4  Within my family, do I show respect to all?  Do I try to listen and respond to the concerns of family members?  As a spouse, am I faithful and supportive of my partner?  As a parent, do I guide my children in the Catholic way of life and give them good example?  As a daughter or son, am I respectful toward my parents and considerate of their feelings?  As a brother or sister, am I helpful, considerate, and willing to share?

5  Do I tell the truth?  Do I try to be fair in my judgements and actions?  Do I gossip?  Do I speak evil of others?  Do I respect and protect the property of others?  Am I jealous of what others do and have?  Do I steal?

6  Am I honest in the workplace?  Do I do all that I am expected to do and spend the required time on the job?  Am I considerate of my co-workers?  Do I offer help when they need it?  If I am in a leadership position, do I use my authority for the good of all in a spirit of service or do I grasp for power?

7  As a citizen, am I concerned about our nation’s policies in terms of justice, peace, and reverence for human life?  Do I keep the laws?  Do I pay taxes?  Do I work to make our nation and the world more responsive to the needs of all people?

8  Do I consciously try to live my Catholic faith?  Do I ever give bad example?  Do I contribute my time and talents to the Church?  Do I pray for the Church and its leaders as they guide us in the ways of Christ?  Do I support the Church financially?

"So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us…"  Ephesians 5:1-2

1  Have I made good use of my talents and my time?  Am I lazy?

2  Do I look with the eyes of faith and hope at the sorrows and disappointments of life?

3  Do I regard my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit?  Am I chaste?  Am I guilty of fornication, adultery, or other thoughts and actions unworthy of the goodness to which God calls us?  Have I encouraged others to sin in this regard?

4  Am I personally committed to Christ and his way of life?

St. Mary’s Church
228 East Jefferson Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52245