Opening Prayer Led by Group Facilitator

Psalm 45

Pray the Psalm together aloud, alternating verses between two sides.  When finished, share reflections on the Psalm as a group

10  Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house;

11  and the king will desire your beauty.  Since he is your lord, bow to him;

12  the people of Tyre will sue your favor with gifts, the richest of the people

13  with all kinds of wealth.  The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;

14  in many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions, her escort, in her train.

15  With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.

16  Instead of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.

17  I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you for ever and ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

The Daughters of Zelophehad

Numbers 27

1.       Zelophehad’s daughters directly challenged an established inheritance law.  What qualities enabled Zelophehad’s daughters to present this challenge?   How are you encouraging and instilling these qualities in your own daughters?

2.       How do these women use the timing and location of their petition to their advantage?  How can you better use timing and location to your advantage when petitioning a superior?

3.       This story illustrates the gradual development of law within a society.  An inheritance law that was first intended to preserve inter-generational wealth within a family now needs to be revised.  What laws (rules) within your society (family) need to be revised?  How does the example set by Moses inform how you should proceed with revising rules in your family?

4.       Although women still are not treated equally to men in respect to inheritance laws at the conclusion of this story, an important step towards equitable treatment takes place.  As a patriarch, when have you had to celebrate an important step taken by your children, despite the ultimate goal not yet being reached?

5.       Moses’ ceremonial commissioning of Joshua is more than just symbolism.  What actual authority does Joshua receive from Moses in this ceremony?  When and how can you ceremoniously commission your children with actual authority?

6.       What modern cultural or religious examples of ceremonial commissioning of children are you aware of? Why is ceremonial commissioning important?

Resolutions

Choose a resolution for this week from the suggestions below or make your own.  Tap on a resolution to email it to yourself:

1.    I will write a letter to my daughter(s), for them to open at a later time, that expresses my love for them and my desires for their formation. 
2.    I will give a book to my daughter(s) that reflects qualities I hope for them to acquire. 
3.    I will praise my wife in front of our children, especially extolling her intelligence, wisdom and courage. 
4.    I will pick one day to offer up a fast for each of my daughters’ to grow in holiness.
5.    I will plan an optimal time and location to petition a superior for something that I desire. 
6.    I will compose a list of common rules in our family and evaluate them with my wife.  I will bring any proposed changes to these rules to God in prayer. 
7.    I will invest my authority into my children by giving them authority over an exciting and creative project around the house. 
8.    I will discuss with my wife how we can provide a ceremonial commissioning for our oldest child.
9.    I will invite my children to regularly lead a family rosary or divine mercy chaplet. 

Previous Resolutions - Numbers 20

Prayer Partners

Discuss with your prayer partner the success/failure of your previous resolution & offer a vocal prayer for one another.