LIVE AMPLIFIED

4th Sunday of Lent Year C The Prodigal Son Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Check out Ben Batalla's Lenten Series on "Live Amplified", featuring musical improvisations "Audio Divina" on the Sunday Gospels of Lent! Art by Sergio Espinoza @sergioespinozaart ascensionillustrations.com Reflection Questions: 1. What is your current relationship with God the Father? Do you view him as a distant God who only checks up on you when you have made a mistake? Or do you view him as a loving father who cares and provides for you? 2. How has your experience with your earthly father shaped the way you view God the Father? 3. Have you ever experienced this lavish mercy of God in your life? If not, would you want to experience that? Why or why not? 4. What are the struggles or sins in your life that are keeping you away from experiencing the mercy of God? If you relate to the older brother at all, what are they ways in which you feel like you have to earn God's love? CHALLENGE: Go the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week and experience the mercy of God. He is not scandalized by your sins. He loves you and wants to restore you to relationship with him. If you are not Catholic, I encourage you to talk to a priest and share with him how you have fallen in your journey and that you desire to return to God.

Lenten Music Improvisations Luke Chapter 13 Verses 1-9 The Fig Tree Art by Sergio Espinoza @sergioespinozaart ascensionillustrations.com Reflection Questions: 1. What do you think it means to bear fruit in your life? 2. What things or situations in your life are preventing you from bearing fruit? How is Jesus calling you to repent and turn your life around? 3. Has there ever been a situation where you have wanted to give up on a noble purpose or great pursuit? Or was there something great that you desired to do but were too afraid to let Jesus guide you to seeing it through? What obstacles or distractions led you to wanting to quit on yourself? Reflect on this experience and ask Jesus to reveal to you what he wants for your desire. 4. How do you think Jesus wants to “cultivate the ground” in your life right now? What are some aspects in your life that need cultivating?

Piano Improvisation for 2nd Sunday of Lent Lk Chapter 9, Verses 28-36 Reflection Questions: 1. What is your current view of God and Heaven? Is your current view of Heaven something you want to experience for eternity? Why or why not? 2. How would you define “divine life”? What does “divine life” look like to you? Who in your life lives out “divine life” daily? How so? 3. How are you currently falling short of experiencing “divine life”? What in your life is causing you to fall short? 4. How is God inviting you to experience life to the full more today? What ONE thing can you do today to experience divine life more fully?

Piano Improvisation for the Gospel of the 1st Sunday of Lent! Luke 4:1-13 The Temptation of Jesus in the Desert Reflection Questions: 1. How are you currently experiencing suffering in your life? How are you responding to and confronting your particular suffering? 2. Where in your life do you seek comfort, control, and validation instead of God’s will? Why do you think you seek these things rather than God? 3. As you listen to the music, pray and relate your suffering to Jesus. Ask him to reveal to you how he is sharing in your suffering. Where is Jesus in your suffering? 4. How is Jesus asking you to confront your suffering? Ask Jesus to show you how to confront your suffering on God’s terms.