lights

April 10

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, April 10, Easter Friday

JOHN 21:1-14

I need food and companionship just as my disciples.

Prayerthoughts
a. In the passage, Jesus had risen from the dead; the disciples knew it, but they did not recognize Jesus. I am called to recognize the Lord in every person that I meet. How well do I do that?

b. The Lord addressed the apostles as “children.” In many ways, we should be like children who are trustful of the Lord. Do I see the Lord working in my life as a good thing and that he will guide me always?

c. Sometimes it seems as though the Lord is giving me a directive that does not make sense. It especially happens when something is happening to me that I wish were otherwise. I must take the time to see that the Lord is working with me in whatever that happens.

d. Concerning answers given to us. The Lord gives the answer to the problem that the apostles had—not catching the fish that they needed. Do I recognize that the Lord answers all of my prayers in his time and according to his will?

e. Have I tried to accept the answers that the Lord has given to me, even those that do not agree with my thought?

f. As Peter jumped into the sea, am I willing to go out of my way to work with the Lord in my life?

g. 153 is no doubt symbolic of something significant that scholars have guessed at. There is nothing “symbolic” in the Lord’s care for us. Have I thanked the Lord enough in my prayers?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Acts of the Apostles 4:1-12 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

HOW ARE YOU DOING

+ I believe that today’s liturgy can be viewed as a help to the discussion of personal spirituality

- it is a liturgy that suggests some essential elements of that spirituality

- elements that can challenge if we allow them to

+ Peter reminds the hierarchy of Jerusalem that it is in the power of the name of Jesus Christ that the man who was healed “stands before you perfectly sound”

- being perfectly sound—sanity—happens only if we are rooted in Jesus Christ

- and the Gospel gives us the pattern

+ Jesus begins with a question—how are you doing

- and then tells them what to do about it

- first of all—listen to what I tell you, do what I say

- learn from it, so that you can carry through with it

- and if you do, you will have incredible results

- 153 fish—symbolic of all the countries of the world—universal results, implying a unity that defies imagination

- so listen with the idea of carrying through—one action

- pour over the Scriptures, read some spiritual books

- and after you listen so that you can carry through

+ The second part of Jesus’s instruction--

- make the Eucharist part of your life

- all the scholars see a Eucharistic connotation in the meal that Jesus celebrates with his Apostles in the Gospel today

- we need the presence of Jesus every day

+ And if we do those two things—listen in order to carry through and eat of the Eucharist,

- then we will know, truly know the Lord Jesus, and truly be rooted in him

- the “end” of the spiritual life.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Lights Down Low" -- MAX featuring gnash

AN ISLAND IN THE FLOOD

The Gospel

JOHN 19:38-42

After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

Gospelthink: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus showed courage in burying Jesus. Am I courageous in my following of Jesus?

"Can I stop the flow of time? Can I swim in your divine? 'Cause I don't think I'd ever leave this place. Turn the lights down low. I'm feeling you breathing slow. 'Cause, we're just reckless kids trying to find an island in the flood. And I would give you everything. But can you feel this energy? Take it, and you can have the best of me."

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were disciples of Jesus, but they kept it secret, no doubt because they were afraid of what might happen to them. They were willing to risk a little of themselves, but not completely. But when they witnessed the death of Jesus, they could keep quiet no longer. They openly requested to bury Jesus, thus showing to everyone that they were willing to risk everything because of this person that they had come to love and respect. Their action is an action of searching for the love of someone that they had come to honor. It is an action not unlike the action of people who are discovering romantic love.

It is the type of love that MAX and gnash are singing about in their song "Lights Down Low." The man in the relationship is searching to discover whether the love that he has for the other is strong enough to make a commitment. "I would give you everything," he says, but he is still searching to find the "island in the flood."

With our human natures the way they are, we cannot simply say that someone is special to us and let it go at that. We must discover how the other feels about a commitment, and whether we are ready to make that type of commitment ourselves. Infatuation is not love, and the only way it will become true love is to allow it to develop, to "feel the energy" as MAX and gnash sing.

Love is not only romantic love. It is true that most of the popular songs are in the context of romantic love, but love is a thought that encompasses more than the romantic feelings we have toward others. But no matter what the circumstances, we are called to honestly search our minds and hearts to see if we are ready to give completely to another.

Nicodemus and Joseph are good examples for modern love. They teach us to work at discovering the love for another, and once we find it, to "give everything."

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, there are so many examples of true love in Your Scriptures. Give us the grace to search for that love for others and once we find it, to truly make us understand it better. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: In order to love someone, we must be committed to search for that love..

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The burial customs today are different than they were in the time of Jesus. What part of the burial customs today have made the most impression on you? Why?
2. Joseph and Nicodemus showed courage in their actions as they risked telling the truth of their belief in Jesus . Where have you seen Christian courage in your world?
3. In what way are those discovering love for the first time "reckless"?
4. How long should people in romantic love wait to marry after they have discovered their "love" for each other?
5. One of the ways to discover love might be to date many people. Do you agree with such a suggestion? Yes or no and why?
6. What are the signs of true romantic love?
7. What are the signs of "friendship love"?
8. In your opinion, do most people who have committed themselves to romantic love or love of another truly "give everything"?
9. What does the song “Lights Down Low” teach young people today?