TGIMMclarity

August 2

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, August 2, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

MATTHEW 14:13-21

Food

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus withdrew by himself. Do I spend enough time in quiet prayer?

b. Jesus feels pity for the crowd. In my life, in general, do I look at others with a desire to help them if they need it?

c. The disciples questioned the Lord’s decision to feed them. As I read the Gospels, do I try to understand completely what the Lord is trying to say to me?

d. Jesus uses what they have. It is a significant action for my spiritual life. At this time of my life, the Lord will use whatever I can do to be better if we want. Am I open to the Lord’s wishes?

e. Jesus uses words that he will use when he institutes the Eucharist for us. Do I try to receive the Lord in the Eucharist often, and then thank him for his gift?

f. It is significant that all were satisfied. Am I satisfied with what is given to me? Do I thank the Lord and those who give me what I need?

g. There was food left over. The Lord always gives us more than enough to help us in our lives. Do I thank the Lord enough in my prayer?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Romans 8:35,37-39 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE VIRTUE OF COMPASSION

+ A couple years ago, the Associated Press carried this story:

- a violent insane man was being forced to his cell in one of our penal asylum-hospitals for the criminally insane

- he was being restrained by four officers and it took all of their strength to force him into a chair and begin to get a strait-jacket on him

- he was struggling so violently that they couldn’t even get the jacket on him, and they were at the point of drugging him

- when a cleaning woman in the hospital who had been watching the whole thing calmly walked over to the man and gently touched him

- the man looked up and saw in the cleaning woman’s face a look of deep concern and compassion

- he relaxed and stopped struggling

- someone brought the woman a chair and she sat and talked to the man as if he were a sick child

- a half hour later, the officers calmly led him away

- the cleaning woman did not have a degree in psychology

- she had what might be called a degree in compassion

+ Compassion is presented to us in the liturgy today:

- 1^st: Isaiah has Yahweh speak as a compassionate God—God saying

All who are thirsty, come to the water…and you shall delight.

- 2^nd: Paul in one of the truly wonderful parts of his letter to the Romans, speaks of the love of the Lord Jesus, and nothing “will separate us” from that love

- the Lord God showing compassion to us

- Gospel: Jesus showing compassion and teaching others to do it also

+ The derivation of the word “compassion” is an interesting one

- it comes from the Latin: cum patio, meaning a feeling with the pain of someone else

- one wonders whether our society truly understands that thought

- our news is filled with incidents of our brutality to each other rather than any feeling for their pain

- many sociologists and psychologists blame it on what is constantly presented to us in our media entertainment

- almost any serious presentation on TV or the movies or video games has the element of revenge presented as something good that should be part of our lives, something that we have referred to a number of times in homilies

- they convince us that we have a right to defend ourselves by hurting those who hurt us or our families

- in sharp contrast, we hear Jesus say that we must show compassion to all

- Christianity is not an easy road to follow in many things, but especially when it comes to this idea of revenge

- we naturally rebel against it: we want to get back at someone who deliberately hurts us

+ Two things are clear in application of this virtue of Christianity

- one: the obvious one:

- we are called to be compassionate people

- it is one of the foundation principles of Christianity

- secondly, there is a need for compassion and sometimes we have to look for it a little more

- there is present in every community—both compassion in reality and compassion that is needed

- there are a number of people who show compassion to others in our community

- but there are other situations that would benefit with more compassion

- one of the challenging parts of Christianity is to find those situations which are in need of more compassion

- and where we can do something about it

+ The Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoffer once wrote an important truth as he studied how people responded to what Jesus taught: “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”

- there is suffering in one form or another in the people that you know

- in fact, there may be someone in your life right now that you should treat a little better and be more compassionate

- maybe we should take the time to find out who it is, and do something about it this week.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Clarity" -- Zedd featuring Foxes

CLARITY IN THE CONFUSION

The Gospel

LUKE 4:16-21

Jesus came to Nazareth where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Gospelthink: I announced to the people of Nazareth that I bring about life. Have I made the words of Jesus important to me?

"High dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life, fight fear for the selfish pain; it was worth it every time. Hold still right before we crash ‘cause we both know how this ends. A clock ticks ‘til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again. 'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need: chasing relentlessly, still fight, and I don't know why. If your love is tragedy why are you my remedy? If our love’s insanity, why are you my clarity.”

Producer Zedd's song "Clarity" featuring singer Foxes deals with the confusion that often comes from love relationships. Discerning love may be one of the most difficult parts of a young adult's life. Once she/he discovers some love relationship, and tries to decide whether the relationship is a lasting one or not, she/he understands immediately that it is a complicated process. It is not easy to put two people with his/her own personality together. A common way to look at it is that the two will fall in and out of love, bringing about seeming contradictions. As Zedd and Foxes express it, our relationship feels like tragedy and insanity, but the love the couple possesses will hopefully bring about clarity.

Or, in other words, in the end, love will heal relationships no matter how much confusion may be present. Even if a couple's love relationship does not last, in the end their desire for love will enable them to find a future relationship. The desire for real love will drive them to keep looking for it until it finally comes in some other relationship. In truth, it can be said that real love will always lead to healthy relationships.

God wanted real love to be present in the world that had become tainted with evil. Such was the way Jesus looked upon his task in the world. He wanted more than anything to bring about love and peace that would in turn create glad tidings, liberty, true sight, freedom and in the end, a world that God would again call God's own. In short, God's love through Jesus would bring clarity to the confusion of the world.

Most of us will choose a romantic love relationship that will direct our lives together on earth. All of us should choose Gospel love as a guide no matter what relationship we have. No matter what confusions rise up in the different circumstances of our living, true love or as the Gospels name it, "the Spirit of the Lord" will cure them. True love will bring about the clarity that we all desire in every relationship, romantic or otherwise.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, even though there is confusion in this world of ours, we know that the love that Jesus showed us will bring about clarity. Give us the courage to continue searching for such a love. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Sometimes love brings confusion, but in the end love will heal relationships.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Considering the Gospel reading, if you were given the directive to do what Isaiah said, what would be the first task of those that are written that you would do? Why?
2. In general, we believe that Jesus accomplished what Isaiah said. Discuss how he accomplished it.
3. Test analysis: "High dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life." What is the meaning of the phrase?
4. Text analysis: what is your understanding of "selfish pain"?
5. Text analysis: "A clock ticks 'til it breaks your glass." What is the meaning of the sentence?
6. What is most confusing about love relationships?
7. Why is it possible to both fall in and out of love with the same person?
8. Do you agree with the meditation's statement that people looking for love will always find it? Yes or no and why?
9. What most of all will bring the world love and peace?
10. The meditation refers to "true love" or "real love." What is the meaning of the phrase?
11. What does the song "Clarity" teach young people?