August 9
[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, August 9 MATTHEW 17:14-20 Faith Prayerthoughts a. Kneeling is a sign of respect. Do I respect everyone the way I should? b. The Lord mentioning the suffering that the young man had. There is much suffering around me. Do I show sufficient concern (and help if I can) for those suffering around me and in my world? c. Jesus once again speaks of a lack of faith, even though the man had faith enough to come to Jesus. Two points here: my faith—is it as strong as it should be? And, coming to the Lord: do I approach the Lord in prayer with every one of my problems? d. Jesus cured by casting the demon out of the boy. There are many demons that have been part of my life for which I should be repentant. Consider the demons that have been part of my life and the demons that are part of our world. What can I do to cast them out of my life and (if possible) of the world? e. Again, the Lord refers to my faith, and that if I had faith, I would be able to do amazing things. In what areas of my life should I show more faith in God? f. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will list all the evils that I see in the world, and say a prayer for those afflicted.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy WHEN GOD IS PRIMARY IN OUR LIVES… + The readings combine to give us a picture of what happens when we truly place God into our lives - 1st: from the book of Deuteronomy, the Shema— - the statement that was to begin every Hebrew synagogue service “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore…” - it is the statement of how we should look on God—with total trust - in the Gospel: Jesus answers the disciples who ask why they couldn’t do the healing - his answer deals with trust and faith in God - with faith, everything is possible
+ The pattern of the readings might be looked at this way First, the statement: 1 – The Lord must be primary in our lives - if every Hebrew service begins with that thought - it also should be a guiding thought for the Christian - everything we do ought to reflect the fact that God is alive and well in our lives - there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind - we truly believe in God and what God has done for us - no other god like power, pleasure or money dominate us 2 – God is working for the good in our lives all the time - statement after statement in this reading from the Book of Deuteronomy brings this home - everything in the Promised Land has been given to you without you doing anything: “…that you did not build…that you did not garner…that you did not dig…that you did not plant…” - even though we do not see the Lord at work in our life for one reason or another—with the Israelites, they were too occupied in getting to the Promised Land through the desert— - the Lord is involved in bringing about the good things 3 – From the Gospel and Jesus’ words, we see that with faith, everything is possible - faith defined as trusting that as long as I work with God, things will work out - miracles will happen, eventually - God is working for us: all we have to do is truly believe it, and live that belief - which means: we have to learn to trust in God more - to do our part in bettering the world and our small worlds, - but leaving everything ultimately up to God 4 – What is good for us may take some time to be accomplished - the cure for the boy took a while - his father had tried everything, even the disciples of Jesus - but he was patient and persistent, and was able to accomplish his goal - the things that we hope for in this life may not happen right away - but the good will be accomplished - as we place our trust in God
+ God expects us to make God primary in our lives, and when we do, and have faith, the good we want will be accomplished.
MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: "Stay" -- Zedd featuring Alessia Cara CAN WE "NEVER GROW UP"? The Gospel JOHN 20:20-24 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesuscame. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Gospelthink: Thomas had a difficult time accepting my Resurrection. Am I daily making an act of faith in the Lord?
"You’ve got to make it on your own, but we don’t have to grow up. We can stayforever young, living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola underneath the rising sun. All you have to do is stay a minute.” She knows that she needs to grow up, but she is not willing to do that because she would have to let him go. One of the signs that a person has grown up is the ability to give up the immaturity of selfish thinking. We like to feel good about the way we live, and in order to cross the threshold of maturity, we have to give up some of our selfish feelings. Thomas the Apostle was certain that Jesus could not rise from the dead. In John's Gospel he makes it very clear that he was not going to give up his own selfish certitude, even though his friends told him otherwise. He finally was able to grow up, and cast aside part of his selfishness. It is selfishness that the lady in the song "Stay" is showing as she wants the good feelings of the relationship with a friend. She admits that she knows that she has to grow up, but in this one instance of the desire to feel good, she is not willing to grow. Because it was difficult, she chose not to accept the challenge. She preferred her own way. To grow up is not an easy task. We have been "given to" all of our years beginning with our very birth. Those who love us have constantly given us what we need, and because of our prosperity, we have often been given even what we do not need. Those who care about us have found out what we want, and have tried to satisfy our every desire. It is no wonder that the lady in the song wanted to stay "forever young." Then we are asked to change. We are asked to begin giving of ourselves, being more aware of others and their desires. It is difficult because we are not "used to" doing it. To continue to seek what we want is really an easy pattern to adopt. As the lady in the song, we know that we should grow up, but we do not want to. We are "programmed" to take, and not to give. Thomas the Apostle had to give up his selfish attitude and apologize to his Master. We must understand that in our lives there are many moments in which we must give up our own selfishness . PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son must remind us that we tend to be selfish in the way that we live. Give us the grace to grow into maturity a little more in our lives by giving up the selfishness that controls us. Be with us, we pray. +++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Growing up is a difficult task, but it must take place if we are to achieve maturity. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In your opinion, why is the Resurrection of Jesus so important to Christianity? 2. You and I are blessed by Jesus because "we have not seen and (yet) have believed. Do you think that most Christians have strong faith in God? Yes or no and why? 3. Sometimes it is a good statement that all of us should stay "forever young." Understanding the phrase from a healthy point of view, what does it mean? 4. What are some signs of maturity? 5. In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of growing up? 6. In your opinion, are the things that you possess "needs" or "wants"? 7. In what ways should we "give of ourselves" as we mature? 8. What does the song "Stay" teach young people?
©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America
|