December
20
|
|
[media
presentation below]
GospelThink
Friday,
December 20, Special Advent
LUKE
1:26-38
My
earthly Mother said “yes” to being a Mother for me on
earth.
Prayerthoughts
a.
An angel of the Lord has probably not spoken to us directly,
but the Holy Spirit has inspired us to certain actions. Where
have I seen the Holy Spirit acting in my life directly?
b. Mary was troubled by the angel’s greeting.
What troubles me the most in my life right now and what
can I do about it?
c.
The angel’s statement to Mary, “Do not be afraid,” is a
statement that Jesus would make often in his ministry. I
must remember that the Lord is always with me, no matter what
the circumstances of my life, and therefore I have no reason
to be afraid. Do I find myself too afraid at times?
d.
The angel tells Mary that Jesus’s Kingdom will have no end.
What is most important about Jesus’s Kingdom for me at this
time of my life?
e. As Mary, we do not always
understand how the Lord is working in our lives. In what area
of my life do I need to understand more how the Lord is
working?
f. Where have I seen the Holy Spirit most
at work in the world?
g. The angel tells Mary
about Elizabeth. Who among my acquaintances right now should I
reach out to in some way?
h. Mary says “yes”
to God. In my life, where have I made a commitment to God, and
how am I following through on it?
i. My
prayerthoughts…
Today,
I will read Isaiah chapter 7 and write an important thought
from it.
|
Some
Thoughts on the Liturgy
GOD’S
INTERVENTION AND MARY’S ‘YES’
+
The Church has always taken Isaiah’s famous prophecy in the
first reading to be a prophecy involving the Son of God
-
as Christians interpret it, it is an early announcement of
God’s intention to intervene in the salvation of the world
-
this beginning of God’s intervention in the world is an
incredible thing for us to consider
-
God actually taking the initiative to ask a human being
whether she will begin the redemption process
-
the kind of God we have is a God who is totally interested in
us
-
a truly giving
God
+
And the example of Mary is a tremendous thing to consider as
well
-
she did not understand the things that were happening, but she
did know that initially there would be all kinds of questions
and accusations
-
and yet she said an unqualified “yes”—“May it be done
to me according to your word.”
+
Both ideas from the readings today—God’s initiative and
Mary’s “yes”—are important in the spiritual life
-
the spiritual person will study them, and be led to two things
in particular:
-
one is to say “thank you” something that comes up often
during this season of God giving to us
-
and secondly, imitating as much as possible this person whose
birthday we are celebrating
-
saying “yes” to accepting whatever God wants in our lives
-
choosing the direction that we feel is God’s call
-
and doing our very best to carry it out
-
saying yes to what it means to be redeemed
-
doing what is contained in the Scriptures that we read every
day, telling us the ways that we should act, speak and think
+
We are redeemed because of God’s initiative and Mary’s
“yes”
-
it should move us to true God-like action.
|
|
|
MEDIA PRESENTATION
Song:
"Perfect" -- Ed Sheeran
HOW
TO BE PERFECT IN OUR LOVE
|
|
Jesus
said, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
|
Gospelthink:
I want you to try to be as perfect as you can in what you do. Am
I trying to do that?
|
"I found a love
for me; just dive right in and follow my lead. I found a girl,
beautiful and sweet. I never knew you were the someone waiting
for me 'cause we were just kids when we fell in love, not knowing
what it was. I will not give you up this time, your heart is all
I own and in your eyes you're holding mine. When you said you
looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath, but you heard
it, you look perfect tonight."
|
Our
English dictionary uses the word "complete" to explain
what the word "perfect" means. When something is
perfect, it is complete in the sense of absolutely nothing
lacking in that which is described to be "perfect."
So,
Jesus, in chapter five of Matthew's Gospel, having given the
Beatitudes and an introduction to the Christian life, goes
through six of the moral beliefs of the practicing Christian. The
verse at the end of the chapter says in effect that another way
of describing what must be done is to say, "Be perfect."
Understood through the prism of our English definition, it means
that if one is a complete human being, that person will follow
all the laws of morality that Jesus has given to us.
The
problem, of course, is that we are humans and in no way can we be
"just as your heavenly Father" because we are not
divine. So, in effect, the Lord is directing us to be as close as
possible to becoming a complete human being who will not permit
any fault in his/her person.
Such is the wish of
every commitment song between people in true love. They want
their love to be perfect, to be complete in whatever circumstance
they find themselves. The love relationship described by Ed
Sheeran in his song "Perfect" is exactly that way. The
man in the relationship believes that his friend is complete in
every way, and so he describes her as perfect.
It is a
lesson for every love relationship in our world, and an ideal
that every relationship will try to approach. We are called to be
"complete," with nothing being held back, as we finally
tell someone that we "truly love" him/her. That is the
only way a human being can be perfect.
|
PRAYER
Good and gracious God, Your Son
gave us the ideal of being perfect in the way we live our moral
lives. We cannot be totally perfect because of our humanness, but
we ask your grace to help us be as totally dedicated to the other
as we can be. Be with us, we pray.
|
+++++
GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND
PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: In order for a love relationship to be
perfect, the love they have must be "complete."
DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS:
1. What is your description of someone or
something that is "perfect"?
2. Generally speaking
we do not "fall in complete love" with the first person
that we "love." It has been suggested, therefore, that
people should marry later in life. Do you agree and at what age
should a person get married?
3. In the song, the man in the
relationship told the other person that she was perfect. In
general, do men and women communicate enough as they begin their
relationship? Yes or no and why?
4. In your opinion,
can there be "perfect people" in our world? Yes or no
and why?
5. Read chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel. What is
most striking to you about the reading?
6. What are the
biggest faults that we have?
7. In your opinion, have most
young people reached a "perfect love relationship" when
they get married? Yes or no and why?
8. What
does the song "Perfect" teach young people?
|
©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr.
Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin
Province of Mid-America
|