February 21

[media presentaton below]

 GospelThink

Friday, February 21

MARK 8:34-9:1

The True Disciple

Prayerthoughts

a. The classic definition of a disciple of Jesus is given here: “deny himself”, “take up his

cross daily” and “follow me”. Which of these three directives am I not doing well?

b. Do I deny myself certain things that I like every now and then, and think of the Lord during that time?

c. Do I accept the situations of my life as they occur? I need to change the things that I can, but accept the illness, old age or things that I cannot change.

d. The following of Jesus means reading the Scriptures, especially the Gospels. Have I made the thinking of the Scriptures to be part of my daily routine?

e. We can get wrapped up in the things of this life without the Lord (“saves” his life) or we can choose to lose our life for the Lord’s sake, that is, give ourselves to the Lord more and more in our living. Do I see evidence in my life that I am choosing correctly?

f. We do not want to fall into the pattern of working only with material things. We need to “forfeit” them by turning more and more to the Lord by making God part of our living.

g. Is there ever a time when I do not want to declare myself to be a follower of Jesus?

h. Am I prepared if the “parousia” were today?

i. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will write down the major moments in my life, and determine how I reacted to them.

Some Thoughts on the liturgy


DENY SELF, TAKE UP THE CROSS, AND FOLLOW JESUS


+ Pride is one of the evils that can destroy human beings

- the whole concept of selfishness comes from it

- selfishness—in which we will not accept anyone else as a guide

- in the Gospel, Jesus tells us that he is that guide

- and the three-fold process of what it takes to come after him is extremely important for the spiritual life, in fact, may be the basis of that life

+ Jesus says that:

1 – there must be a denial of self

-the first reading from Genesis shows that the sin of pride was present from the beginning of man and woman

- the idea of the building was to “make a name for ourselves”—a statement of pride because it was done without God

- God takes them to task and according to the story, the result was the different races and languages

- God showing them and us that God was still in charge

- before any progress in the spiritual life can be made, there must be control of selfishness

- we have to see that we are part of God working in our lives

- selfishness, too much of a focus on ourselves and what we want, remains one of the major stumbling blocks for spiritual growth

2 – we must take up the cross

- suffering plays a major part in our spiritual growth because it plays a major part in our lives

- Jesus says that we have to accept the suffering of physical and mental pain well

- we have to understand that it is part of our human condition and work with it as best we can

- this comes up over and over again in the Scriptures, and as much as we would like to deny it, because it is not a happy thing to think about, it must be part of the spiritual and religious life

3 – follow in the steps of Jesus

- which means that we have to know what those steps are

- we have to study what he said and did and try to follow them in our lives

- this also comes up so often in these Scriptures

- Jesus’ life is the pattern of how we should act

+ This three-fold approach can be looked at as the fundamental approach to following the Lord.











MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Shape of You" -- Ed Sheeran

FOLLOW MY LEAD



 

The Gospel

JOHN 3:14-16

JOHN 3:14-17

Jesus said, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."  

Gospelthink: I came into the world to save it out of love. Love should be my hallmark and those who know me should see that in me.

“Girl, you know I want your love. Your love was homemade for somebody like me. Come on now, follow my lead. I may be crazy, don’t mind me. Say, boy, let’s not talk too much. Come on now, follow my lead. I’m in love with the shape of you.” 

The man in the relationship described in Ed Sheeran's song "Shape of You" feels strongly that his relationship with another will work. He is at a bar, and the lady in the relationship comes it. They dance, and he sings his devotion to her, saying to her, "Come on, follow my lead." It gives rise to the discussion about allowing ourselves to be led by another. Is it a good thing? Perhaps, sometimes. In romantic love, as in the song, we want the other person in the relationship to help us grow.

It was with a much more profound love than any romantic love that God loved us. He gave us His Son to help us grow in our relationship with God, saying in effect that His Son is the only guide we need in life in order to possess God. Jesus then becomes our leader, and in terms of the love song by Ed Sheeran, God says to us, "Come on now, follow my lead." Follow the lead that I give you that is, God the Son, Jesus.

There are many things that human beings allow to lead them in life. We may be so much in love that we want the other in the relationship to lead us, as in the song. But we also allow other leaders--leaders that may be described as "possessing more and more material goods," or "enjoying life no matter what" or "having my way in everything that happens." Unfortunately, those leaders serve the guide of selfishness, and we neglect to see what is important in life.

The leadership of Jesus Christ is the opposite of selfishness. The one who "believes in Him" learns the ultimate lesson of love. It is a love that reaches out to others, making other people important to us. It is a love that extends to all, including those that we love in a romantic way.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, You have given us Your Son as guide in our lives, saying that we should make Him our leader. May we truly accept your Son and all that he teaches, so that we may have eternal life with you. Be with us, we pray.

 

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Following the lead of another is good for us if the other is someone we can trust.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What is your understanding of "eternal life"? (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 266-272.)
2. The saying "John 3:16" is often used by evangelical Christians at different events as a sign they hold up to remind people of the supremacy of Jesus. Do you think that displaying the saying is profitable? Yes or no and why?
3. Text analysis: "Let's not talk too much." Why would couples say this?
4. Text analysis: "Shape of You." Do you believe that physical beauty is too often considered more important than other important elements in a relationship? Yes or no and why?
5. Do you think that "love at first sight" ever happens? Yes or no and why?
6.  In your opinion, do most Christians honestly follow the lead of Jesus? Yes or no and why?
7. Is it a true statement that we tend to follow the guide of "selfishness" too much in life? Yes or no and why?
8. Define "selfishness" as you understand it.
9. What does the song "Shape of You" teach young people?    

 

2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America