benhur1

February 23

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Monday, February 23, Lent I

MATTHEW 25:31-46

I give you a story concerning the judgment at the end of the world.

Prayerthoughts
a. Is the end of the world something that I fear? Why or why not?

b. Truthfully with no thought of feeling pride in what I may or may not have done, what is the principal reason that I should be placed with the sheep?

c. What is my own personal understanding of the kingdom of heaven?

d. Take time to go through each of Jesus’s phrases asking what I am doing in the areas mentioned: giving to the hungry and thirsty, welcoming people amiably, clothing needy people, visiting the sick, and visiting those who are incarcerated?

e. I may not be inclined to visit those in prison, but perhaps I should take the time right now to pray for them.

f. Jesus words: whatever I did to the least of the people, you did to me. Who do I consider the least in my life right now, again without judging anyone? Do I look at them as if they were the Lord?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

LOVING OTHERS: NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE

+ The readings today both have the same conclusion: that we have to truly love people

- that love implies two things, a negative approach, and a positive approach:

+ 1 – we see the negative approach from the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Leviticus

- it implies that we do not do some things

- a whole list of things

- steal, lie, bad speech, injustice

- saying that part of love of others means that we deliberately refrain from doing harmful things to them

+ 2 – from Jesus, we have the positive approach to loving others, telling us that there is a way to behave, and telling us by means of a story

- implying that we must do some things if we indeed are to love our neighbor

- I consider it to be one of the most significant statements of the teaching of Jesus, one of the top 10 Scripture passages

- when it comes to our final judgment before God, Jesus does not mention the Law, he does not mention God; he does not mention tradition, he does not refer to the prophets, the patriarchs, religious practices and prayers, synagogue, church, none of these

- instead, when it comes down to the final analysis of a person

-when judgment has to be made concerning what a person has done in his life

- at that moment, the most sacred of all moments in a person’s whole life...

- Jesus says everything—our whole after-life—depends on how much the person has given to others

- that is an absolutely incredible statement for a Hebrew religious leader to make

- and further, as if that wasn’t enough to shock people, Jesus not only talks about the brothers and sisters of the world—he talks about the least brothers and sisters

- that is, those who criticize us, those who refuse to understand us, those who are evil, those who do bad things, those who are unable to understand the evil of their actions

+ If we really want to love people, we have to refrain from doing some things and at the same time, we have to do some things for them.

MEDIA PRESENTATION-

Movie: “Conclave”—beginning session

SEEKING AMBITION TO POWER

MARK 10:35-37,43-44

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” … Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”

Gospelthink: The apostles James and John wanted to have more than the other Apostles.

After the Pope died of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals under the leadership of its dean, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence of the United Kingdom, convened to elect a successor. The four cardinals who emerged as likely candidates were Cardinal Aldo Bellini of the United States, a progressive reformer; Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, a social conservative; Cardinal Joseph Tremblay of Canada, a moderate; and Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco of Italy, a staunch traditionalist.

Archbishop Janusz Wozniak, the prefect of the papal household told Lawence that the pope demanded Tremblay's resignation before dying, which Tremblay denied. Bellini, meanwhile, told his supporters that his goal was to prevent Tedesco from winning the papacy. Lawrence was surprised by the last-minute arrival of Mexican-born Archbishop Vincent Benítez of Kabul, whom the pope named cardinal in pectore the previous year.

Lawrence opened the deliberations with an impromptu homily encouraging the college to embrace uncertainty, which some interpreted as an open declaration of his papal ambition. In fact, it is clear from the very beginning that there is an open desire on the part of some Cardinals to pursue being Pope.

Jesus knew human nature, and therefore he no doubt understood where James and John were coming from as they asked Him to give them more than the others. He knew that given any situation in which there is the possibility of power, our human nature tends to want that power. And so, when James and John asked for the right to be always close to Him in His kingdom, Jesus knew why. He told them that such ambition is not what they should be seeking. Instead, they should be thinking in terms of being a servant to others, and even stronger, being a slave for others.

To become Pope, or as the Cardinals describe it in the movie “Conclave,” makes the man the most well known person in the world. Quite naturally then, human nature being the same throughout the ages, the Cardinals who could possibly become Pope, would want it in one form or another. Further, they might “arrange” things so that others would be “forced” to choose him. The Cardinals obviously knew the story of James and John in the Gospel, but their human desire for ambition blocked it out of their memory and therefore their prayer.

It is an important lesson for a Christian, and indeed for anyone who is in a power situation in the world. But especially the Christian should know what Jesus taught with regard to ambition. Christian people must look at themselves as servants, even slaves of others, and only then can he/she look at the possibility of being in charge.

Every true leader who has the possibility of being in power will hear Jesus say that “it shall not be so among you.” And they will listen, accepting what it means to be a servant and slave.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you taught us to train any ambition that we have for power into a desire to serve others, making others more “important” than we are. It is a difficult lesson, but one we should learn. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: The Christian will not desire some job simply because of power or control of others.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

(session: approximately 56 minutes)
1. What scene during this session was most striking to you and why?

2. Is it always true that our human natures will want power when we can have it? Yes or no and why?

3. In your opinion, do most of the people in power now in countries really want to be servants or the people under their control? Yes or no and why?

4. Do you believe that because the Cardinals are “church” people, they might have a different feeling about being a spiritual leader than simply following their “ambition.” Yes or no and why?

5. What is your definition of a “true leader’?