February 26

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, February 26, Lent I

MATTHEW 7:7-12

Prayer of Petition

Prayerthoughts

a. Every prayer that I say to the Lord will be answered. Do I pray with that thought in mind or do I think that the Lord answers some prayers and not others? A prayer of thanksgiving to God for listening to my every prayer would be in order here.

b. Again God answers every prayer. Jesus reiterates it twice here. It is very important then that I know this because there are times in my life when I doubted it. What were some of those times, and how have they been resolved?

c. God knows more than I do. In my prayer of petition, I may be asking for things that would have been harmful to me. What are some examples of the past when I prayed for something, but God saw that it should not be given to me?

d. The Lord knows what is best for me, and so my prayer of petition for whatever I desire must close with “...but You know better than I.” Do I remember to do that?

e. It is fitting that as the Lord talks about petitionary prayer that he reiterates the Golden Rule. It says to us that as we pray for things that we need, we remember that we must truly love others. Is there anyone in my circle of people that I am not loving the way I should?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Esther C:12,14-16,23-25 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE PRAYER OF PETITION

+ The readings today want us to consider the subject of the prayer of petition

- Queen Esther fervently prays for help and courage as she honors God in a foreign land

- Jesus’s words are from the Sermon on the Mount

- giving a treatise, almost, on the prayer of petition

- just as Esther does, Jesus says you have to pray—ask, seek, knock

+ A couple of things about that prayer of petition:

1 – we must remember what Jesus says earlier in the Sermon on the Mount

- we pray because we need it, not God

- therefore we pray knowing that God already knows what we need

- we simply are putting God into our consciousness knowing that God is with us as we ask

2 – when we pray, it may not seem like we receive, find or have the door opened, but it really happens

- it must all be understood with Jesus’s statements about what is good

- God will give us only good

- and only God knows what is really good

- stone/loaf; snake/fish

- we know good for our children; God knows good for us

- the prayer of petition will always be answered

- and part of the prayer of petition is that we understand that God’s answer will be good for us

3 – there is another element that is not part of the prayer of petition, but part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount

- and I think that Matthew placing it here in the Sermon on the Mount is an important statement

- and that is the closing phrase

- even as we ask for what is necessary in our lives, we have to work on charity toward others

- too many people pray to God, expecting God to answer—and God will—

- but do not make God part of the rest of their lives

- in particular, how we treat others

+ The prayer of petition is an important part of our spirituality

- it should be part of what we do every day, but we have to understand it well.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Thinking Out Loud" -- Ed Sheeran

LOVE EVERY SINGLE DAY

The Gospel

Mark 8:34-35

Then [Jesus] said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?"

Gospelthink: My formula for the spiritual life: deny oneself, take up the cross daily and follow me. Am I honestly trying to do that?

"When your legs don’t work like they used to before, and I can’t sweep you off of your feet, will your mouth still remember the taste of my love? I will be loving you till we’re 70 and my heart could still fall as hard as 23. And I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. Well , me—I fall in love with you every single day, and I just wanna tell you I am. I’m thinking out loud that we found love right where we are."

The words of controlling behavior that Jesus gives are always challenging. When he was speaking of the spiritual life, for example, that is, denying ourselves, taking up his cross, and following him, it demands a truly difficult commitment. Denying ourselves of things that we like, taking up the difficult crosses of life and following his words rather than our own is a directive that takes years to accomplish. Achieving the spiritual life is never easy.

Added to the difficulty is the word that Jesus uses to describe how often we must work at accomplishing these things, namely "daily." Even if we could bring about what Jesus sets up as a standard at some point in time, Jesus tells us that we cannot just do it once, and then forget about it. We must commit ourselves to do it every single day. In effect, Jesus is telling us that in order to carry out a commitment to him and our spiritual lives, we must continue the effort it takes--daily. Deep commitments are never easy either.

It is the reason why Ed Sheeran's love song, "Thinking Out Loud" is such a beautiful love song. Not only has the commitment occurred at one particular time, but he says that he will "fall in love every single day." There is no time limit when it comes to love. If we love someone, we will love them "right where they are," that is, every moment, every day.

The song is an excellent statement of the way that husband and wife must give to each other and likewise the way friends must behave in a true friendship. Love may begin with an initial "yes, I will," but it implies that the statement will be made in all ways, daily. It is also the way the love of God works toward us, and the way we must show our love for God.

The way of love implies difficulty because it means giving up things in order to love someone else every day. Ed Sheeran makes it clear for the romantic commitment. It is also the way of our spiritual lives as we love our God.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son has given us the way to pursue our spiritual lives--denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following him daily. It is never easy. Help us learn from him so that we can be better spiritually, and in the process, learn the meaning of love itself. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: After people make a permanent commitment to each other, they must give of themselves every single day.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What are the principal "crosses" that people must deal with in their lives?
2. Gospel text analysis: "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." What is the meaning of Jesus's statement?
3. Gospel text analysis: "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself"? What is the meaning of Jesus's statement?
4. Text analysis: "People fall in love in mysterious ways." Why is this a true statement?
5. In the song, he has to tell the person that he loves her. Why is it so important to say the words to another?
6. Text analysis: "We found love right where we are." What is the meaning of the sentence?
7. In your opinion, why is achieving a good spiritual life difficult?
8. In your opinion, why are deep commitments never easy?
9. Many married couples do not love the way Ed Sheeran's song advises. What is most important in marriage relationships?
10. Primarily, what must a person give up in order to love another?
11. Primarily, what must a person give up in order to love God?
12. What does the song "Thinking Out Loud" teach young people?