February 27

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, February 27, Lent I

MATTHEW 5:20-26

Reconcile

Prayerthoughts

a. Being “righteous” in Jesus’s mind has to do with much more than keeping a law. Is my life one of true love?

b. Is there anyone in my life right now with whom I am very angry? Is there any way that I can reconcile with that person?

c. Is my language toward some people especially toward those I do not like too strong? How can I be more gentle?

d. Jesus puts the decision to do something on me—“and you recall that your brother [or sister] has anything against you, go first and be reconciled.” I should spend some time thinking of the people like that in my life right now, and how can I say “I’m sorry.”

e. There is the possibility that I am “going to the altar,” that is a church-goer, and still holding a grudge. I should spend some time thinking about that possibility.

f. Jesus’s point is that I must always be working at reconciliation in my life.

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Ezechiel 18:21-28 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE LAW AND CONCERN FOR OTHERS

+ Everyone who reads the Scriptures knows that Jesus had real problems with the Scribes and Pharisees

- during the Sermon on the Mount which is part of today’s Gospel, he says:

Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

- it is helpful to analyze what the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was

- their idea of what made a person holy and righteous was law

- they gave their entire lives to it

- and Jesus attacked that idea of law throughout his life

- yes, worry about the law against murder, for example, he says today, but that’s not far enough

- it is the anger you have in your hearts and how you treat other people that you should worry about

- basically saying that law is not the important thing at all, it is what is within your heart

+ Americans have a great respect for the law

- in fact, our American system is set up in such a way that in order to make things work, we have to have law and lawyers to make it operate

- it may be a respect that is too pronounced

- the writer Alexander Solzinitzen has much to say in his writings about law

- he says that a society without any objective legal scale is a terrible one indeed—he lived in one most of his life

- but he also points out that a society with no other scale but the legal one is not worthy of man either

- he feels that a society that spends so much time on law breeds an atmosphere of what he calls “moral mediocrity”

- it could well be that Jesus had this type of thing in mind as he talked of righteousness which must be greater than the scribes and Pharisees

+ I have always thought that Jesus’ example in today’s Gospel is one of the most significant statements of his preaching

- he says that what is necessary for a true moral conscience is a concern for neighbor that goes so far as to say that if we are in the act of worship of God—the highest act there is—and certainly the highest for a Hebrew

- and there we realize that our brother or sister has something against us—notice the language—not that we have anything against them, but they have something against us

- then we leave the worship of God to take care of our concern for neighbor

+ The prophet Ezechiel talks about evil today, and in particular a virtuous man turning away from the path of virtue to do evil

- that could easily be interpreted in terms of the Gospel today—people of righteousness missing what righteousness really means

- righteousness—what is morally correct—has less to do with law, and more to do with how we treat others

- that is something to remember as we continue our Lenten resolutions.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Bad at Love" -- Halsey

GOOD OR BAD AT LOVE

The Gospel

LUKE 24:13-24

Now on the day of the Resurrection two of his disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" ... "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and words before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us; they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see."

Gospelthink: This is the beginning of the story of the disciples going to Emmaus and the disciples relating what happened. Do I completely believe in the Resurrection and in Jesus's life with me?

The lady in the relationship seems to be in the process of loving, mentioning the young men and where they are from, and saying “I believe that we’re meant to be, but I’m bad at love.” Actually she is just having a good time, and does not want to settle down, even though she tells the men that she will settle down. Showing love in such a way is not love at all, and she is correct in saying that she is "bad at love."

We know little about the two disciples who were traveling to Emmaus on the day of Jesus' Resurrection, except that they were searching for answers. As we read Luke’s account of what happened, we read about their questions, questions that dealt with Jesus who had been crucified. But their questions went much deeper than that. Since they were followers of Jesus, they were wondering whether they had been wrong all along, and now, what direction they should go with their lives. It seems that they had a love for Jesus and his doctrine, but it was an incomplete love. After they met this stranger whom they finally understood, they were willing to take the time to study their own situations, to learn some things, and once they had learned them, after Jesus' appearance, to turn around and go back to their original belief. That is, they learned what love of Jesus really meant.

In her song, Halsey is singing of a person who does not know what love is all about. For her, it means the feelings that she has when she is with a friend who could be labeled a "boyfriend," a person that she likes. It seems that she wants to show a commitment to her friend, but then apparently, she meets another boyfriend who satisfies her more. And she loses interest in her previous relationship. The good thing is that she knows it, saying "I'm bad a love"; the bad thing is that she is not doing anything about it.

Love, of course, is not only feeling good about a relationship. Such a feeling can describe every good situation in a person's life. It becomes dishonest in a love relationship when we call a personal relationship to be a commitment and it really is not.

Committed love of another is something that is once and for all. It is not negotiable, so that we can choose another personal love commitment at will. Once we have made a true commitment to another, it becomes a statement that cannot be set aside. A person who tries to "change" love commitments is doing nothing more than using other people so that they can feel good.

We must spend time in choosing a true love of our lives. The disciples on the road to Emmaus finally discovered that love in a guide called the Christian way which they came to love. In a romantic setting, a couple must choose a committed love of each other that can only be described as being "good at love."

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you call us to love each other, and to be as good as we can at doing it. Give us the grace to truly show love in our lives with the people of our world and especially the person that we choose as a partner in my life of love. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: That which makes love "bad" is the inability to understand true love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What is most striking about Jesus' life?
2. If we have a friend who is "bad at love," what can be done to help him/her?
3. What specifically does it mean to show a general love of all people?
4. If a person discovers that he/she is "bad at love," what is the first thing that he/she should do?
5. In your opinion, do most couples make a true commitment to each other too soon in life?
6. Specifically, in your opinion, when should a permanent commitment be made to another person?
7. What are the characteristics of a person who is "good at love"?
8. What does the song "Bad at Love" teach young people?