TGIMMFebruary29.html

February 29

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, February 29, Lent II

LUKE 16:19-31
I tell the story of the rich and poor.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus sets up the ends of a continuum in his story: a rich person at one end, and Lazarus the poor person at the other. I am somewhere in between. As I study my income and money, where am I on the continuum?

b. In his story, Jesus exaggerates the status of the poor person. As I study my concern for the poor of the world, am I doing anything toward helping the poor?

c. Jesus gives us a picture of heaven and hell. Am I actively considering my future home by the way I live?

d. Jesus’ picture of the netherworld or hell is a place of torment, and the desire to have relief. What effect does this picture of hell have on me?

e. Jesus’ picture of heaven is a picture of comfort and peace. What effect does this picture of heaven have on me?

f. Jesus’ picture of the chasm between heaven and earth is the picture of loneliness for the person in torment. What effect does this picture have on me?

g. The rich man wants to warn his family about the place of torment in which he is suffering. In general, what is my feeling about the possibility of my family facing hell?

h. Jesus tells us in the story to listen to Scripture, especially to him, the person that has risen from the dead. Am I spending enough time listening to the Lord in my life?

i. Jesus comments on how people listen to the prophets and him in this world in which we live. Perhaps a prayer right now is in order for people of our world to acknowledge the Lord’ presence in their lives.

j. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Jeremiah, chapter 17, and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE PROBLEM OF BEING RICH: SELFISHNESS

+ The rich do not fare well in the Gospels of Jesus, especially Luke’s Gospel
          - riches themselves, however, are not the problem
                     - in fact, there is nothing wrong with having money
                               - in Jesus’ story, the rich man did nothing morally wrong to get his money
                               - the problem was selfishness
                                         - he was interested only in himself and what he could get out of the life he was leading

+ One of the tasks of the spiritual life is to learn what selfishness causes in us
          - and recognize that part of the solution for selfishness lies in learning to give to others
                    - and we don’t like to do that—we would much rather take

+ There are many practical conclusions that can be drawn from Jesus’s story
          - 1 – first, we must be aware of the tendency that our consideration of money has toward developing selfishness
                     - yes, we have to be somewhat selfish in the sense that in many ways, our concern is for ourselves, but we must be aware that we could easily fall into being too selfish in the process

+ 2 – Secondly, from Jesus’ story, it can easily be concluded that we have a Christian obligation to give money or assistance to help others
          - the rich man of Jesus’ story had an eternal life of torment simply because he wouldn’t give any food to the beggar Lazarus
                     - you and I cannot feed all the starving of the world
                               - but there are needs all around us, people and causes who need help both around here and around our world
                                         - and we can help if we want

+ 3 – Thirdly, we must consider the possibility of our being “blind” when it comes to this area of money and possible selfishness
          - we may be selfish, behaving selfishly, and not even know it
                     - just as there is a possibility that we are lost and don’t even know it
          - the rich man didn’t really see what he was doing; he just didn’t think that there was anything wrong
                     - there may be a number of people who are blinded by money and material things

+ Maybe the ultimate lesson for us when it comes to this area of riches is that we have to become more and more convinced of Jesus’ statement to honestly love others—everyone—because only then will we be ready to take the stress off of ourselves
          - perhaps only when we understand that we have to share our oranges with others because they are important will we be able to understand selfishness and what it does to us.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Seabiscuit" -- middle session

YOU DON'T THROW AWAY A LIFE

The Gospel

LUKE 8:1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

Gospelthink: I chose men and women, and even some sinners, to be my helpers.

A statement that is spoken throughout the movie “Seabiscuit” is one that is said of both animal and human being: “You don’t throw away a whole life just because it’s banged up a little.” Although the thought can be used as a guide for any leadership training, it makes most sense when we apply it to people. Too often people give up on other people. They judge them, they neglect them, they do not have respect for them, and often disregard them.

Sometimes people use other people to get what they want. They may not even realize that they are doing it, but they do it. They get as much as they can from them without thanking them. They show some affection toward people so that they can have something in return. Dating, for example, can turn into a game of who can gain the most sexual pleasure with no regard for how the partner feels. Or, people choose friends to make themselves feel better.

During his life on earth, Jesus taught a lesson about the importance of all people. There were a number of sinners whom he touched in one way or another, and many of them chose to follow him. It was a scandal that he allowed it to happen. In effect, Jesus was telling us that everyone is important, that everyone has a place, that everyone is to be treated with respect. People are not things that can be discarded.

The reason why we use other people is our selfishness. To overcome it, we can study our intentions and the motivation for our actions. We can scrutinize the way we behave toward our friends, toward our enemies, toward the people who are not popular, toward the people that we would like to get to know, and toward those that we simply do not like. And as we scrutinize and study, perhaps we will learn the lesson of Jesus: people, no matter who they are, are important. "You don’t throw away a whole life just because it is banged up a little” is more than a nice thought: it is the truth.

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, your Son chose people to be his immediate helpers, and often those people were in need of his help. Give us the grace to understand the people of our society who need our help, and enable us to give them some of the help they need. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Everyone must be shown respect.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the movie "Seabiscuit" teach young people?
2. In what area of life around the world do you see people "using" other people for selfish motives?
3. Give your own definition of "selfishness."
4. In what situations in our world right now do you see people who are ignored?
5. What is the best way to overcome selfishness in our own personal lives?