February 6

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, February 6

MARK 6:14-29

John the Baptist

Prayerthoughts

a. Herod has always been considered as “evil.” As I consider “evil” and the different places of “evil” in the world, can I do anything about them besides praying that the evil will be conquered?

b. John the Baptist above all spoke the truth. Perhaps there are some “truths” which I should speak. (I must be careful with this thought; we could hurt other people.)

c. Herodias shows revenge. In my life, have I been revengeful of others? Am I showing revenge against anyone right now?

d. Herod “liked to listen” to John, but did not follow through with what John was suggesting. Are there some areas in my life in which I should listen more to what is right?

e. Herod was obviously thinking out of his mind as he promised the daughter of Herodias some things. Do I ever get to a state of “non-thinking” as I live my life? Perhaps I should try to remedy this if there are some.

f. Herodias carried out her revenge by using her daughter. Are there times when I “use” others to get what I want?

g. Herod was too concerned about what others thought which led him to do evil. Do I find myself doing wrong things because others are watching?

h. John’s friends did what they could do—they buried him. It is an example for me to do the best that I can do in situations that are not good.

i. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Sirach 47:2-11 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

DAVID OR HEROD

+ It is interesting to study the relationships that we see presented in the Scriptures, and let our imaginations help us out

- one such relationship is the one between John the Baptist and Herod as presented in the Gospel today

- another is David’s relationship with God as presented in the Hebrew Scriptures’ Book of Sirach

- Mark comments that Herod liked to listen to John and knew him to be a righteous and holy man

- that says to me that Herod had some inner feeling toward the good

- it seems that he could have been so much more than he was

- he had a horrible family background since his family was so completely messed up, but you’re led to believe that he wasn’t all bad

- he probably did some serious thinking about his life

+ Why then did he go wrong?

- philosophically, why did he kill John

- probably, it was much deeper than merely wanting to justify himself in front of a drunken crowd

- it no doubt boils down to selfishness

- almost like there was a struggle between serious thinking in his life and his desire to want what he wanted

- and that is the struggle of everyone who comes into contact with God

+ King David had that struggle, and was able to choose God instead of self

- he did choose self a couple of times in his life, but was able to recognize what he was doing, and turn his life around

- he had the will power and the motivation to do it

- Herod simply did not

+ It is probably unfair to compare ourselves with such an evil man as Herod

- but it is not unfair to look at the struggle that he had, and study ourselves in that light

- we all have a continual struggle between choosing the things of God and the things of self

- to be God-centered or self-centered

- you and I have choices that involve deciding between what God wants and our selfishness

- we see it in the way we interact with others, especially those that we don’t get along with

- we see it in the way we work in business matters

- we see it in the way we go from activity to activity in everyday living

- we can do things that are of God, what God wants, the way Jesus lived, what Scripture hints that we should do

- or we can choose to follow our own selfishness, what we want

+ Herod ultimately chose selfishness; David ultimately chose God

- it is a good exercise to study whom we are choosing at the present time.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Catch My Breath" -- Kelly Clarkson

TIME TO CATCH MY BREATH

The Gospel

LUKE 21:36-37

During the day, Jesus was teaching in the temple area, but at night he would leave and stay at the place called the Mount of Olives. And all the people would get up early each morning to listen to him in the temple area.

Gospelthink: My pattern was to work and pray. It is a pattern that I should follow in my own life.

"I don’t wanna be left behind; distance was a friend of mine, catching breath in a web of lies. I’ve spent most of my life riding waves, playing acrobat, shadowboxing the other half, learning how to react. I’ve spent most of my time catching my breath, letting it go, turning my cheek for the sake of the show. Now that you know this is my life, I won’t be told what’s supposed to be right. It’s all so simple now. Catch my breath, no one can hold me back, I ain’t got time for that. You helped me see the beauty in everything."

Kelly Clarkson viewed her song "Catch My Breath" as a special song on the tenth anniversary of her entrance into the music scene after winning the right to be called "American Idol" in 2002. She introduces the song this way: "To celebrate the strength and longevity that my fans, friends, and family have supported me with, I wrote this song 'Catch My Breath' with one of my best friends (Jason Halbert) that has seen me through everything. This song represents who I've been, what I've felt, and where I'm headed as not only an artist but as a thirty year old that is now smart enough to know that it's time to stop, catch my breath, and be proud of not only what has been accomplished but of all the people that have helped me become the woman I am today." In other words, she is taking the time to do some serious thinking about what she has become and what she wants to be.

When one manages to take that time, one sees immediately that others have helped bring about beauty in one's life. In Kelly Clarkson's words, "You helped me see the beauty in everything." For Jesus, it was his Father God that helped him. In fact, he would close every day during his ministry days, according to Luke's Gospel, in the Mount of Olives in prayer. In terms of the song, his Father helped him see the beauty in everything, and so Jesus took the time to "catch his breath" and think about his ministerial life.

We do not know whether Kelly Clarkson had prayer in mind as she thanked the people who were primarily responsible for bringing beauty into her life. But, having been inspired by Gospel singers early in her life, and being very generous with her money to needy causes at the present time, one might guess that she did. "Catching one's breath" and "realizing the beauty in one's life" easily lends itself to prayer--thanking our God for what has happened in our lives, and asking God to be with those who have helped us grow.

There really is beauty in every one of our lives. There has indeed been some pain and sorrow also. Growth is not always easy. But the beauty is there, and every once in a while, it is good to "catch our breath" and take the time to thank the people who have brought it about for us.

PRAYER .

Good and gracious God, there is beauty in my life, even though things may not have gone the way that I have always wanted. But I know it is you through the help of others that have helped me. Thank you, and be kind to those who have been so good to me. Be with me, I pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We all need the chance to stop for a while, catch our breath, and think about what we have become and what we want to be.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The Mount of Olives in the Gospel was a special place of prayer for Jesus. In your opinion, do most of the Christian people take time for prayer in their lives? Yes or no and why?
2. Luke's Gospel says that the pattern for Jesus' ministry was teaching during the day and then prayer at night. As you have heard the Gospel over the years of your life, what was the primary teaching of Jesus? Why?
3. Luke says that all the people would get up early in order to listen to him. In our day, how do we "listen" to Jesus?
4 Text analysis: "I don't want to be left behind." How are we "left behind" in today's world?
5. Text analysis: "Distance was a friend of mine." Explain the meaning of the sentence.
6. Text analysis: "Catching breath in a web of lies." What do you think the phrase refers to?
7. Text analysis: "Turning my cheek for the sake of the show." What is meaning of the phrase?
8. Text analysis: "Catch my breath." What is the meaning of the phrase?
9. What is most striking about Kelly Clarkson's statement as reported in the meditation?
10. In your opinion, do most people take the time to do some serious thinking about who they are and what they have become? Yes or no and why?
11. Define "prayer" in your own words. Why is it important in a Christian's life? See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2566-2567, 2697-2699.
12. What are things of "beauty" in your life right now?
13. Analysis: "There really is beauty in every one of our lives." Granted that this is a true statement, give some examples of situations where it is difficult to discover the beauty. Are these exceptions or can they be explained another way?
14. What does the song "Catch My Breath" teach young people?