tgimmstand

February 7

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, February 7

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 a short biography of John the Baptist, as found in a Christian book of biographies.

Some Thoughts on Today’s Liturgy

HEROD AS A GUIDE

+ 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

- 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, at least according to the Gospels

- he probably did some serious thinking about his life

+ Why then did he go wrong?

- philosophically, why did have John executed

- 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

+ The letter to the Hebrews refers to the leaders of the Hebrew people

- they had the same struggles during their lives

- they possessed the will power and the motivation to overcome them

- 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; religious leaders of the past ultimately chose God

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

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Stand By You" -- Rachel Platton

IF YOUR WINGS ARE BROKEN...

The Gospel

JOHN 11:1-5

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Gospelthink: I had friends when I was here on earth. There are people that I call friends in my life. Am I as good to them as I should be?

"Hands, put your empty hands in mine. And scars, show me all the scars you hide, and if your wings are broken, please take mine so yours can open too, ‘cause I’m gonna stand by you. Even if we’re breaking down, we can find a way to break through. Even if we can’t find heaven, I’ll walk through hell with you. Love, you’re not alone, ‘cause I’m gonna stand by you."

We can learn a number of lessons from Jesus' association with Martha, Mary and Lazarus, three people who interacted with Jesus during his lifetime. Perhaps the most obvious one is the fact that they were friends. Jesus was very interested in their welfare, even entering into their family squabbles at times, but especially he felt sorrow when Lazarus had died. Jesus was saddened by his friend's death, and true to friendship till the end, worked toward some resolution of his feelings by performing one of his greatest miracles.

Rachel Platten in her song "Stand By You" speaks to feelings and actions among friends, friends who have promised to remain friends forever. In beautiful words, the lady in the relationship tells her friend that she will be that friend no matter what. She will be the wings her friend must have, she will find a way to break through any problems, she will walk through hell itself just to prove that her friend is not alone.

When people determine that they fall into the category of being "true friends," there are certain obligations that follow. Too often we humans say very strong words like "friends forever" or "I will always be with you" or even "till death do us part." And too often the words mean nothing or very little. We grow older, we move away, we find ourselves in different circumstances, and we forget about the friendship.

When we say a friendship is true, it will last no matter what happens in life. Lazarus and his sisters felt that type of friendship from Jesus. Rachel Platten reminds us about the duties of a "true friend" in her song. It is a concept that every one of us should make our own.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son taught us the value of human friendship. Help us to be more aware of the needs of our friends and give us the grace to show them true friendship. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: A true friend will always stand up for his/her friend even during the tough moments.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In your opinion, as you study the Gospel, how do you think Martha, Mary and Lazarus showed friendship to Jesus during his lifetime?
2. Text analysis: "will not end in death." Jesus no doubt means "spiritual death." In other words, the situation will end well, and "life" will result. What is the best way to promote a good "spiritual life"?
3. Text analysis: "If your wings are broken..." What is the meaning of the phrase?
4. What are the various ways that a relationship "breaks down"?
5. In today's world, what are the greatest proofs that one is a friend to another?
6. Project: Go through each phrase of the quoted portion of the song above, stating some examples of what the phrases mean.
7. What are the "obligations" of a true friend?
8. What will be "proof" in later years that one's friendship in the early years of high school and college were "true" friendships?
9. What does the song "Stand By You" teach young people?