heat

February 8

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Saturday, February 8

MARK 6:30-34

I taught the Apostles to pray before and after their work in the ministry.

Prayerthoughts
a. After they had come back from teaching, they reported to Jesus all that they had done. Do I turn to the Lord, reporting the things that have happened, asking for guidance?

b. As Jesus wanted his disciples to do, do I take time out of my day for a significant time with the Lord?

c. There were many people in the Lord’s and Apostles’ lives, as there are many people in my own life. Am I as respectful and kind to them as I should be?

d. Do I look on people “with pity”? That is, am I caring enough to ask about their lives when I talk with them?

e. Do I consistently turn to the Lord as my shepherd asking him to help me in the things that I am involved in?

f. Do I listen to the Lord and try to keep learning from him?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Hebrews, chapter 13 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

GOD’S WILL AND THE GRACE TO DO IT

+ As the letter to the Hebrews closes, there are two phrases that I believe can help our spiritual lives if we carry through

- the first one is this:

- “may the God of peace…furnish you with all that is good that you may do his will.”

- not simply all that is good

- but all that is good so that an end can be accomplished—

- that end: to do God’s will

+ Doing God’s will has always been looked on as one of the principal directives of the spiritual life

- it includes a number of things, but two of the fundamentals are illustrated in the Gospel story

- one is Jesus’ invitation to the Apostles to be by themselves

- even though it doesn’t look like they got it in this instance

- being by ourselves in order to do some serious thinking is a necessity to discern God’s Will

- so we can ask ourselves the questions: what is God calling me to right now

- am I doing what God wants me to

- am I doing it the way God wants me to

- the second is the fact that Jesus taught the people

- and presumably, they listened

- discerning God’s Will in our lives involves listening to Jesus in the Gospels as a teacher

- with questions like: what are you telling me in my own personal situation right now

- do my actions match up to the ideal that you set for me

+ The second statement from the letter to the Hebrews is another wish of the author:

- “through Jesus Christ, may God carry out in you what is pleasing to God.”

- God gives us the grace to do good

- that grace coming to us through Jesus and what he has done for us, namely mainly redemption—which has been a constant theme of the letter to the Hebrews

- but it is also an invitation of Jesus to do things pleasing to God

- for example, the Gospel idea of pity—“Jesus pitied them”

- it seems that even more important than taking the time to commune with his God, Jesus saw the need to help people

- it is a characteristic that we should learn

- the importance of helping others is truly a Christian trait

+ Today, these are two excellent statements to dwell on as the letter to the Hebrews closes

- both of them lead us to be better people.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Heat Waves" -- Glass Animals

VULNERABILITY CAN BE POSITIVE

The Gospel

JOHN 13:36-38

Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered [him], "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later." Peter said to him, "Master, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."

Gospelthink: Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him. Have I denied the Lord by some of my words, actions or thoughts?

“Last night all I think about is you; can’t make you happier now. Usually I put something on TV so we never think about you and me, but today I see our reflections clearly; in Hollywood, laying on the screen. You just need a better life than this. Heat waves been faking me out. You can't fight it, you can't breathe, you say somethin' so lovin' but I gotta let you go. I don't wanna be alone. You know it hurts me too. You'll be better off in someone new. I'll say goodbye."

There was immense pain involved in Jesus' act of redemption. The physical pain was part of it, but another part of it, and perhaps even more painful for the human Jesus, was the pain of rejection. He knew, for example, that his close friend Peter would deny him, and so he felt it from the depths of his being. At the same time, he knew that he would move on with his redemptive love.

Studied from Peter's point of view, there was immense pain for him as well as he looked back at Jesus's prediction and then his denial (John 18:17.25-27). It was an extremely painful thing for Peter to admit his humanness. But it is important to see that Peter was able to move on in his life, even though the pain would remain.

Love of another in a romantic way can cause pain because we never know what our futures will be, and likewise we never know how the other will eventually feel. It is a chance that we take, and in the Christian understanding of things, we are called to show such love to everyone. Jesus showed the way by giving us the example of love no matter what the pain.

The group Glass Animals' song "Heat Waves" is a song of a man in the relationship who broke up with his fiancée for some reason and now is looking at that relationship in a philosophical way. According to the leader of the group, the song is about realizing you cannot make everyone happy. And when we try to, then we have to cover up our feelings and hide inside TV shows or video games or drink or drugs. Being vulnerable should be a positive thing, he says.

We are human beings, and in the course of our lives, certainly our love lives, because we are human, there is a chance that we will hurt someone or hurt ourselves. It is clear in Glass Animals' song. But what is important for us is to realize that there will be pain--we are vulnerable--but we will have a chance to move on in life and love.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, being human is something that You knew because Your only Son Jesus became human. He therefore knew pain. Help us be able to understand our pain, and understand that sometimes we hurt others. Give us the grace to always love as you taught us. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must understand that because of our human nature, we will be hurt, but we can move on in life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Heat Waves" teach young people today?
2. Describe your opinion of what Peter the Apostle was like.
3. Where do you see the most pain in the world right now?
4. [not to be shared with the group] In your own life right now, where is the most difficult pain, and what is the best way to work with it?
5. In general, what are the ways to "work with" the pain that we experience in our lives?
6. In general in your opinion, is our world following Jesus's directive to love?
7. What is your understanding of "being vulnerable"?