January 7

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Tuesday, January 7, Christmas Weekday

MARK 6:34-44

Food to Satisfy

Prayerthoughts

a. Once again, Jesus feels pity for the crowd and talks to them to make them feel better. In my life, in general, do I look at others with a desire to help them if they need it?

b. The disciples questioned the Lord’s decision to feed them. As I read the Gospels, do I try to understand completely what the Lord is trying to say to me?

c. Jesus uses what they have. It is a significant action for my spiritual life. At this time of my life, the Lord will use whatever I can do to be better if we want. Am I open to the Lord’s wishes?

d. Jesus uses words that he will use when he institutes the Eucharist for us. Do I try to receive the Lord in the Eucharist often, and then thank him for his gift?

e. It is significant that all were satisfied. Am I satisfied with what is given to me? Do I thank the Lord and those who give me what I need? (This is the task of the meditation.)

f. There was food left over. The Lord always gives us more than enough to help us in our lives. Do I thank the Lord enough in my prayer?

g. My prayerthoughts….

Today, I will make a list of the people for whom I am most thankful, and pray for them and perhaps write them a note or email.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE FOOD OF THE EUCHARIST

+ The first letter of John looks at love of others this way:

“ In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.”

- love of others is based on God’s love for us

+ God’s love was made manifest by the actions of Jesus when he was one of us

- and today we encounter one of the actions in the Gospel

- namely, pity and the way it is shown is through giving something to eat

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them…Give them some food yourselves.

+ According to most Scripture scholars, when food is mentioned, the Gospels are calling attention to what Jesus did with food at the Last Supper, namely the institution of the Eucharist

- the parallel being: as we need food to stay alive, we need the Eucharist to stay alive spiritually

- and his body and blood is more than enough than we need to live spiritually —there was food left over

+ Perhaps then our meditation should center around our reception of the Lord in the Eucharist this morning

- the chances are that we are too complacent when we come to this Eucharist

- how would we act and behave if Jesus were here in human form rather than Sacramental form

- it is important to see our belief here—there is really no difference: receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is exactly the same as meeting him in person

+ One of the great contradictions in our world is the fact that we who believe that the Lord is truly present in this Eucharist, and receive him

- can cause evil

- but we do—we know that—and our meditation should be perhaps that our reception of the Eucharist today should really make a difference in our lives today.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Conclave" -- final session

FIDELITY TO THE IDEAL

The Gospel

MATTHEW 23:23

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes on mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. [But] these you should have done, without neglecting the others.”

Gospelthink: Jesus condemns hypocrisy and tells the religious leaders to follow the more important things of the Law.

The college of Cardinals were now in conclave, shut off from the outside world. Early in the conclave, the college witnessed an altercation between Cardinal Adeyemi and Sister Shanumi, a Nigerian nun recently transferred to Vatican City. Cardinal Lawrence, the dean, spoke with Shanumi and Adeyemi and a whisper campaign derailed Adeyemi’s candidacy.

Working with Sister Agnes, the nun acting as head caterer and housekeeper, Lawrence discovered that Cardinal Tremblay arranged for Shanumi’s transfer. Lawrence then broke into the Pope’s sealed apartment where he found documents indicating Tremblay paid Cardinals for votes. Agnes and Lawrence publicize Tremblay’s actions removing him from contention.

Lawrence finally voted for himself, although he honestly did not want to, but before he could cast his vote, he was blown off his feet by an explosion that damagds the Sistene Chapel. The college learned that the explosion was part of a series of suicide bombings which were currently happening throughout Europe.

Cardinal Tedesco (one of the front-runners in the election) immediately called for a religious war against Islam, but Cardinal Benitez, the in pectore Cardinal previously chosen by the now-deceased Pope argued against the violence and chastised everyone for prioritizing their political agendas over their shared spiritual vision. Voting resumed, and the college overwhelmingly elected Benetiz, who chooses the papal name of Innocent XIV. Lawrence’s assistant pulled him aside and discussed a canceled medical appointment that Benetiz had. Benetiz revealed that he was born with a uterus and ovaries but was unaware of them until later in his life. He chose to remain as God made him. Lawrence allowed it to be.

The religious leaders of Israel continually run into controversy with Jesus during his mission on earth. Those religious leaders were jealous of Jesus, to be sure, but the main problem that Jesus had with them was not that. Jesus knew what they should have been as they ministered to the people and he knew what they were really doing. They had publicly dedicated themselves to the work of God, but they were following their own political agenda and ambition.

And so, he calls them to task. They had forgotten “the weightier things of law,” he said, and had given themselves to their selfish desires rather than fidelity to the Mosaic Law. In the movie “Conclave,” the front runners for the position of Pope had basically forgotten what the spiritual agenda was—a dedicated spiritual leader speaking on behalf of God. They had given themselves over to the glory of being the most well-known person in the world. The Cardinal who had called them to task was rightly chosen Pope even with the physical situation he was in.

Anyone who has the possibility of being legitimately elected to some position of authority can run into the same problem. He/she can easily see the glory and honor the position might give them, and such knowledge can completely overpower them, often causing them to lose sight of what the chosen leader should be. Placed into a spiritual context, the sin becomes even more grevious.

There is nothing wrong with the desire to lead some organization, even a religious one, to the best of one’s ability. Call it honest ambition. The problem comes when we lose sight of the real ideal that that particular organization has.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we tend to be selfish in the way we go about our lives, even when we are dedicated to following you. Give us the grace to not only desire to lead well, but a true knowledge of what you want of us. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Only fidelity to the chosen spiritual ideal can repair the damage of the over ambitious.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 56 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking and why?

2. Obviously, there were religious leaders who were good in what they did. Given what you know about Jesus’s time, what characteristics shoud a religious leaders have?

3. Selfiishness has no place among the spiritual leaders of our world, but many times it seems to be part of what they want. What percentage of spiritual leaders in our world really want to achieve good things?

4. In your opinion, is it possible to desire to head an organization (ambition) and at the same time do a good job of leading that is “a true giving of self”? Yes or no and why?

5. In general, has the different Church organizations been good for our country? Yes or no and why?

6. What does the movie "Conclave" teach young people?