January 9  

  [media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, January 9, Christmas Weekday

LUKE 5:12-16

Healing and the Law 

Prayerthoughts

a. The man filled with leprosy was convinced that Jesus could heal him, and so he says, “If you wish.” You and I should have the same approach to Jesus/God, asking him for whatever with confidence, but knowing it is the Lord’s decision and not ours. 

b. Jesus touched the leper. That was not allowed because of the fear of contagion. When I try to help someone, I am “touching” them. Do I try to help people enough? 

c. Jesus followed the law when the law fit into his law. Do I have respect for the law of the land and for the officials of the law? Do I pray for them sincerely?

d. Jesus was very popular because of what he did to help people. Do I seek popularity too much? 

e. Jesus prayed. What is the amount of time that I spend in prayer compared to my waking hours and my time at work? 

f. My prayerthoughts…. 

Today, I will read 1 John 5:5-13 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy 

POSSESSING JESUS 

+ In the early Church in the latter days of the first century in the Johannine community where John’s Gospel and his letters were written

        - there must have been some question concerning the importance of Jesus’s crucifixion—the reference to his blood

        - the community acknowledges that it is a combination of factors which give credence to Jesus—his introduction of baptism, his dying for our sakes, and of course, the testimony of the Spirit at Jesus’ baptism

                - the end result is: Jesus really is Lord, and if we possess him, we have eternal life

                        - the word “possess” might lead to an interesting meditation—

                                - we are called to realize that we must possess Jesus 

+ The person who possesses Jesus will be involved in a number of spiritual activities

        - two of which are mentioned in the Gospel

        1 – the person who possesses Jesus will be involved in healing

                - that is, for us, helping others—

                        - Jesus cured whenever he was asked in faith

                                - showing a willingness in whatever mood he was in

                        - “others” for us are primarily our community of brothers and sisters in society

                        - whether we like it or not, we are a global family

                                - I believe that that is a good image

                                        - and in terms of what Jesus did in helping someone else

                                                - not be afraid to “touch” others, even though we or they are not in the frame of mind that you want to touch them

                                                        - that is, to help them as best we can,

        - and we do it with conviction—

                - Jesus saying:  I do will it…

                        - I will help you because you are important to me

        - perhaps we are not curing in the physical sense,

                - but we certainly are in the spiritual sense 

+ And 2 – the person who possesses Jesus will quite obviously be involved in prayer with that Jesus and His Father

        - Jesus must have gone off by himself to be with his Father often

        He would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

        - it is such an important action for us to consider

                - if we want to possess Jesus and his attitude toward life, in whatever situation, we have to make private prayer part of our life

                        - not necessarily formal prayer

                                - but what we call informal prayer

                                        - taking a spiritual book or the Scriptures, reading them, and then thinking about how what the book or Scriptures says applies to us and to our lives and families 

+ There are a number of ways of showing that we possess Jesus, but these two are primary—

        - that we are into healing others because others need our help, and that we really work at developing our prayer life.











 

 

 

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Calm Down" -- Rema featuring Selena Gomez
A MAJOR DECISION



 

The Gospel


LUKE 15:11-15a

Jesus said to them: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to me.' So the father divided up the property. Some days later this younger son collected all his belongings and went off to a distant land."

Gospelthink: At the beginning of the story of the two sons, the younger son made his choice.

“Baby, calm down, girl, your body is put in my heart for lockdown. You sweet like Fanta. If I tell you, say, ‘I love you’, you know they tell me ‘no.’ Finally, I find way to talk to the girl but her friends gum up the meeting like chewing gum.” And she says, “Yeah, I know I look shy but for you I get down.”  [lyrics adjusted]

Most of us live long lives and we make many decisions during those lives. Probably the most important decision concerns the way of life that we will choose as we live through that life. That decision translates to either "marry or not to marry" and the decision is not made, say, during our mid-life when there would be more time to prepare for it; it is made relatively early in our lives. And as we learn more and more about the human brain, the decision is made when the brain may not even be fully developed.

What happens as a result? The answer is easy to come by. As we study Jesus's story of the "Prodigal Son", we see a younger son make the decision to leave his home and family. Anyone familiar with the Gospel of Luke, knows that the decision did not turn out so well.

Many songs speak of the decision to make the feelings of love permanent by a commitment to marriage or the like. Rema and Selena Gomez's song "Calm Down" speak of a decision of the man in the relationship which he should not have made according to his friends, but he makes it anyway. It is his personal choice, and given our free will, it cannot be questioned. The song does not say whether it worked out or not.

The point must be made that if a decision is made which will affect the rest of our lives, such a decision must have a proper preparation. At the same time, perhaps, we must listen to the people in our lives who give us their opinions about our decision.

Perhaps the overall conclusion to such a meditation as this revolves around when the decision will be made. When it comes to the decision to commit my life to something for the rest of my life, perhaps such a decision must be made after a significant span of time has passed. Such a significant span will include time to consider what might happen if I choose something that will hurt me in the long run.

 PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we make many decisions concerning our lives, but perhaps the most important one is whether or not to make a permanent commitment that will affect all of our lives. Give us the grace to make the decision well. Be with us, we pray.

 

+++++


GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Choosing a permanent love relationship is a personal decision that must be made carefully.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Calm Down" teach young people?
2. When do most people make the decision "to marry or not to marry"? When should they make that decision?
3. Recall the story of "The Prodigal Son."  See Luke 15:11ff.
4. If our best friends tell us that we should not get married, is it a good indication that we shouldn't?
5. What is the proper preparation for marriage?
6. What is the proper preparation for a life-long commitment such as religious life or priesthood?

 

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America