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March 11

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Tuesday, March 11, Lent I

MATTHEW 6:7-15

I teach you the “Our Father” as a primary prayer.

Prayerthoughts
a. There are no doubt many prayers that I “read” or “recite by heart” and I do not pay attention to the words that I should—what might be called “babble.” I should review the formal prayers that I pray and determine to pay attention to the words that I use.

b. Our God knows what we need. When we pray to God, we are the ones that change, not God. Our prayer in every instance is something that should help us understand that God is working for us.

c. Our prayer should include praise of God. For what things should I praise God most of all? (This is the task of the meditation.)

d. I pray that my place on earth be made into the kingdom in heaven. What should I do in my life to make it more in tune with the heavenly kingdom?

e. I pray for what I need daily. What are the daily needs that I must have? Do I thank God enough for them?

f. I pray the word “forgive.” The Lord even reminds me after he teaches the prayer. Who should I forgive most at this time of my life?

g. I pray that my life may be free from evil. What are the evils that surround me most that I should avoid?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will carry out letter c.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

PRAYER

+ Both readings speak of the idea of the word of God

- God’s word in Isaiah is to be listened to and responded to and is true, achieving the end that God intended

- our word to God—prayer—is presented by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew’s Gospel

+ With any consideration of the prayer that we know as the Our Father, there are many conclusions for the spiritual life

- three of them in particular strike me

1 – with prayer, we have to know what we are saying

- “do not rattle on”, as if that is the way to please God

- being aware of what we are praying is an important consideration for formal prayer

2 -- prayer is for us, not for God—your Father knows before you ask

- we are not “placating” God by our prayer as if “God will get us if we don’t pray”

- God knows our circumstances and is always working for our good anyway, whether we ask or not

- Jesus tells us to ask because we must know that we depend on God

3 – with prayer, there must be action

- it is no mistake that Jesus doesn’t stop with the statement of asking for forgiveness in the Our Father

- he reiterates it again immediately after teaching the Our Father

- as if to say: this is an important point

- prayer only makes sense if you are doing the things of God

- you cannot pray the Our Father and still not forgive someone

- you cannot pray the rosary and still tear another down

- you cannot pray a formal prayer and hold a grudge or be prejudiced

+ Prayer is a common activity for us

- we are at prayer now

- we must concentrate on what we are saying, and want to reform our lives as we pray.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Don't Wanna Know" -- Maroon 5 featuring
Kendrick Lamar

PRETENDING AND REALITY

The Gospel

MARK 12:38-40

MARK 12:38-40

In the course of Jesus' teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation."

Gospelthink: There is evil in the world, and I condemn it. Do I give in to some of the evil around me?

"I don’t wanna know who’s taking you home and loving you so, the way I used to love you." He’s spending his time drinking and he’s wondering whether she is thinking of him and whether she is happy. But he continues to say that he does not want to know.

Jesus knew well what "pretending to be something that one is not" would do. He realized that the religious leaders of his day, the Scribes, were doing exactly that--they were pretending that they were holy, reciting "lengthy prayers", and actually they were cheating the people who were poor. They were not searching their consciences to discover what they were really doing, thus bringing about evil in their actions.

Such is why pretending is wrong. One does not face a relatively obvious truth and therefore there will be some type of pain, either their own or someone else's. Denial of reality is an easy avenue to choose because we sense that it is difficult to choose to know the truth.

In Maroon 5 and Kendrick Lamar's song "Don't Wanna Know," the man in the relationship is choosing the easy way out of a painful situation, namely pretending that there is nothing wrong. But in the end, revelation of the truth will cause more pain because it will be clear that the lady in the relationship has no interest in pretending the way the man wants.

Knowledge of the truth is paramount in any relationship, no matter how difficult it may be to listen to it. Our human natures are often into temporary relief of pain by denying the obvious, but the pain that this causes is not temporary. It will continue and the only way that we will find relief is to face exactly what is happening, namely the truth. Pretending that something is not so only causes more pain.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son knew that the religious leaders of his day were only pretending to be holy. Give us the grace to desire to know the truth, no matter how difficult it may be to accept it. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Pretending that everything is just fine when it is not will never solve a problem..

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Who in our world are most like the Scribes described in the Gospel? Why?
2. What are the principal reasons why "drinking alcohol" will not solve a problem?
3. In your opinion, do many people honestly "search their consciences" to discover why they are doing certain things? Yes or no and why?
4. In your opinion, do you think that many people simply "deny" the truth? Yes or no and why?
5. In love relationships, in your opinion, do many couples "pretend" in their relationship? Yes or no and why?
6. Are there instances in which "telling the truth" is not advised? Yes or no and why?
7. In general, what is the fundamental reason why people do not tell the truth?
8. What does the song "Don't Wanna Know" teach young people?