TGIMMboom

March 18

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, March 18, Lent IV

JOHN 5:17-30

Jesus’s Father

Prayerthoughts

a. The Jewish leaders certainly understood that Jesus was calling God His Father. As I study my family, living and deceased, have I given them the proper respect?

b. Jesus gives life to us. In my life, what are the areas for which I should be most thankful?

c. The Lord says that His Father judges no one, leaving it up to the Son. Who have I judged in a negative way, and what should I do to correct the fault?

d. The Lord urges us to hear and believe. Have I listened well to the passages of Scripture especially the ones on forgiveness and judging others?

e. The Lord speaks of the end of the world. Does the end of the world scare me in any way at all? Why or why not?

f. Jesus sought to follow the will of his Father. Do I subject my will to others or am I too selfish to do that?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Isaiah 49:8-15 and write an important thought.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

HEARING AND BELIEVING

+ One of the characteristics of John’s Gospel is the continual reference by Jesus to his relationship with the Father

- in today’s Gospel, John records that it is the reason why the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him—he was making himself equal to God, absolute blasphemy among a people who refused to even pronounce God’s name

- but Jesus, especially in John’s Gospel, does not let up

- it is clear that part of our reason to believe in him is the fact of his closeness to his Father, calling himself his Son

+ It has been our faith from the very beginning that Jesus is God’s Son

- and our spiritual lives are built around that concept

+ Perhaps the essence of Jesus’s dialogue today is this:

- Jesus says:

I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me [namely his Father] has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life

+ Two things are presented here for our consideration and our growth in our spiritual lives

1 – hearing his word

- of course, hearing implies much more than being aware of what Jesus said

- it implies truly listening which means both reading his word—that is the reason that the Gospels are so important—and a desire to carry through with what we read or listen to

- that is the way that Jesus’s doctrines of love, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, and genuine care for others comes into our communities

- it takes time and quiet prayer to do that well

2 – believing in the Father

- believing in God is much more than saying the words of the Creed

- believing in God implies a lifestyle that is evidence to others that God really does exist in our own little worlds

- that we truly accept the words of Isaiah 49, the first reading today—and that God will not forget him/her, and he/she acts accordingly

+ And once we have heard Jesus’s word and believed in the Father

- it’s interesting to look at the language of John—then the person has eternal life

- that is, eternal life has begun, or we have begun our heaven on earth, even with all the challenges that we have, it is the beginning of eternal happiness.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Boom Clap" -- Charli XCX

THE GLITTER IN THE DARKNESS

The Gospel

MATTHEW 6:22-23

MATTHEW 6:22-23

[Jesus said:] "The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be."

Gospelthink: I tell you that you must be a light for this world. Do I allow too much darkness--sin, bad faults--into my life?

"Boom, Clap, the sound of my heart. The beat goes on and on and you make me feel good. Come on to me now. No silver or no gold could dress me up so good. You’re the glitter in the darkness of my world. Just tell me what to do. I’ll fall right into you, going under, cast a spell, just say the word. I feel your love."

There are many "darknesses" in life, that is, many negatives that can overpower us as we grow and live. They can become so overwhelming that they govern the way we talk and act, and especially the way we think of ourselves. In fact, the reason why many of us need some type of counselor or someone with whom we can be honest, is to help us with the darkness that we feel.

Jesus knew, of course, that sin was the ultimate cause of the darkness in our lives. He expressed it during his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel with the image of light actually becoming darkness. Then, he tells us, how great will the darkness be. What is needed is an understanding heart that can discern what makes up our "darkness."

In our love endeavors, whether romantic or otherwise, a good image that could possibly describe true love is that idea of "overcoming darkness." True love will involve people who are able to attack the bitterness that the other may feel. As Charli XCX expresses it in her song "Boom Clap," the other becomes the "glitter in the darkness of my world." In the love relationship, each becomes the means that the other needs to overcome the feeling of the negatives in our lives.

There are many characteristics of true love. One of them will always be the ability of a person who shows love to another to gently erase the feelings of emptiness and being lost that the other person may have. A person who is truly expressing romantic love of another will give such healing for the one loved. A Christian who is trying to love all, as Jesus taught, will always work at making everyone around them feel a little better.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son is the example of perfect love in our human world. He wanted most of all for us to be people whose light was true love of all. Give us the grace to understand our own darkness and help us become people who will help others overcome their darkness. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: If true love exists, both people in the relationship will help with any darkness either may feel.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World from the Second Vatican Council comments as follows: "Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness." (Quoted by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, n. 1707.) In your opinion, why is the statement true?
2. Jesus and his gospel proclaimed by him are the light that God offers to his people. In your opinion, what is Jesus's main message in the Gospels and why?
3. In your opinion, what is the meaning of Jesus's statement: "If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light"?
4. Text analysis: "No silver or gold could dress me up so good." What is the meaning of the statement?
5. The song speaks of "feeling good" about a love. Psychologists often point out that lovers can never trust completely their feelings and emotions. Why is the statement true?
6. Text analysis: "The darkness of my world." What are some of the "darknesses" that are part of people's lives?
7. What is the best way to overcome the feeling of darkness?
8. In Jesus's mind, sin causes darkness. What is the most difficult sin that young people must work against? What is the most difficult sin that older people must work against?
9. Name some characteristics of "true love."
10. How do people in romantic love help to overcome the feeling of darkness in their partner's life?
11. In your opinion, do most Christians follow Jesus's directive to "love everyone"? Yes or no and why?
12. What does the song "Boom Clap" teach young people?