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March 27

[media presntation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, March 27, Lent V

JOHN 8:51-59

I tell the religious leaders of my divinity.

Prayerthoughts
a. Is it clear by my actions, words and thoughts, say, yesterday that I am keeping the Lord's words?

b. The religious leaders were arguing with Jesus. But it is a good question to address to myself: who do I make myself out to be? That is, what is most important in my life at the present time? Why?

c. Finish this sentence: "Since Jesus is divine, then I...."

d. Jesus uses the familiar definition of God throughout John's Gospel, namely I AM. We are close to our God at all times. What should that mean to me?

e. In general, how do most people define “God”?

f. My prayerthoughts...

Today, I will read Genesis 17:3-9 and write
an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

LISTENING TO JESUS

+ The first reading is very important as we study theology

- God changes the nomad Abram’s name to Abraham

- thus making him the Father of many nations,

- and at the same time setting up the covenant/agreement that was to last forever, something that was repeated often in the Hebrew Scriptures, and therefore in force even right now

- I will be your God, and you will be my people

- God promising to be with us always, and as a result, we promising to always allow God to direct our behavior

+ In the Gospel, Jesus recalls that covenant

- and teaches the specifically Christian element—namely,

Before Abraham came to be, I AM.

- that is to say, since Jesus was God (I AM is the name for Yahweh), Jesus existed before Abraham

- it is no wonder that the religious leaders reacted and wanted to stone Jesus—he was making himself equal to God

- something they simply could not understand and therefore they would not listen to

+ One can understand the way the Hebrew religious leaders felt,

- but the fact is that they should have at least listened to what he was saying

- maybe they wouldn’t agree, but maybe they would learn some things in the process

+ The action of listening to Jesus is an important element of our spirituality

- we do it every time that we hear the Scriptures proclaimed

- primarily here at Mass

- and many times, we do not let what Jesus said sink in the way it should

- we hear the words, but we do not really listen

- and apply them to our own specific circumstances the way we should

- and thus we don’t change the way the way we should

+ The liturgy points out the foundation of our spirituality:

- Abraham was the father of the human religious families

- Jesus perfectly fulfills what God began with Abraham

- we must listen to this Jesus now

- as we accept our part of the covenant—to allow Jesus’s words to direct our behavior.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "How Long" -- Charlie Puth

TELL ME HONESTLY

The Gospel

MATTHEW 26:20-25

When it was evening, Jesus reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”

Gospelthink: My betrayer Judas bothered me so much that I told all the disciples that it would happen. I haven't totally betrayed the Lord, but have I turned away at times?

"She said, 'Boy, tell me honestly. Was it real or just for show?' She said, 'Save your apologies, I just gotta know. How long has this been going on?'" The man admits it is his fault, and she is just about to leave if it continues to be a problem.

The study between Judas and Jesus in the New Testament Scriptures is an interesting one. Judas was a confidant of Jesus as can be seen in that Jesus chose him to be the keeper of their necessary money. One would also assume that as one of Jesus's disciples, he cured people and preached the Kingdom of God as the Lord had instructed. What the Lord wanted from him was loyalty and most of all honesty. At the Last Supper, Judas could have admitted his fault and been honest with Jesus. If he had, quite literally, Christian history would have changed.

In Charlie Puth's song "How Long," after the man had made a mistake, his girlfriend wants to know whether it is the end of the relationship or not. She asks him to tell him "honestly." If he responds in an honest way, they will be able to discuss the future of the relationship. If he does not, she should probably get out of the relationship forever. She has "gotta know," she says, and in a true relationship, both should know the honest feelings of the other.

Perhaps one of the most common faults of young people is not telling the truth.They usually are not large lies, but ones that are often named "harmless." Sometimes they are harmless and no one gets hurt except maybe the one who tells the lie. The one who tells the lie often can develop a habit of telling lies, and in the end becomes less of a person as a result.

Telling lies is not only a fault of young people, of course. Adults also fall into the habit, and for them, most of the time, it is not harmless. Generally speaking, adults fully understand what they are doing when they tell a lie. Often the lie is nothing more than a cover-up for an action that they do not want to admit, or a way to make themselves appear better than they are.

Honesty is an important quality for a romantic relationship as can be seen from Charlie Puth's song, but as one studies Jesus and Judas, we learn that it is an important quality for all of our lives.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son wanted honesty from all of his disciples, a desire that we should be aware of as we study His life. May we have the grace to accept honesty as a virtue that we practice all the time. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: The most important part of communication is being honest with the other.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What is the greatest sin that human beings commit today? Why?
2. When is the best time to give up on a relationship?
3. Besides honesty what are some other characteristics of good communication?
4. From your understanding of the Scriptures, what was Judas' main problem?
5. What was the main difference between Judas and the rest of the Apostles?
6. In your opinion, are there some exceptions when a person does not have to tell the truth?
7. If a person finds himself/herself constantly lying about some issue, what is the best remedy to correct it?
8. What is your definition of "being an honest person"?
9. What does the song “How Long” teach young people today?