DRIVERS

March 9

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, March 9, First Sunday of Lent

LUKE 4:1-13

Temptations

Prayerthoughts

a. The first temptation was about “pleasure” in the sense of satisfying self. In general, do I “serve self” too much in my daily living?

b. Here Luke tells us that Jesus was also tempted to “power” and “money.” Am I greedy in the sense of wanting more and more money? Do I seek having “power” over others in some way?

c. As I study the money that I have, could I possibly give some away to a worthy cause?

d. The devil tells Jesus to worship him. Is it true that sometimes we “worship” the devil in the form of created things too much, things like television or social media?

e. The devil tempts Jesus to the sin of “presumption,” that of assuming that God will help us without doing anything ourselves. Am I too lazy in my pursuit of the spiritual life?

f. After the temptations, the devil departed from Jesus “for a while” saying that Jesus was tempted throughout his life. So am I obviously. But we have the example of Jesus, one of us, who suffered the same thing. What are some temptations that I have given into? Have I completely rejected them?

g. Jesus quotes Scripture to the devil in the temptations. Do I read Scripture as much as I could in my daily life?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read the letter to the Romans, chapter 10

and write down an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

CONFRONTING THE WORLD

+ Francis of Assisi is obviously an inspiration to the Franciscans, but much can be learned from studying his life for any Christian

- probably the most difficult thing that Francis of Assisi did in his young life was to confront his father

- in the midst of Francis’s early fervor, Francis had given away much of his father’s wealth, and after his father became very upset, Francis realized his mistake

- then Francis very deliberately in a solemn way gave back to his father everything that he had, and broke the relationship with his father

- in a sense, he was confronting the world as he knew it, and leaving it completely

+ The Gospel is all about confronting our world

- Scripture scholars will argue whether the temptations of Jesus took place the way Luke describes them in this Gospel

- but there is little doubt that the principal idea behind the Gospel passage is that Jesus had to confront the world in his earthly life

- such a world is presented by Luke in the three temptations that Jesus suffered

+ The first temptation can be interpreted as a temptation to pleasure, to satisfy ourselves

- pleasure is a good thing—bread is good—

- but sacrificing too much on behalf of that pleasure is not good

- it becomes sinful when we try to please ourselves to such a degree that we hurt others or that we neglect to consider God and others

- confronting it means that we pay more attention to the needs of others around us, and desire to do something about it

+ The second temptation can be looked at as a temptation to too much power and money—“all the power and glory of the kingdoms of the world”

- it is important to study what we do to make money

- and look at whether we might be sacrificing the wrong thing in order to get the power and money that we want

- confronting it means that we look at our time seriously with the intention to give more of it to those who need it, even if we have to sacrifice some of our work

+ The third temptation—the third part of this confrontation of the world—is the most insidious and the most dangerous, I believe

- Dr. Scott Peck in his excellent book The Road Less Traveled calls it the sin of our world—the sin of laziness

- that is, never doing anything to help bring about a working spirituality—living without God in our world, and taking advantage of the fact that God will take care of us anyway

- confronting it means giving more quality time to God in prayer—a weekday Mass every now and then, going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation

+ Jesus addresses the devil in all three temptations, saying:

“It is written”, that is, “It is written in Scripture…”

- right there is the solution: we have to somehow become more involved with Scripture in our lives

- allowing the word of God to sink in and make a difference

+ We begin another Lenten season

- this Lent should be a time when we do something extra with regard to our spirituality

- it will be a good Lent for us if we choose to do that.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Drivers License" -- Olivia Rodrigo

GUESS YOU DIDN'T MEAN IT

The Gospel

MATTHEW 26:31-35

MATTHEW 26:31-35

Then Jesus said to them, "This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken."... Peter said to him in reply, "Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be." Jesus said to him, "Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you." And all the disciples spoke likewise.

Gospelthink: Peter, overcome by the danger of the moment denied me even though he said he would not. Do I deny the Lord by not following through on my commitment to Him?

"I got my driver’s license last week, just like we always talked about ‘cause you were so excited for me to finally drive up to your house. But today I drive through the suburbs cryin’ ‘cause you weren’t around. And you’re probably with that blond girl who always made me doubt. I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one and I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone. Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me, ‘cause you said forever; now I drive alone past your street."

Most of the songs of our day speak about love, and almost always there is an idea of commitment that runs through them. Our world doesn’t do well with commitments. Ruled by selfish human natures, people of our world too often make what might be called “temporary permanent commitments.” Such commitments are a contradiction, of course, but they are so much easier than “permanent permanent commitments.” Granted that there are legitimate exceptions in which permanent commitments should be abandoned, but one wonders whether there should be as many exceptions as there are.

Of course, the answer to the idea of commitment comes before the commitment is made. People must spend time and study on questions like “Are you willing to say and mean ‘forever’?”; “Do you know what you are getting into?”; Are you aware of the scope of ‘for better and for worse’?”

Case in point, the song by Olivia Rodgrio, "Drivers License," and this line in particular: “Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me, ‘cause you said forever. Now I drive alone past your street.” The rest of the song displays the pain that the lady in the song feels.

Peter the apostle learned such a lesson the hard way. He was very bold in his prediction of the future. He was convinced that Jesus was the Lord. He knew that he loved Jesus as his God, and therefore he was certain that he would never deny him, even if other people's faith in him had disappeared. In fact, his brother apostles said the same thing. But, their talk was cheap. In the end, Peter and most of the disciples disowned Jesus when he suffered the unjust punishment given by the Romans.

The situation of Olivia Rodgrio's song, and indeed the situation of Peter the Apostle, is a difficult one for a human being, and the point is that the human being may use the word "forever" or "never" or "always" and not mean it. Those words are significant words in our vocabulary. If we say them, it must convey what they mean. A person simply cannot say those words in the heat of the moment of love, and then forget about it.

We must listen closely to the pain of the lady in Olivia Rodgrio's song, and hear her say, "Guess you didn't mean what you wrote."

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we use words to communicate with you and with others. Often we say words that do not carry with them the necessary actions. Give us the grace to understand the meaning of the words we say to you and others, and give us the courage to follow through with what we say. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: People often say "forever" to a relationship but they don't really mean it.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Drivers License" teach young people today?
2. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the Apostles that their faith in him will be shaken. What are the things in life that disturb us the most even though we still have faith in Jesus?
3. All the Apostles spoke as Peter did, saying that they would never deny Jesus. It is easy to agree with a group of friends, especially when they are saying correct things. Why is it so difficult to disagree with your friends?
4. The circumstances of the song suggest that the relationship is about to end. What is the best way to close a relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend?
5. In your opinion, what are the most important characteristics of the art of communication?
6. Why do people get divorced?
7. How should people deal with the pain of a breakup or being rejected by another?