May 1

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, May 1, Easter Weekday

JOHN 3:31-36

The Father and I will give you eternal life if you want.

Prayerthoughts
a. The evangelist John makes it clear that Jesus speaks of heavenly things. There are earthly things and heavenly things in my life. Heavenly things are those things that I do that remind me of God. How much time do I spend on them?

b. There are many who now accept Jesus’s testimony. What are the three most important doctrines of Jesus as seen in the Scriptures? (This is the task of the meditation.)

c. Obviously, I say that I accept the testimony of Jesus. But do I completely? What are some areas in my life where I need to follow the Lord more closely?

d. Jesus’s gifts of the Spirit have been labeled as Wisdom, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Understanding, Piety and Fear of the Lord. What is the most important one for me and why?

e. Of course, I have no knowledge now of “eternal life.” What aspect of eternal life in my eyes of faith do I consider to be the most important?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will carry out letter b.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE WORDS WE SPEAK

+ Speaking of himself here in John’s Gospel

- Jesus says: the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God

- and Jesus’ message is that not everyone is listening to that word

- it is a good source of meditation for the believer in Jesus

- if we are of God—sent by God—then we will speak the words of God

- that would lead us to a meditation on our words, and how we speak the words that we speak

+ In the first reading from Acts, Peter and John are a perfect example of speaking the words of God

- sent by God, they truly spoke the words of God

- in fact, as they said, they had to speak those words because nothing else made sense

- and they were direct with their words to the high priests saying to them that they, the high priests, were indeed responsible for Jesus’ death

+ Speaking the words of God is a pretty good thought to consider if we want to grow in our spiritual lives

- with the rather straightforward question for ourselves: what kind of words do we speak?

- do the words reflect a belief in God

- respectful, kind, tolerant, peaceful, honest

- we can still reflect a belief in God even if sometimes our words to others are difficult, as Peter and John’s words were difficult

- but if they are to reflect a belief in God, the words will be said with the thought of trying to help the situation

- sometimes our words are simply not the type of words that should be spoken by a believer

- not in the sense that we speak against God

- but in the sense that we are not speaking with God-like words

- words of hatred, rash judgment, prejudice, revenge, dishonesty, even so-called curse words

+ We want that eternal life that Jesus spoke of

- and therefore we profess our belief in Jesus

- and one of the ways to show our belief is by the language that we use.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "The Middle" -- Zedd featuring Grey and Maren Morris

JUST MEET IN THE MIDDLE

The Gospel

MATTHEW 8:5-13

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour his servant was healed.

Gospelthink: I want as my followers people who have faith in me like the Roman centurion. Have I placed my complete trust in the Lord?

"Take a seat. Right over there, sat on the stairs, stay or leave. The cabinets are bare and I’m unaware of just how we got into this mess. Got so aggressive. I know we meant all good intentions. So pull me closer, come on over. I can’t let you go. Why don’t you just meet me in the middle?”

The centurion in Matthew's Gospel was a man who dealt with authority. He knew the value of obedience, but he also knew the value of compromise. He told Jesus that he expected obedience from those under his command. But he knew that Jesus was much too important for him to demand anything. So, he decided that compromise was the best approach. He wanted his servant healed, but he also knew that he had to give into Jesus' time and energy. And so, he told Jesus that he did not have to come to his house. Simply say the word, he told him, and knowing Jesus, that was enough for him.

Zedd’s song that he sings with Grey and Maren Morris is a song about compromise, or as they call it "meeting in the middle." One of them in the relationship made a mistake, and now he or she is seeking some type of “making up.” They are doing the right thing—they are seeking a compromise to the mess they are in. The couple realize that they had to meet "in the middle," that is, to admit that the other in the relationship was important enough for each of them to give in a little bit.

The use of compromise is a common solution to resolving disagreements in negotiation and mediation processes and therefore important for relationships. However, while it may produce an agreement, compromise does not always resolve problems. This is because compromise is frequently a "settled" resolution to a problem and not typically the optimal solution sought by either party. It may generate a functional or material solution but not resolve emotional or behavioral issues associated with the disagreement. As a result one or both parties in the dispute may continue to harbor ill feelings or other dissatisfaction that can surface again if the parties continue to have contact with each other.

Compromise is a great idea, but there are often ill feelings or other dissatisfactions that result, and when they do, they will probably not be solved easily. The couple who are compromising must understand their human desires not to give in to another, and must face them head on so that an agreement will truly result.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, I know that I must learn to give in to another in order to love well. That means that I must learn to compromise so that my relationship with others will truly blossom. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: One of the most important parts of any relationship is the ability to compromise and then carry it through.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The centurion is begging Jesus to help with a servant. It is an example of true concern for people you know well. In relationships, do you believe that most people show this much concern for others?
2. Jesus says that he has not seen this much "faith" even among his people. What is your definition of faith?
3. In general, do you believe that most couples in a relationship have agreed to compromise?
4. In general, do most Christian people have total trust in Jesus?
5. In general, why can't people compromise when they should?
6. In general, do most people hold grudges after a compromise?
7. What does the song “The Middle” teach young people today?

THE WORDS WE SPEAK