may 14

May 14
[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, May 14, St. Matthias JOHN 15:9-17 Bearing Fruit Prayerthoughts a. The way that we remain in Jesus’s love and be his friend is to keep his commandments. In my understanding of the Gospel, what are the Lord’s greatest commandments and why? b. There are some commandments that I have not kept in my life. What are they and I should once again ask for forgiveness. c. What are the biggest joys in my life right now. Perhaps I should show more joy in my life in my present situation. d. Incredibly, the Lord calls us to show others a “divine love”: “love one another as I love you.” In particular, what does that mean for me in my life right now? e. The greatest love is to lay down one’s life for a friend. Most of us will not have to give our lives for another, but the passage might mean that we must sacrifice something of ourselves for a friend. Given my life right now, should I sacrifice something to help a friend? f. The Lord has chosen me to bear fruit that will remain. In my situation right now, knowing that the Lord has called me to it, what is most important for me to do? g. My prayerthoughts…. Today, I will list the ways in which I have felt the Love of God in my life. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy WE ARE CHOSEN + The readings and the feast today give rise to the idea of being chosen - Matthias is chosen to take Judas’ place - in the description of that choice, the prayer of the Apostles is: “you have chosen…” - in the Gospel, the original choice of Jesus: “I chose you” + Our meditation can center around the fact that we are chosen as well - for a person of faith, the very fact that we have been born into this world is a statement of the fact that God has chosen us - and in particular God has chosen us for this place at this time with these circumstances - and we have chosen to follow Jesus Christ - actually, as Jesus points out in the Gospel, and generalizing to our lives, the choice is really God’s again: from all eternity, the Lord has chosen us to be his followers - put those two ideas together and we come up with the statement that we are called to be here at this moment of time, and we are called to be Christians at this moment of time + What does it mean exactly? - a number of things, of course, and the cause of Christianity cannot be described in a short time - but if there is something primary, it will mean accepting the idea that Jesus gives in the Gospel, namely love of others - Jesus calls it “my commandment” - the primary directive, that which is to be the foundation upon which everything else is based - he defines that love as actually being able to give up one’s life for another, as he did - and Jesus’ commandment carries into every moment and every person of our lives This I command you: love one another. + We are chosen to be right here, right now, and we are chosen to be followers of Jesus Christ - and the directive for us as we are chosen is that we love everyone - such is the Christian calling in life, such is our calling.

MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: "Ford v Ferrari" -- beginning session KNOW THE TRUTH

The Gospel

MARK 6:16-18

When Herod learned of it, he said, "It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up." Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Gospelthink: John was direct in his speech. He told only the truth. Do I tell the truth as I speak?

Based on a true story, the movie "Ford v Ferrari" relays the origin of the Ford race cars in the 1960's. Henry Ford II was upset that the sales were not what they should have been, and asked his leadership team for suggestions. Lee Iacocco suggested to Ford that they should try their hand at "racing cars." Ford and team decided to ask Carroll Shelby who won Le Mans at one time to help with that endeavor. Shelby was a likable man who could no longer race because of heart problems, but was willing to undertake the task of setting up a team. He chose as his driver Ken Miles, a man with some personal issues, but a very good driver. Ford had a difficult time with Ken Miles because of Miles' irascible attitude, but finally at Shelby's insistence agreed to let Miles be the driver of their race car in the Le Mans race in 1966.

The Gospel story of Herod and John the Baptist is an interesting one. It has many facets to it, not the least of which was that Herod finally condemned John to death. But the ultimate reason why he killed him is important to know: John knew the truth, and John let it be known. When holy people know the truth, generally speaking, they will allow that truth to guide their actions, and they will pursue their lives with that in mind.

In the movie "Ford v Ferrari," Carroll Shelby knew the truth that Ken Miles was the best race car driver there was. Shelby was always respectful to those who were his superiors, even to the point of allowing Mr. Ford to dictate who the driver should be. But when he saw that Mr. Ford did not realize what he knew to be the case, he fought for and finally succeeded in convincing Ford that Miles should be their race car driver. Shelby knew that he was right, and was willing to stay with that truth as the scenario of the future of Ford-Shelby racing cars unfolded.

In our lives, we often have discovered what we know to be the truth. It is important for our developing personalities to know how we handle the truth and what we know to be right. Sometimes we may have to hold back on saying the truth, but in the end, we must always be dedicated to the truth. It means that we will take the time to pursue what we know to be the truth in the way that we live and in our speech.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, You always know what is the truth, and You always know how we handle the truth in our lives. Help us discover the truth, and then when we do, to allow it to guide what we say and do. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: When we know that we are right, we will pursue it no matter what the circumstances.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 71 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In your opinion, is adultery a real problem in our world today?
3. John the Baptist showed that he knew the truth by his actions. In general, do the people in our world have a respect for the truth? Yes or no and why?
4. The point of this meditation is that we must be aware of the truth all the time. In important matters, do the people of our world want to discover the truth? Yes or no and why?
5. In general, do the people of our world act on the truth as they know it? Yes or no and why?