May 19

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Tuesday, May 19, Easter Weekday

John 17:1-11a

Jesus Prays for Me

Prayerthoughts

a. It is evident from the Gospels that Jesus spent a significant time in prayer. Do I spend enough time with the Lord, and can I do better than I am right now?

b. Jesus prays for eternal life for me. That should have a direct effect in my life. Am I sufficiently thankful for the gift of eternal life that He has given me?

c. Jesus gives me a definition of eternal life: namely a life spent with Him. As I prepare for my life with Jesus, are there things in my life that should be changed?

d. Jesus did the work of God the Father. What is my work right now, that is, what do I spend the most time on in my life? Is it something that I can make a little more Christian than I am doing now?

e. The Lord tells his Father that he did the work of God, namely “revealing God’s name.” In my conversation with others, is it clear that God has been revealed to me? For example, the language that I use?

f. Jesus says that I know that everything that is given to me is given by God. Do I look at my life and what has happened to me to be the will of God in my life, no matter what has happened?

g. Jesus prays for the disciples and in a sense for us. What does it mean to me personally that Jesus actually prayed for me while he was here on earth?

h. My prayerthoughts...

Today, I will read Acts of the Apostles 20:17-27 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

OUR WORK AND OUR FUTURE

+ St. Paul’s speech in the reading from Acts is a significant speech because it is Paul’s final instruction as he ends his missionary activity

- and Jesus gives a final instruction of sorts in the Gospel

- this is the beginning of his High Priestly prayer, a prayer for the Apostles and a prayer for us

- from these two instructions, there comes two major thoughts which can lead to meditation on our lives

1 – both Jesus and Paul finished their work

- Jesus, making known the person of God to the people of the world

- Paul, never shrinking from preaching repentance and faith

2 – both Jesus and Paul were prepared for the future

- both were ready for the suffering that was bound to come

+ Both of those points come to play in our spiritual lives

- first of all, the idea of work

- our spiritual work is basically to do the will of God

- that is, nothing more than making the Lord’s name known in whatever way of life we have chosen

- which means that we add the element of Christianity to our daily circle of things

- that is, bring about a truly Christian atmosphere in whatever we do

- and secondly, the idea of the future

- we have to always think in terms of the future

- recognizing that as Christians we have here no lasting home, but we are preparing for our home in heaven

- celebrating eternal life with God

- and so we live our lives with that in mind.

+ One of the things that is most interesting about Jesus’s High Priestly prayer is that Jesus not only prays it specifically for the Apostles,

- but he prays it specifically for us as well:

- he will say during this prayer: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word”

- that’s all of us

- and that concept of Jesus praying for us

- is one of real encouragement for us

- our Lord and leader remembering us

- it should lead us to a true desire to make him more a part of our lives.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "The Lion King"--beginning session

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE YOUNG

The Gospel

MARK 9:35-37, 42

MARK 9:35-37,42

Taking a child Jesus placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who send me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."

Gospelthink: I felt strongly about the way adults deal with young people. Am I showing the respect for young people that I should?

Young lions like young children, are vulnerable and must be taught many things if they are to survive. Consider Simba, the son of the lion king Mufasa in the story, "The Lion King." Even lion-kings-to-be must learn the art of being a lion in the "circle of life," the world. At the same time, those who would be king must also learn of those who refuse to be governed. They must learn of treachery and manipulation, of jealousy and amoral ambition. In short, they must learn the negatives of life in order to become positive. Mufasa's brother Scar and the hyenas show the negatives of learning to govern and live in the society of life.

Jesus felt strongly about love for young people. He wanted his followers to have the same innocence usually connected with

children to be their own. He also knew how difficult it was for children to grow, considering the problems that adults might cause them. "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me" he said. But, realizing the child's vulnerability, Jesus goes into exaggeration as he often does when something is so personal to him: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." Jesus knew well that young people have difficult things to learn in life, and therefore they need strong guidance. If they are deprived of such guidance, the adult who deprives them is the guilty of a grave sin.

The story of "The Lion King" is told with human beings in mind. Human beings are the ones who must be concrned about young people. The world is a complex place and young people must experience many difficulties. They must find a way to integrate those difficulties into their growth. They must have the help of concerned adults to do it. Such is the burden of a parent or adult mentor.

But there is another side to the burden of growth. That side concerns the young people themselves. Young people must be willing to accept the advice and the direction of conscientious adults. If they are not open to their direction, the young person's future life may be scarred and perhaps ruined during her/his time on earth.

Jesus meant for everyone to benefit from his teaching about the Kingdom. He spoke mainly to adults, but he knew that if people would learn about that Kingdom in their younger years, the more they would be able to function as true followers of Jesus all their lives.

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, the young are vulnerable, whether they be animals or human beings. Direct them to be willing to listen and follow the advice of concerned adults, and help those of us who are older to always be people who show concern for those younger than we are. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT:
Theme: Young people are important and must be taught about the problems of gowing up.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 55 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In general, do the people of our world treat those children under 5 well? 5-12? teens?
3. In your opinion, what is the principal reason why Jesus said that we should be like children?
4. What virtue do young people need most from the adults of this world?
5. What lesson should a teenager in particular learn from concerned adults?
6. What most proves that young people have learned the lesson of maturity?
7. What can a teenager do if he/she judges that an adult is harming another young person?