may 27

May 27

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, May 27

MARK 10:32-45

The Servant to Others

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus is speaking of his death and resurrection. Am I prepared for my death? What can I do to prepare myself a little more?

b. My attitude toward prayer is often the selfish attitude of the Sons of Zebedee here: “I want you to do….” How can I be more unselfish in my prayer?

c. Can I “drink of the cup” that Jesus gives me? Can I say with all sincerity that I accept whatever God sends me in this life?

d. The apostles are indignant at James and John. Do I see any jealousy in my life right now?

e. It is clear that James and John have not understood Jesus’s message. Do I spend enough time thinking of Jesus’s message to me and what it should mean?

f. Jesus gives a very straightforward explanation of people who want power in the world. In my thinking, do I spend too much time judging others as if I were more important than they are?

g. Again, Jesus is very straightforward with me concerning how I should be in this world: a servant, even a “slave” to others. Am I the servant to others that I should be?

h. If Jesus is willing to give his life for others, do I have the same attitude?

i. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read 1 Peter 1:18-25 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

BEING A SERVANT

+ One of the most common mistakes that many people have about religion is that it is something that gives people something

- people have learned to look at religion as something from which they are going to receive

- it is true that if we accept God/Church/religion into our lives, we will have the chance of eternal life, but we can’t concentrate on what we want religion to give us

- Jesus addresses that idea in the Gospel

(It is interesting that Jesus is talking about his servanthood in giving his life for us, but Peter and John are only interested in themselves.)

- telling his disciples that the kingdom he is preaching has nothing to do with what they are going to get out of it

- not / that you will sit on my right or left

- not / that you will be able to lord it over anyone

- in fact, he says, quite pointedly:

It shall not be so among you!

- that’s not what the kingdom is all about; it’s not what God/religion is all about

+ What it is all about is the idea of “serving others”

- something that our human natures do not like to do – we would much rather take

- Jesus calls it today “being a servant”:

Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.

- it can easily be expressed: letting go of our self-centeredness in order to work on behalf of others

- that is a very important part of Christianity and therefore a very important part of the spiritual life

+ Our problem with all of this is complacency

- we tend to think in terms of having done enough

- and we miss the chance to go further in the spiritual life

- the fact is that we can never talk in terms of spiritual life being “enough”

- there must always be the desire to be better

+ Which can mean a number of things

- it can mean more time in mental prayer

- or more spiritual reading

- or—our point today as we talk about “serving”—better relationships with others

- the reading from 1 Peter today calls us to love one another intensely (strong word)

- basically meaning that we learn to think in terms of what we are doing as not enough, or that I can do more than what I am doing now

+ We have to remind ourselves that the word “enough” can never apply to the spiritual life

- Jesus calls us to be servants, using himself as an example

- a true servant never can do enough for the master.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Dunkirk" -- final session

COURAGE, SPECTACULAR AND ORDINARY

The Gospel

JOHN 7:43-52

JOHN 7:43-52

A division occurred in the crowd because of Jesus. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this one.” So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?”
They answered and said to him, "You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."

Gospelthink: It took real courage for Nicodemus to speak up in my favor. Do I speak the words and thoughts of Jesus in my actions?

As the wait continued for the men stranded on the beach of Dunkirk in the movie "Dunkirk," the rescue of the soldiers was nothing short of a miracle. Often named the "Miracle of Dunkirk," soldiers in the air and civilians on the sea showed great heroism in setting up the rescue of nearly 90% of the men who were stranded. The movie points out the courage in particular of the pilot known only as Farrier and the owner of a yacht, Mr. Dawson and his son Peter together with their helper. The courage of those who came to help the soldiers as well as the soldiers themselves was truly unique in the annals of the Second World War.

Anyone facing a hostile crowd literally risks his/her life as they try to carry out their conviction. Nicodemus felt it from the very beginning as he tried to rationally consider what Jesus was saying, and as he tried to treat him as the Pharisees should treat anyone who was portraying popular religious beliefs, namely with respect. His fellow Pharisees, of course, were not ready to hear Jesus's teachings, and so they refused to listen. Nicodemus was placed on the outside just as Jesus was, but his courage to say and do what mattered was one of the brighter moments in Jesus's trial.

There is probably no better place to study the courage of human beings than in places of intense violence. War is one of those places and one can measure courage constantly as the different actions unfold. The rescue of the thousands of soldiers stranded on the beach of Dunkirk as portrayed in the movie "Dunkirk" is one of those places. The movie documents literally hundreds of courageous acts in the air and on the sea as the thousands of men were led to safety.

Christian people are called to courage often in their lifetimes. It may not be in a spectacular way as say the courageous acts at Dunkirk, and certainly many of the moments of courage will never be recognized by any news crew. But they are courageous acts--words of speaking up on behalf of another, actions that help another feel good in moments of crisis, lives dedicated to helping others that no one knows of. The Christian is called to courage every time he/she follows their desire to bring about good in a world too often hurt by evil.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son gave us an example of courage as He redeemed us. May we learn His lesson well and be willing to show the necessary courage to live truly Christian lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is "courage," that is the ability to strengthen our resolve to risk everything in order to help a situation.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 49 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why?
2. In your opinion, why would most of the Pharisees not accept what Jesus was teaching?
3. Give your own definition of "courage."
4, In general, do most Christian religions show true respect for other religions and religious denominations? Yes or no and why?
5. The people who were working on behalf of the people stranded at Dunkirk probably did not think about their courage. As they helped the men who were stranded, what do you think was their main motivation?
6. What are some courageous acts that young people do in their school and college settings?
7. What does the movie "Dunkirk" teach a young person?