May 6

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Tuesday, May 6, Easter Weekday

JOHN 6:30-35

I am the bread of life.

Prayerthoughts
a. What do I consider to be “the works of God” in my life?

b. How often do I give evidence of the fact that I believe?

c. The Israelites refer to the manna sent to their ancestors during their sojourn in the desert after they left Egypt. The Lord God took care of them. Am I sufficiently thankful that the Lord takes care of me?

d. Jesus is referring to the Eucharist as he says that his Father sends down the bread from heaven. The Father has given us this bread in the Eucharist. Do I show the proper reverence for the Eucharist in my spiritual life?

e. Do I concentrate during Mass as much as I should?

f. When I receive the Eucharist, do I make a proper thanksgiving for what the Lord has done?

g. What effects in my life should the Eucharist have? (This is the task of the meditation.)

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will carry out letter g.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

OPEN TO LISTEN
+ Both readings speak of being open to listen to the Lord
          - in the Act of the Apostles, Paul is on his second missionary journey
                     - he runs across a woman named Lydia
                               -  and the Lord opened her heart to the message of Paul
          - the apostles in the Gospel would eventually be open to listen to the Lord
                     - Jesus says that the apostles will testify to him—
                               - that is, they will be open to listen to him
                                         - whereas the people who would persecute them (eventually kill them) were not able to be open to listen
 
+ Obviously, if we are followers of Jesus, we have to be open to listen to the Lord
          - and this liturgy suggests a couple of ways that that might happen:
                     - 1 - from the Acts of the Apostles, we have to be open to listen to others when they talk of the Lord
                               - as Lydia and her household were
                                         - if we are willing to study the sincere belief of others, the chances are that we will grow in our faith
                     - 2 – also from the Acts of the Apostles, our lives have to be in a stance of prayer
                               - I think that it is significant that Paul and Luke were looking for a place of prayer
                                         - the application for us is that we always should be looking for the opportunity to remain with the Lord
                                                   - the Lord must become an active force in our lives
                     - 3 – from the Gospel, we must realize that the Holy Spirit (the Advocate) is directing the things that are happening in our lives
                               - and our sincere prayer must be to allow that Spirit to direct the way things should happen
                     - 4 – also from the Gospel, there must be a certain understanding that suffering must be “listened to” as part of the word of the Lord
                               - we will not have the personal rejection that the apostles had
                                         - but there is suffering in our lives
                                                   - and it is something that must be dealt with and integrated into our lives
                     - 5 – finally from the Gospel again, the way that we listen is to remember who the Lord was and what he was all about
                               - that is what we are doing right now and what we do with every celebration of the Mass
                                         - we remember what the Lord has done for us and is doing for us right now
 
+ Being open to listen to the Lord is part of our calling
          - the Lord is speaking to us
                     - and the believer will always be paying attention to what the Lord says.









MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Shallow" -- Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

"FALLING" AND THEN LOVE

 

The Gospel

JOHN 15:14-17

JOHN 15:14-17

[Jesus said:] “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

Gospelthink: I have chosen you to help this world by love. Am I being faithful to my call?

“Tell me somethin’ girl,” the man sings, “are you happy in this modern world or do you need more? I’m falling.” And then the lady sings, “Tell me somethin’, boy, aren’t you tired tryin to fill that void? I’m falling.”

When Jesus spoke specifically about friendship in the Gospel of John, it was with the idea of being close to his Father. Since he had told his Apostles everything that the Father had revealed to him, the Apostles had a special place in his heart. Jesus called it a place in which everyone was equal, a place in which the Apostles should consider themselves "chosen" to be friends of Jesus. Within the friendship, the guide was "love." "This I command you," he says, "love one another." As they ministered to the world, their mission was to move everyone to search for love.

Love, as these songs speak of, is romantic love. Two people attracted to one another are discovering whether their love is one that turns into a commitment for life. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper sing of that search in the movie "A Star is Born" and in the song "Shallow." Their love may be "shallow" at first as they discover that love, but it gradually grows into a real commitment the more they interact with each other. They both feel that they are "falling" and they need someone to help them in some way.

The lesson is relatively simple to say--search for love, and when you find it, make a commitment to another. But it is immensely difficult to carry out. For most people, it may take years to be sure of the love they feel. They must work at finding it even as they are "falling" as the song describes it. That takes time and energy and real effort even as they must live their lives with all the different directions their lives take them. They truly are searching for the love that they desire.

Something should be said also about love which is not romantic in its origin. Jesus wanted his disciples to preach his message of love to everyone. It is true that we are all "falling" in one way or another, and we need the help of others who honestly love us just as we must honestly love them as they fall.  Jesus' directive is of immense importance for the salvation of our world--love one another, and keep searching to understand how we can truly love everyone.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son taught us the importance of love. Many of us desire it as we are involved romantically. Help us understand also that we must search for ways to show love to all. Be with us, we pray.

 

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GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: In life, romantic and otherwise, we must try to search for love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Shallow" teach young people today?
2. What is your definition of "friendship"?
3. It is obvious that we do not all love each other as we should. What is the best way for us to learn to truly love another?
4. Most of the songs we listen to, whatever genre, are love songs. What is the most important part of the virtue of love?
5. Why at times do many young people feel as though they are "falling"?
6.  At what age is the best age to commit ourselves to a permanent commitment such as marriage?
7. Is it asking too much of the Christian world to truly love one another? Yes or no and why?

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America