areal may9

May 9

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, May 9, Easter Weekday

JOHN 6:52-59

I tell you plainly that if you receive me in the Eucharist that you will never die.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus is very clear about what the Sacrament of the Eucharist is. Should I spend more time thanking God for the gift of the Eucharist?

b. Since I have received the Eucharist, in a general sense, the Lord remains in me. What should that mean to me in changing my current behavior?

c. Through the Eucharist, the Lord has given me eternal life and a help to a better life here on earth. What contribution am I making to bring about a better life here on earth?

d. The Lord has promised me eternal life because I have received the Eucharist. Not knowing what eternal life is, what are some elements that I think of when I think of eternal life?

e. As I think of the eternal life that the Lord has given me through the Eucharist, have I spent too much time of my life now on material things, and not spiritual things?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read the Acts of the Apostles chapter 9:1-20 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

WHAT GIVES US LIFE?

+ The Acts of the Apostles’ reading today is the classic story of Saul’s conversion

- it is one of a three accounts in the New Testament

- one of the most important happenings in the newly formed Christian church

- Saul becomes God’s instrument

- it took incredible courage to go back to the places where he had been and tell them that he had changed and so should they

+ One of the means that he used, no doubt—he does talk about it as he deals later with the Corinthian church—to bring about the belief that Jesus is Lord was the Eucharist

- the Eucharist that is treated in chapter 6 of John’s Gospel

- in that discourse, Jesus is direct and clear

- he knew that the Jews had a difficult time with eating someone’s flesh and blood

- it went against everything they had been taught

- and everything they believed

- but Jesus says that that is exactly what he is talking about

- in fact, he says:

If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

+ Perhaps the central question here is: what gives us life?

- what gives life to us as spiritual people?

- what are the things that we look toward to guide us and give us good feelings as human beings as we live a spiritual life?

- what should give us life, that is, motivate us in our day-to-day living is our knowledge of what Jesus said to do and think

- too often it is not that at all, but some form of the very human desires of power, pleasure or money, translated as selfishness

- the classic sins that Jesus withstood in the temptations at the beginning of his public life, and in one way or another summarize all of the sins of the modern world

- they are the basic desires of our human nature

+ Jesus tells us today that that which gives life is not the human nature that we want to satisfy--

- it is remaining in him

- and the Eucharist is the means to do that

- that is our goal as spiritual people

- even as we live our lives amid the very human desires that we all have

- we are called to eat his body and drink his blood, and so remain in him

- it is one of the automatic goals of the spiritual life

+ The Eucharist will always be one of our means of ongoing conversion to the Lord

- as it was for Paul.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Suit & Tie" -- Justin Timberlake

THE SWING OF SHOWING LOVE

The Gospel

JOHN 2:1-3

JOHN 2:1-3

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

Gospelthink: I celebrated life just like everyone else. Do I celebrate the moments of living that I am involved in with love?

"I can't wait 'till I get you on the floor; we don't mind all the watching 'cause if they study close, they might learn something. And as long as I got my suit and tie, I'ma leave it all on the floor tonight. And you got fixed up to the nines. Let me show you a few things. All pressed up in black and white, and you’re dressed in that dress I like. Love is swinging in the air tonight. Let me show you a few things about love. Now, we’re in the swing of love."

The Gospels never talk about romantic dancing, mainly because the preparation for marriage in Jesus' time did not include any personal choice of a future partner. But there was no doubt celebration with dancing after the choice for marriage was made. We know that Jesus and his disciples were invited to such a marriage at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, and Jesus also spoke of dancing during his stay with us on earth. He obviously knew that dancing was a way of showing love. He had studied King David, for instance who had such an overwhelming love for God present in the ark of God that "he came dancing before the Lord with abandon" (2 Samuel 6:14).

Dancing is still a part of wedding celebrations, of course. Justin Timberlake in his song "Suit & Tie" is not singing specifically of a wedding celebration (although the song seems to indicate that a wedding may be part of the couple's future), but he is singing of dancing as a statement of love. It is a love song, extolling the art of dancing and dressing up for that dancing.

In our society today, dancing is still a statement of love. It is only part of the showing of love, of course, but a common one for couples in love. Perhaps the lesson for all of us, whether we are involved in romantic love or not, is the need that we have to show our love after we have said it.

Taking the lesson from people who are romantically involved in love, people who follow Christian doctrine must see the necessity to do more than simply "talk love." If love really is present, we will show it by our actions, we will speak it in the words that we say, and most of all, certainly the more difficult, we will think it in the thoughts that we have.

Perhaps Jesus' lesson to us about love is what dancing is to romantic love. If we truly love another, we will show it in an external way.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, through your Son Jesus you call us to love. At times, it will be a romantic love if we think of marriage. Give us the grace to learn about true love and show it by our actions. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL FULFILLMENT

Theme: When we truly love another, we may show it in an external way like dancing.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. We know that marriages were "arranged" in Jesus' time. What are the advantages to such a practice? What are the disadvantages?
2. The Gospel of John never mentions the name of the mother of Jesus in his Gospel. In your opinion, what may be a reason?
3. Project: the presenter may want to give a short history of marriage. The Catholic Encyclopedia is an excellent source.
4. Text analysis: "If they study close, they might learn something." What can we learn from people in love?
5. Text analysis: "As long as I got my suit and tie, I'ma leave it all on the floor." What is the meaning of the sentence?
6. Text analysis: "Let me show you a few things about love." What are the things about romantic love that everyone must know?
7. Text analysis: "We are in the swing of love." What is the meaning of the sentence?
8. Project: the presenter may want to give a short history of the reason for dancing in our world.
9. The meditation quotes the Hebrew book of 2 Samuel and the fact that King David danced "with abandon" before God. What does the phrase mean?
10. In our world today, is every dance an expression of love of the other? Yes or no and why?
11. In our world today, what is the most important part of a wedding? What should be the most important part? Why?
12. In general, do Christians honestly show the love of Jesus to others? Yes or no and why?
13. What is the best way to bring about loving thoughts about others?
14. What is the best way a Christian has of "showing love"?
15. What does the song “Suit & Tie” teach young people?