November 29 

   [media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, November 29

LUKE 21:29-33
Know for certain that these things will come to pass, and my words will last forever.


Prayerthoughts
a. The Lord goes to nature in order to talk about eternal life., and in particular, trees here. Do I have a proper reverence for nature and what God has created? Perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving for creation is in order here.

b. The Lord points out that if people can read the signs in nature, they should be able to the signs of the coming of spiritual happenings (i.e. The Kingdom of God). Am I developing a strong spiritual life as I live my life?

c. "This generation" can refer to the generation as Jesus was speaking, thinking of "these things" to be the Jewish revolt which happened between 66 and 70 AD or a timeless reference to the end of the world which is always imminent. What is the best way for me to prepare for my death?

d. The Lord's words will never pass away. Do I read from the Scriptures as often as I should?

e. As I read those Scriptures, what are the most important words spoken to me in particular?

f. My prayerthoughts...

 

Today, I will read Revelation, chapter 20

and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

 

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS HERE

 

+ If one were to ask what the central doctrine of Jesus in the Scriptures would be,

          - Scripture scholars will tell you that it is not love, or forgiveness, or peace

                    - all of them are part of the central doctrine

          - the doctrine that is central is the third mystery of the mysteries of the Rosary proclaimed by John Paul II called the mysteries of Light

                    - the central doctrine of Jesus is the idea and concept of the Kingdom of God

                              - all of his doctrine fits into this one idea in one way or another

 

+ In the Gospel today, as Luke thinks of what Jesus said in his lifetime, apparently Jesus in his human form thought that the Kingdom of God was going to come relatively soon in or shortly after his life

          - saying in the Gospel that the Kingdom is near

          - also that Kingdom was understood to be proclaimed by the Hebrew Scriptures as well

                    - in the first reading from the book of Revelation, it is described in terms of a “new heaven and a new earth”

                              - once the evil one has been conquered, now the judgment takes place

                              - and you’re led to believe that the new heaven and new earth will be open to all of the elect, to all of those who have done good according to their deeds

 

+Obviously, since this doctrine of Jesus is central for him, a whole course of Scripture and applications can be built around it

          - for our spiritual lives, it is simply important that we are living within the Kingdom of God right now

                    - trying to develop ourselves and our world according to the concepts that Jesus taught about the Kingdom

          - perhaps there are two principal ideas about the Kingdom that we can think about today:

          1 – that it is open to everyone

                    - and therefore everyone is important in the Kingdom

                              - giving rise to our doctrine of concern for others and the importance of love of enemies that is such a major part of the doctrine of Kingdom of God as Jesus taught it

          2 – it is not for the hypocritical

                    - the principal difficulty Jesus had with the religious leaders in the Gospels, as evidenced in so many chapters of those Gospels

                              - was that the religious leaders above all should have understood religion, and they did not

                                        - because they made it a show

                                                  - they only acted like it was important

                    - in terms of the Kingdom, if we are part of the Kingdom—and we all are—then religion must be real and not just something we talk about

 

+ The doctrine of the Kingdom of God is very simple for us right now

          - we are living within it

                    - and therefore our actions should show it.











MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Victoria's Secret"--Jax
CASHING IN ON BODY ISSUES



 

The Gospel

JOHN 6:37-40

John 6:37-40

Jesus said, "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.  And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day."

Gospelthink: We are truly blessed by God. 



"All bodies aren’t the same, photoshop itty-bitty models on magazine covers, told me I was overweight. I stopped eating, what a bummer, can’t have carbs and a hot girl summer. I’d say: I know Victoria’s secret and girl, you wouldn’t believe she’s an old man who lives in Ohio making money off of girls like me, cashing in on body issues, selling skin and bones with big boobs. She was made up by a dude, Victoria was made up by a dude.”

 According to its author, the song "Victoria's Secret" was written for a girl who was insulted by someone who called her "fat." She and her friends had gone into the store chain "Victoria's Secret" with the intention of buying their first bikini bathing suits for a pool party. Someone offered the insult, and the singer remembered her feelings when someone called her that word.

Basically the song says that you really don't need to worry about what others say or what the media of our day says. We are all developing in a normal way, and once we truly realize that, then we can adjust to being the person that we want to be, given the circumstances of our growth pattern.

Jesus did not talk about eating disorders or discovering ways to look pretty or handsome as we grow. But he did talk about being happy and the reason to be happy. In his Last Discourse, a Christian believer hears Jesus say that we are all loved and have the chance to eternal happiness. Such is the will of His Father, and therefore, "I will not reject anyone who comes to me." Tranlasted into modern "love" language, it says that everyone of us is loved by our God. If we make the effort to come to our God, God will not reject us. It doesn't matter how we look, what we wear, or whether someone considers us "pretty" or "handsome." God is with you--end of story, no matter what.

It leads to the fact that it simply doesn't matter what degree of "beautiful" we possess. We are all beautiful in the sense that God has created us, we grow as God wants us to grow, and God loves us happiness no matter what.

We can improve ourselves, to be sure, and we should in the sense of cleanliness and fostering healthy hygiene, but even before we make the improvement, indeed, perhaps the only way that we can make any personal improvement is to recognize that we are beautiful simply because God created us that way.

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, one of the most important facts for any one of us human beings is that we are good, indeed, beautiful because You have created us, and given us Your life. Give us the grace to truly understand it in our lives. Be with us, we pray.

 

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We do not need to follow what someone else says in order to be loved.


1. What does the song "Victoria's Secret" teach young people?
2. Recognizing that our God has told us that He will never reject us should lead to sincere thanksgiving on our parts. How can we show true thankfulness to God?
3. The store chain was not founded by "dude," but like many places, it "plays" on our desires to beautify ourselves. In general, is that a good thing? Yes or no and why?
4. Many young people are hurt by the words of others, especially with regard to their weight and natural beautiness. What is the best way to help the people who are hurt by such comments?
5. It is important to see that Jesus did not talk about "beauty" in the sense that our modern culture does. In general, what does Jesus want most of all from us as we develop into maturity? That is, what should we be most concerned about as we grow into maturity?
6. What are the characteristics of true "beauty" in human beings?
7. You may want to compare this song to Alessia Cara's song "Scars to Your Beautiful."   

 

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