TGIMMbreak

November 3

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Monday, November 3

LUKE 14:12-14
I teach you about real generosity and humility.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus teaches humility again, saying that you do not sponsor a banquet for those who will pay you back. That is the wrong reason for giving a banquet. Do I spend time giving to others only to have them give back to me, or am I truly generous in my actions?

b. You invite people for the sake of being a truly giving people. Do I give things to others for their benefit?

c. The Lord speaks specifically of the poor and the hurting in society. Do I take particular pains to help the poor and/or homeless in my community in some way?

d. Jesus gives a "prerequisite" for entering the Kingdom, namely true selflessness, not worrying about what you will get in this world. Am I too concerned about myself as I go about my activities?

e. My prayerthougths...

Today, I will read Romans 11:29-36 and write an
important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE IMPORTANCE OF “THE OTHER”

+ Both readings can be framed around the question: “Why do we give to one another?”

- from the reading from Paul to the Romans, we give to one another because such is the call of God:

- God has given to us—“how unsearchable his ways”

- now we must give back to God

- with Jesus in Luke’s Gospel

- we give to others because everyone is as deserving as we are

+ The question of giving to others is an important one for a deeper spiritual life

- it involves first of all, a proper understanding of others and their importance in life

- too often we think in terms of comparison with others when we think of them

- and as we compare ourselves with them, we are often very critical of them

- the truly spiritual person will look at everyone as important with no comparison

- and this sets up an attitude

- an attitude of “Since others are just as important as I am, and I am just as important as they are, I will act in such and such a way”

- such a person can never look down on others, no matter who they are

- and consequently will treat everyone with the utmost respect

+ And secondly, the proper giving to others involves giving with no thought of repayment

- difficult to do in this world that is so centered—and rightly so—on justice

- with the true idea of giving, we should be going far beyond justice

- we should be giving of ourselves with no thought of getting paid for it in any way

- and when we are paid—as in our work, or that which is our livelihood, true giving means giving more than is required

- going further than what we are paid for

+ In Christianity, the other person, the Neighbor, capital N, is always of supreme importance

- the truly spiritual person must understand how important the other is.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Break Free" -- Ariana Grande featuring Zedd

LETTING GO AND MOVING ON

The Gospel

MARK 1:4-5

John [the] Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

Gospelthink: You must acknowledge your sinfulness also. Do I, and do I really want to do something better about my behavior?

"I should’ve said it before: I can’t pretend anymore. I only wanna die alive, never by the hands of a broken heart. Don’t wanna hear you lie tonight, now that I’ve become who I really are. This is the part when I say I don’t want ya. I’m stronger than I’ve been before. This is the part when I break free ‘cause I can’t resist it no more."

The theme of romantic breakups is a common one in the media of today. Because of our Western custom of choosing romantic partners, we have forced our young and even older people into the possibility of making important choices that affect our future. As a result there will be many times when we are not sure about a relationship, and we will spend a significant amount of time invested in a relationship only to find out that it will not work out.

Such is the case described in Ariana Grande's song "Break Free." It is a song initiating a breakup and the lady in the song feels good and stronger because she can do it. She realized that she had to let go of the past and then move on.

We can generalize the thought into life relatively easily because life experience lends itself to studying what is right or wrong about a situation and then making a decision. Sometimes we must choose an entirely different path from the one we have chosen, admit our incorrect decision and change. It seems that the people "of the Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem" were in such a condition. No doubt an exaggeration, it is still a statement that the people realized the error of past ways and after hearing the preaching of John the Baptist, decided that they had to change.

Given the nature of our humanity, it will often become clear that we should choose another way of acting that is different from what we have chosen. We can sense that what we are doing is just not the right thing. Someone may have mentioned it to us, or we hear it in the words of an inspiring person or an inspiring book like the Bible. However it comes, it becomes clear that we have to let go of the past.

The difficulties of a romantic breakup are not pleasant, but they can serve as a lesson when we understand that we have to break with a former way of living and move on to something better.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we know that there is a necessity to change our life patterns at times. Your Son and servants like John the Baptist pointed it out to us. Help us understand when we must change and give us the courage to carry it out. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Sometimes we must let the past go and move on in life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In your opinion, what is the sin in our world today about which we should be most concerned?
2. In your opinion, why did John he Baptist have such a great following of people?
3. At the present time, is there a person that the world follows the way the people of Judea followed John the Baptist? Yes or no and if yes, who would it be?
4. Text analysis: "I only wanna die alive." What is the meaning of the sentence?
5. Text analysis: "Never by the hands of a broken heart." What is the meaning of the phrase?
6. In what ways do people "lie" while dealing with romantic love?
7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of people choosing their own partners as we do in the Western world?
8. How can someone feel stronger after a breakup?
9. How difficult is it for a young person to change? How difficult is it for an older person to change?
10. What would cause a person to change in a radical way?
11. In your opinion, could something that a person says change a person in a significant way? Yes or no and why?
12. What does the song "Break Free" teach young people?