TGIMMlocked

September 10

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, September 10

LUKE 6:20-26
I speak the Beatitudes that speak of real living.

Prayerthoughts
a. Have I used any wealth I have not only to my advantage but to help others?

b. Am I always satisfying myself, and forgetting that I should not give in to being self-serving? As I go through my day yesterday for example, was I more interested in satisfying self than others?

c. When people dislike me for whatever reason, am I willing to accept it and not give into feeling sorry for myself?

d. Am I a joyful person, able to accept adversity and problems as I place my hope in God?

e. Is it clear from my lifestyle that I need God to be part of my life, that God is part of my day-to-day living?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Colossians, chapter 3:1-11, and write an
important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE POOR FOR GOD

+ The so-called Sermon on the Plain begins in Luke’s Gospel in today’s Gospel reading

- compared to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, chapters 5-7, it is shorter and not as comprehensive

+ The Sermon’s center comes from the first beatitude (different from Matthew’s, since it is much stricter)

- the “poor for God” is the group who acknowledges the need for salvation

- they recognize that they will have to suffer hunger, sorrow and hatred as part of their heritage

- the opposite of those ideas—being rich, no hunger, laughing, others speaking well of them are ephemeral and passing fancies compared to the serious business of following Jesus

- following Jesus is much more important than being rich, full, laughing and having others speak well of you

- and so the beatitude actually is: “Blessed are the people who acknowledge salvation, no matter what their external circumstances; woe to you who are interested only in passing things”

+ Paul wrote to the Colossians, expressing the same thing more or less:

- set your heart on what pertains to higher realms, he says, since you have been raised in Christ’s company, and be intent on things above rather than on things of earth

+ The application to us, people who are striving to grow spiritually, might be this:

- the spiritual person—what we are called to be—will be a part of the “poor for God”

- he/she will recognize the absolute need for God and salvation

- and his/her life will reflect that in every way

- if that life has good elements to it, so be it

- they are not important

- in Paul’s thought, they are the things of earth

- if that life has tough elements to it, so be it

- these things will pass and they are really not important either

- but the person who suffers these things will be the better off because such a person will better see and understand how important God is

- in Paul’s thought, they are the things above

+ The thought of our meditation today is a basic one: the poor for God will keep the proper focus in life

- and we are called to be part of them.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Locked Away" -- R City featuring Adam Levine
WOULD YOU STILL LOVE ME

The Gospel

LUKE 23:27-28

[As Jesus was carrying his cross,] a large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children."

Gospelthink: As I was carrying the cross (along with Simon of Cyrene), I appreciated the concern of some women. Have I appreciated the concern that others show me?

"If I got locked away, and we lost it all today, tell me honestly, would you still love me the same? If I showed you my flaws, if I couldn't be strong, tell me honestly, would you still love me the same? Right about now, if a judge for life me, would you stay by my side? Or is you gonna say goodbye? Can you tell me right now? If I couldn't buy you the fancy things in life, would it be alright? Come and show me that you are down. Now tell me would you really ride for me? Tell me would you die for me? Would you spend your whole life with me? Would you be there to always hold me down? Tell me would you really cry for me? Don't lie to me: if I didn't have anything, I wanna know would you stick around?"

R City and Adam Levine's song "Locked Away" is an extended question in the form of individual questions that one of the couples in a relationship is asking. It concerns the permanent commitment that the couple is about to make and presents an examination of conscience of sorts for a person who is about to commit him/herself to something, in the song, to marriage.

Summarizing the questions into one, one might label it: "Do we intend to make a permanent commitment that will cover every possible situation that will happen?" We, human beings often say words that convey a promise that we never really intend. We may not have thought through exactly what the words mean or could mean in situations that become challenging and difficult. We may think thoughts like "I could never have known this when I said that I was committed to it."

Jesus never had such a moment with his commitment to redeem us. He was our redeemer to the end of his life. It is especially seen at the time of his death. The women who met him on his way to Calvary were despondent when they saw the cruelty of the human beings who caused his suffering. But his words, ever the redeemer and teacher, restated his desire, telling the women not to worry about what was happening to him, but to worry about their own redemptive work in their lives.

You and I make permanent commitments. We say to a lover that we will always be devoted to them. We say to the Lord that we will give ourselves to him through thick and thin. We say to a friend that we will never forget them. But our track record often does not match the significance of the words we speak. We must look at the example of the person who committed himself to our redemption or study the words of R City and Adam Levine's song to honestly understand a true commitment.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son committed himself to be our Redeemer, and he never backed down from doing it well. Help us to study any words of commitment that we make, and give us the grace to carry them out. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: A true commitment will mean the complete acceptance of whatever happens as part of the commitment.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. One of the resolutions to the Gospel of Luke is that "large crowds" must follow Jesus. In your opinion, do Christians follow Jesus as much as they should? Yes or no and why?
2. What does the passion of Jesus Christ teach us?
3. The song could easily be used as part of preparation for marriage. In your opinion, speaking in a general way, do the couples of our world prepare well for marriage? Yes or no and why?
4. Our divorce rate is very high--over 50%. What is the best way to prevent divorce in our world today? 5. Speaking in a general way, do the people of our world understand what a permanent commitment is? Yes or no and why?
6. Why is the excuse "I never knew what I was getting into" not a good one to use to get out of a commitment?
7. In general, why do people use words like "always" and "forever" too much?
8. What does the song "Locked Away" teach young people?