September 13 23

September 13
[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, September 13 LUKE 6:43-49 Following through with Jesus’s words Prayerthoughts a. Obviously, I want to say that if I were a tree, I would bear good fruit. Are there some areas in my life right now where I could do better than I am? *b. Realizing that you don’t know how people feel about you, do you think* that most people around you think of you as “good”? c. Are there some areas of my life where I say what the Lord teaches but do not follow through? d. Thinking of Jesus’s comparison of buildings built on rock and sand, think of an example of something built solidly on rock. e. Think of an example of something built on sand. f. My prayerthoughts… Today I will read 1 Timothy 1:15-17 and write an important thought from it.**
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy ACTING ON THE WORD OF GOD + In the Gospel today, Jesus concludes what Scripture scholars call the “Sermon on the Plain” - Matthew had Jesus speak these words and many others in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 - here in Luke chapter 6, Luke has Jesus give some essential moral directives and what they should mean for our lives + In his story about the tree, Jesus asks the question: what are your actions showing to others? - I have a priest friend who says that people are either basically good or basically bad - and you can tell by how they act when they are upset - the basically good person will generally allow the situation that upsets them to pass without referring to it too much - the basically bad person will consider the situation as if it were the worst problem in the world - it is very telling to study how we react to someone who is not driving the way we think they should for example - or how we act toward people that we don’t agree with - Paul realized in his letter to Timothy that God had been completely merciful to him—completely, calling himself the foremost sinner - we have to admit that we too are sinners - and that we do things that are hypocritical, especially in the area of treating people or not treating people well + We hear Jesus’ words about the person who listens to him and puts his words in practice - and his comparison in yet another story about the building constructed on rock - the obvious conclusion is the same as that of the story of the good and bad tree: we have to put into practice the words that we hear from Jesus - it has been the problem with many of the people in our Church’s past - we have great theology, a marvelous system of what our belief is, and what our morals are - but even with that theology, we have horrible crimes that can be shown - both on the part of the people in the Church and the clergy - the study of church history is all too often the study of the opposite to saintliness and holiness - simply put, it is so much easier to say that we are Christian than to carry it out - in my opinion, this is the biggest problem in our Church right now: - too many Catholic Christians are not carrying out what their Christian words say that they should be doing + One of the attitudes that you and I have to adopt as Christians - is to be fully aware of what we pray, what we say, what we believe—what our theology is - and then, with just as much enthusiasm, carry it out - if we would, there would be an aura of Christianity around our homes and around the places where we work - there would be peace and harmony, - because we would be not only hearing the word of God, but acting on it.
MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: "Cooler Than Me" -- Mike Posner THE NOISE OF PRIDE

*The Gospel

LUKE 17:7-10

[Jesus said:] "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Gospelthink: I tell you that you must look upon yourself as a servant. In my attitude toward others, do I see myself as their servant?

"If I could write you a song and make you fall in love, I would already have you up under my arm. I used up all of my tricks; I hope that you like this. But you probably won’t, you think you’re cooler than me. You got designer shades just to hide your face and you wear them around like you’re cooler than me. And you never say, ‘hey’, or remember my name. It’s probably ‘cause you think you’re cooler than me. You got your high brow shoes on your feet, but you don't know the way that you look, when your steps make that much noise."

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, a capital sin is that which has an exceedingly desirable end so that in one's desire for it, the person goes on to the commission of many sins, all of which are said to originate in that sin as their chief source. And first and foremost among the capital sins is the sin of pride or vainglory. It was the sin which transformed Lucifer into Satan, and is called the sin of sins.

The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self and the only way to determine it is by taking the time to study our motives, why we do certain things. It comes out in the way that we look at our own abilities, and especially in the way we look on others. Mike Posner in his song "Cooler Than Me" sings about a person who is taken up with herself, and therefore a victim of pride. "You don't know," he sings, "the way that you look--when your steps make that much noise." The noise he is referring to is the noise of pride: it is drowning out any possibility of the love they could have for each other.

The remedy to pride? It begins with recognizing our own problem. We must force ourselves to see that God has given us all a life that we are to develop. We are all equal--no one is more important than anyone else. We are all called to live our lives the best we know how, and when we do, we are doing nothing more than our duty. As Jesus reminds us, we are unprofitable servants, and we are only doing what we should be doing in the first place.

In the romantic world, as Mike Posner sings, a relationship will go nowhere when there is too much pride involved. It is a fact of life as well. The first sin is pride: it destroys everything. Once we have fallen into it, it will destroy our lives. We must understand the noise that it makes by analyzing ourselves. In the Christian reality, such analysis happens during informal prayer. During such a prayer time when we are doing nothing but thinking with God quietly, we learn to look at our lives in light of what Jesus said and did. It will enable us to understand our motivation a little more, and lead us to the way that Jesus wants.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we are sinful people because in so many ways, we are full of pride. Often we do not recognize it at all. Help us see what causes our pride by helping us understand our motivation better. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: A relationship will go nowhere when there is too much pride involved.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The context of the Gospel is that the disciples are probably too self-assured because of their relationship with Jesus, and therefore a little proud. Jesus points out that their service does not make them special. God loves all of us and expects us to carry out our duties, no matter who they are. What is required of you most right now?
2. The remedy to pride lies in understanding that everyone of us is important to God, and therefore in a sense “the same.” What is the best way for people to show that everyone is important in God’s eyes?
3. Can someone ever “make” another fall in love? Yes or no and why?
4. The meditation interprets the song to say that the person in the song’s girlfriend is too preoccupied with self. Give some examples of someone who is preoccupied with self.
5. Project: outline the seven capital or deadly sins, and explain their significance in today’s world. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, number 1866.
6. In your opinion, why is “pride” the first and foremost capital sin?
7. Do you think that most people take some actual time to study their motivation as they live? Yes or no and why?
8. Sometimes “pride” is a good virtue. When is “pride” justifiable?
9. How does the sin of pride destroy our lives?
10. What does the song “Cooler Than Me” teach young people?

ACTING ON THE WORD OF GOD