September 13 23

September 13
[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, September 13 LUKE 6:39-42 Judging others Prayerthoughts a. If we follow the wrong leader, he/she will lead us astray. We have chosen to follow Jesus. As I look at yesterday, was it evident that Jesus is my guide? b. In many ways, I am a teacher of Jesus’s ways to others. What are the most important things that I should teach others? (This is the task of the meditation.) c. In my thoughts, I often find myself judging others. Who are the people in my life that I judge unjustly? I should say a prayer for each of them that they will follow God’s will. d. In my thoughts, I often find myself saying that some specific others should be doing what I am doing, thus making myself “superior” to them. In what ways has “pride” entered into my thinking? e. The Lord wants us to “see clearly.” What are the most important rules that I should follow if I want to see clearly? f. My prayerthoughts… Today I will carry out letter b.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy SEEING CLEARLY + The concept that Jesus uses in Luke’s Gospel today which is still part of the Sermon on the Plain - namely—“to see clearly”—is a good one to dwell on, - especially in light of the liturgy today + First, as Jesus was using it in the Gospel, - the only way we can see clearly to judge another is to remove the personal plank that blocks our understanding of others - because we are human beings with human natures, - we will naturally compare ourselves to others - and almost every time, we will make ourselves better or criticize another person in a negative way - and we run the risk of this accusation of Jesus - and so we have to consider carefully what we are doing and analyze our thoughts in light of our own problems which often “color” the whole situation - the goal is to see clearly, to see objectively + Secondly, in terms of what Paul was writing to the Corinthians - the way to see clearly is to train ourselves - Paul says that in order to run well, we have to run to win - which involves disciplining the body in order to master it - that is, there are many things that we do and have / which is nothing more than pampering ourselves - we’re not talking about necessities here - but it’s more a question of having too much - and then disciplining ourselves would involve the control of having too much - we should probably give away some of our “too much” in order to truly see clearly +The concept of “seeing clearly” in a general sense is nothing more than introspection - carefully studying the way that we act toward others and toward our everyday living - the only way we can grow spiritually is to study ourselves to see why we do the things that we do; - only when we have accomplished that can we see clearly.
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?