September 16

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Monday, September 16

LUKE 7:1-10

The centurion showed great faith in me.

Prayerthoughts
a. The Lord continues to speak to me as he spoke to the people of his day. What are the Lord's most important words to me?

b. The centurion was not only a Gentile; he was in the service of the Romans. Yet, even though he may have been rough and harsh at times, he is still concerned about his servant. Do I show enough concern for all others, no matter who they are?

c. Am I convinced that Jesus will be with me always and that he will always send “the word” to help me?

d. The centurion shows remarkable humility as he deals with Jesus. Do I have the same type of humility as I work with the people around me?

e. Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith, saying probably in exaggeration, that he had not seen such faith among his own people. What are the ways I can strengthen my faith?

f. What are the signs of faith that I should be showing as I live my life?

g. My prayerthoughts...

Today, I will write my own act of faith.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

FAITH THAT MEANS SOMETHING

+ One of the reasons for the Liturgy of the Word in our Mass

- is what might be referred to as possible behavior change:

- if we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, that should do something to us—you can’t just be an admirer of Jesus, there has to be personal involvement

- and so every liturgical gathering like today’s Mass is a time to review our behavior and see whether there should be a change or not

+ Put in terms of the Gospel, our faith should do something to us

- the fact that we have faith in Jesus must have an effect in our lives

- one of the problems with the early church’s community was that they often didn’t have the faith they needed

- and so the evangelists—here, Luke—hammer away at faith, recalling how Jesus called on faith throughout his ministry

- here with a Gentile, who was polite enough to realize that a Jew risks ritual defilement to enter a Gentile home

- and so he states the now famous—because of our liturgy—statement about not being worthy

- but the big thing about the centurion was that his faith in Jesus meant something

- he was humble enough to recognize the importance of others—the Jews and their customs

- and even though he wanted his slave to be better, he was aware of the Jewish customs, he was interested in their customs

- so much so that Jesus says:

I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.

- the centurion’s faith in Jesus meant something to him, concern for others—not only his slave, but the Jewish people

+ And, from the first reading,

- Paul is letting the Corinthians know what he thinks of their faith, especially as it is centered around the Eucharist

- they were celebrating the Eucharist without real concern for others, and so he tells them that their celebration ought to bring about a true unity:

“When you come together…wait for one another.”

- saying basically, that their faith in Jesus had to change their behavior toward one another

+ We say that we have faith in Jesus Christ—or else we wouldn’t be here—

- it ought to mean something, and therefore be able to bring about behavior change when it is necessary

- and here, behavior change with regard to how we treat one another.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Eyes Closed" -- Ed Sheeran

DEALING WITH THE CARDS LIFE DEALT

The Gospel

MATTHEW 9:20-22

A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind [Jesus] and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured.

Gospelthink: I reward a person's faith.

"I know it’s a bad idea, but how can I help myself? Been inside for most this year, and I thought a few drinks they might help, it's been a while, my dear, dealing with the cards life dealt. I'm still holding back these tears while my friends are somewhere else. Every song reminds me you’re gone, and I feel the lump in my throat cause I’m here alone. Just dancing with my eyes closed ‘cause everywhere I look I still see you and time is moving so slow, and I don’t know what else that I can do, so I’ll keep dancing with my eyes closed,"

Things happen whether we like it or not. The car breaks down. We are involved in an accident that causes some pain, often debilitating either physically or mentally. We are a victim of a disease. We grow older and simply cannot function like we used to. Reality.

Reality is often not very pretty, but it is reality, and it cannot be denied. What happens after we realize it is a matter of personal choice. We place it into our consciousness, and then decide whether we want to do anything about it. Sometimes we may not want to do anything; sometimes, it may not even help to do anything. But sometimes we can do something, and it can be significant for our lives.

The lady in the healing story of Matthew's Gospel had accepted her ailment for twelve years. No doubt she had tried her best to do something about it; she had even consulted the so-called experts of her time, the doctors. There was nothing anyone could do, and so when she heard of Jesus, she turned to him. And more than that--she believed that he could do something about it.

Ed Sheeran’s song "Eyes Closed" describes a real situation that is significant for a person that is trying to get over the pain of the loss of someone close. In his mind, the way to deal with the negative reality was to allow music and rhythm to heal. As he explains in the song, he was "dealing with the cards that life dealt." For him, dancing with his eyes closed was the remedy to the reality that he had to face.

Perhaps one of the most important indications of how we live our lives is how we deal with the "cards that life" deals. We can feel sorry for ourselves and complain to whomever will listen. Or we can do something about it. We can face whatever it is and determine a course of action that will address the problem.

Such a course of action can have a temporary result or a permanent one. The song's solution of "dancing with your eyes closed" may give some relief, but perhaps the decision to do something that will last a little longer is more appropriate. The thought of the lady in the Gospel should be the approach of every Christian believer. Whatever cards are dealt to us, we can turn to our God, and listen to Him tell us what to do.

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, we make decisions all the time, and sometimes those decisions are not good and end up hurting us. Also things happen that are disappointments to us. Give us the grace to learn to adjust to whatever happens in our lives, and then move on with the help of your grace. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must find a way to deal with the difficulties of life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Eyes Closed" teach young people?
2. As you study our world over the past couple years, what are the most important realities that have happened, and how have we adjusted to them?
3. How do most people react to a tragedy that has happened to them or their family?
4. What can I do to help someone who has suffered some tragedy?
5. In your opinion, do you think that simply "ignoring" a problem really works?
6. The meditation suggests that an indication of how we live our lives is how we adjust to the things that happen. Do you agree or disagree?
7. How does our faith in God help with any tragedy?