Some
Thoughts on the Liturgy
CHILDREN
OF THE LIGHT
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In the first reading, as yesterday’s reading, Paul is again
concerned about the end of the world, “the day of the Lord”
as he calls it
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he tells the Thessalonians that they do not have to fear and
uses one of those spiritual phrases that is good to meditate on
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he calls the people who have accepted Jesus Christ “children
of the light”
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because Jesus has forever banished darkness, there is no need
to be concerned
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so, he says, you must behave as children of the light
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The Gospel gives us one of those characteristics of people who
call themselves children of the light
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as Jesus, the Christian must be interested and concerned about
the liberation of those who are oppressed by evil
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“the spirit of an unclean demon” means various things in
Scripture
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but one of them deals with the control that evil has in a
person’s life, the darkness that Paul referred to
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evil is controlling the situation in the man’s life
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and Jesus addresses that evil directly
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freeing the man from the evil
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Children of the light will want to free their world from evil
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and one of the ways to do it is to shake up the status quo that
allows evil
- children of the light will simply not allow evil to
control a situation, if he/she can possibly prevent it
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I find it interesting that Jesus rebuked the evil of speech
in the man with the unclean spirit
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not speaking ill of others is one of those areas of Scripture
that we should listen to closely
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it happens on different levels, but what we should be concerned
about—it happens on our own personal level
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we often are in a group that is hurting another’s reputation
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or one-on-one with a person who is not a professional and
talking evil of another
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The spiritual person is a person who can be labeled “a child
of the light”
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and today we hear that one of the characteristics of children
of the light is that such a one attacks evil, especially the
evil of speaking ill of others whenever it is present in one’s
life.
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MEDIA
PRESENTATION
Song:
"Greedy" – Tate McRae
BEING
“TOO GREEDY” WITH LOVE
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LUKE
12:13-15
Someone
in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to
share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against
all greed, for thought one may be rich, one’s life does
not consist of possessions.”
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Gospelthink:
A follower of mine will not be into greed.
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“He
says, ‘Are you serious,’ I’ve tried, but I can’t
figure out; I’ve been next to you all night and still
don’t know what you’re about.” But she says, “I
would want myself. Please believe me. I’ll
put you through hell just to know me, so sure of yourself,
don’t get greedy—that stuff won’t end well.”
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Jesus
knew about being greedy. He understood that it was nothing
more than selfishness and so he warns those who follow him:
“Take care to guard against all greed.” It is
significant that he says “all greed” because greed not
only applies to possessions which he mentions, but
understood generally, it applies to personal relationships
as well.
Tate
McRae’s song “Greedy” applies to personal
relationships with the lady in the relationship saying to
the man that he should not be greedy. That is, he
should not be too quick to pursue entering some type of
commitment. She is not ready yet, and she is telling
him not to be so selfish as to not give her the time that
is needed to be sure of a permanent commitment. As she said
of the song, it was all about the confidence of the woman
and about female empowerment. That is, she decides
when the commitment will be made.
The
lesson of greediness therefore implies a two-fold thought.
Not only should we not follow the desire to have as many
possessions as possible, but we should control our
selfishness and allow the significant others in our
relationships to make the decisions according to their
desires.
Greed
is selfishness and selfishness is controlled by the
understanding of what is truly important in life.
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PRAYER
Good and gracious God, we
are selfish people in many ways. We want what we want
whether speaking of possessions or relationships. Give us
the grace to completely understand our desires, and to
regulate them for better living. Be with us, we pray.
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GUIDE
FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme:
Greed can be seen not only in the desire for possessions,
but also in the pursuit of relationships.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What
does the song "Greedy” teach young people?
2. What
is your understanding of “being greedy”?
3. When
do you think is the best time to make a permanent
commitment like marriage?
4. As a
general statement, do you think most people get married too
young?
5. What
do you think of the actions of many people who simply live
together instead of marrying?
6. Why
do people what more and more “things”?
7. In
your opinion, what is the best way to control selfishness?
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr.
Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin
Province of Mid-America
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