September 28

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, September 28, Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LUKE 16:19-31

The Rich and the Poor

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus sets up the ends of a continuum in his story: a rich person at one end, and Lazarus the poor person at the other. I am somewhere in between. As I study my income and money, where am I on the continuum?

b. In his story, Jesus exaggerates the status of the poor person. As I study my concern for the poor of the world, am I doing anything toward helping the poor?

c. Jesus gives us a picture of heaven and hell. Am I actively considering my future home by the way I live?

d. Jesus’s picture of the netherworld or hell is a place of torment, and the desire to have relief. What effect does this picture of hell have on me?

e. Jesus’s picture of heaven is a picture of comfort and peace. What effect does this picture of heaven have on me?

f. Jesus’s picture of the chasm between heaven and earth is the picture of loneliness for the person in torment. What effect does this picture have on me?

g. The rich man wants to warn his family about the place of torment in which he is suffering. In general, what is my feeling about the possibility of my family facing hell?

h. Jesus tells us in the story to listen to Scripture, especially to him, the person that has risen from the dead. Am I spending enough time listening to the Lord in my life?

i. Jesus comments on how people listen to the prophets and him in this world in which we live. Perhaps a prayer right now is in order for people of our world to acknowledge the Lord’s presence in their lives.

j. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read 1 Timothy 6:11-16 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE PROBLEM OF BEING RICH: SELFISHNESS

+ The rich do not fare well in the Gospels of Jesus, especially Luke’s Gospel

- riches themselves, however, are not the problem

- in fact, there is nothing wrong with having money

- in Jesus’s story, the rich man did nothing morally wrong to get his money

- the problem was selfishness

- he was interested only in himself and what he could get out of the life he was leading

+ One of the tasks of the spiritual life is to learn what selfishness causes in us

- and recognize that part of the solution for selfishness lies in learning to give to others

- and we don’t like to do that—we would much rather take //

- stay with me as I tell this story: it really does have a spiritual point to it:

- this is an actual way to catch a monkey in Africa used by native hunters

- slice a coconut in two, hollow it out, and in one half of the shell,

- you cut a hole big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through

- then you place a fresh orange in the other coconut half

- fasten the two halves

- then secure the coconut to a tree with a rope

- a monkey swings by, smells the orange, slips his hand through the opening, grasps the orange, and tries to pull it through the hole

- but his hand and the orange are too big for the hole,

- his hand alone could go through, but the monkey would have to let go of the orange, and he doesn’t want to do that

- while the monkey struggles with his hand stuck in the coconut, the hunters simply place a net over the monkey and they have him

- now, psychologists say we are smarter than monkeys, but sometimes one wonders

- we often refuse to let go of what we want

- the story of the monkey and the orange is a story of every one of us in a sense—we tend to be selfish people

+ Jesus also tells a story about selfishness in the Gospel

- there are many practical conclusions that can be drawn from his story

- 1 – first, we must be aware of the tendency that our consideration of money has toward developing selfishness

- yes, we have to be somewhat selfish in the sense that in many ways, our concern is for ourselves, but we must be aware that we could easily fall into being too selfish in the process

+ 2 – Secondly, from Jesus’s story, it can easily be concluded that we have a Christian obligation to give money or assistance to help others

- the rich man of Jesus’s story had an eternal life of torment simply because he wouldn’t give any food to the beggar Lazarus

- you and I cannot feed all the starving of the world

- but there are needs all around us, people and causes who need help both around here and around our world

- and we can help if we want

+ 3 – Thirdly, we must consider the possibility of our being “blind” when it comes to this area of money and possible selfishness

- we may be selfish, behaving selfishly, and not even know it

- just as there is a possibility that we are lost and don’t even know it

- the rich man didn’t really see what he was doing; he just didn’t think that there was anything wrong

- there may be a number of people who are blinded by money and material things

+ Maybe the ultimate lesson for us when it comes to this area of riches is that we have to become more and more convinced of Jesus’s statement to honestly love others—everyone—because only then will we be ready to take the stress off of ourselves

- perhaps only when we understand that we have to share our oranges with others because they are important will we be able to understand selfishness and what it does to us.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Wrecking Ball" -- Miley Cyrus

I SHOULD'VE LET YOU WIN

The Gospel

MARK 8:34-37

[Jesus] summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?"

Gospelthink: If you want to have eternal life, you must not give yourselves completely to this life. Am I spending too much time on the things of this world?

"We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain. We jumped, never asking why. I fell under your spell, a love no one could deny. Don’t you ever say I just walked away; I will always want you. I can’t live a lie, running for my life. I came in like a wrecking ball; I never hit so hard in love. All I wanted was to break your walls. All you ever did was wreck me. You let me burn, and now, we’re ashes on the ground. Instead of using force, I guess I should’ve let you win."

The couple in the relationship of Miley Cyrus' song "Wrecking Ball" had had a very difficult time as the lady in the relationship looked back on it. The reason seems to be that they had moved into the relationship too quickly—"we jumped, never asking why" she sings. And as they moved into it, both of them moved like “wrecking balls.” As she sings: “I fell under your spell; I came in like a wrecking ball." And the man's reaction? "All you did," she sings, "was wreck me. You let me burn." What happened—"I can’t live a lie,” she sings. "Now we’re ashes on the ground."

What should the lady in the relationship have done, what should the man have done? Miley Cyrus actually gives the answer in her song: "Instead of using force," she sings, "I guess I should've let you win." When people are moving into romantic love, they cannot be bulldozers or wrecking balls. They have to be people who want the other person to win. They have to be people who are willing to give up their own way of doing things.

Jesus calls it "losing one's life." He was not speaking of romantic love, but he was speaking of an overall idea that includes it. He was speaking of love in general, a way to guide our living on earth so as to help us to live eternal life with God in heaven. It is a guide that can be applied to love and life this way: if we want to achieve what we want most in life, we must control our desire to have our own way. Jesus phrases it: "Whoever wishes to save his life must lose it."

The lady in Miley Cyrus' song had a very good insight into her relationship with her friend: "I should've let you win." That which holds us back from achieving good relationships, indeed anything worthwhile in life, is our desire to "gain the whole world," that is, everything we want, to win every game, to satisfy our every whim. When it tends to dominate a life, we just may lose that life. The way to keep it is to let others have their way at times.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son often spoke words of challenge to us. He told us that we must control our desires by giving up what we want. Give us the grace to understand that our selfishness could prevent us from gaining eternal life. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: In order to love and live well, we must control our desire to have our own way.

THE GOSPEL
1. Jesus's saying means that life seen as mere self-centered earthly existence and lived in denial of Jesus ends in destruction. But when a person lives in loyalty to Jesus and his teachings, despite earthly death, it arrives at fullness of life. Do most Christians feel this way toward life? Yes or no and why?
2.Text analysis: "deny oneself." What is the meaning of the phrase?
3.Text analysis: "take up his cross." What is the meaning of the phrase?
4. In your opinion, do most Christians honestly follow what Jesus wants? Yes or no and why?
5. Give an example of someone (without naming anyone in particular) who has forfeited his/her life on earth.

THE SONG
1. Text analysis: "fell under your spell." What is the meaning of the phrase?
2. Text analysis: "I will always want you." Is it really possible to go through life "always wanting" the love of someone else? Yes or no and why?
3. Text analysis: "live a lie." How does one "live a lie"?
4. What kind of a love relationship does the song suggest? Why?
5. Text analysis: in general, what does it mean to always let another win? Is it always a good thing? Yes or no and why?

THE MEDITATION
1. When does a couple know that they have moved into a love relationship "too quickly"?
2. The song is describing a bitter breakup. What are the ways to overcome bitter breakups?
3. In most love relationships, do you feel that both are trying "to let the other win"? Yes or no and why?
4. It is very difficult to give up our own way of thinking and doing things. In general, can most young people accomplish it? Yes or no and why?
5. Text analysis: "gain the whole world." What does the phrase mean in our modern world today?
6. A person obviously will never achieve "everything they want." As one sets goals for a future life, what should be the overall goal? Why?
7. What does the song "Wrecking Ball" teach young people?