ashut

September 30
[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, September 30 LUKE 9:46-50 The Greatest Prayerthoughts a. Do I get into too many arguments with others, perhaps being too passionate about my beliefs and not letting another have their say? b. It is unbelievable that the Apostles would actually talk about who was more important than another Apostle. In my thinking, do I consider myself to be more important than others? c. Jesus obviously respects children. As I study the children that I am around a lot, do I show them the attention that they crave? d. “Whoever receives this child in my name.” The Lord wants us to be “like children,” as he says in a couple places in the Gospel. Most of all, probably, children are dependent on someone. Jesus wants us to be truly dependent on God. Do I acknowledge my love and dependence on God enough? e. Jesus warns against jealousy and intolerance toward others, such as exorcists who do not follow the Lord. Do I show any jealousy of or non-acceptance toward others? f. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will be especially kind to the children I meet.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy THE TRULY POWERFUL + In the first reading today, the Liturgy begins one of the grand stories of the Old Testament—the story of Job - you really ought to read the whole book during this week to get the full flavor of the book of Job - the purpose of the story was to show that God has other intentions for allowing things to happen other than punishment in the exercise of justice for sin - i.e., things happen to us, and it is not necessarily as a punishment for sin - things happen to us to show the power of God - here the statement of who really is important, namely God—“Naked I came forth, … the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” - i.e., the Lord knows more about what is happening than we do + The theme of the Gospel is also “a power idea”: it is a two-fold statement about the way a true disciple should be with regard to power over others - the disciple of Jesus should realize that he/she is powerless without God just as the child is powerless, - and secondly, there are other people who are just as important, powerful, as we are, and we can’t exclude anyone + There are a number of important thoughts in these two readings today that can help our spiritual lives: - 1 – the book of Job and Job’s statement of praising the Lord’s name - so apropos for our world today - we are so used to things going right with our technology and when they don’t go right, we blame God - things happen for a reason and as Jesus was to point out later in his life: it is always for a greater good, exactly the message of the book of Job - 2 – the example of the child - not that we are to become as self-centered as a child (there are qualities of a child that the Lord did not recommend) - but that we see that a child has no power - we are called to that knowledge—we have no power except for God: pride and wanting others to think well of us are major problems in our world today - probably not in themselves, but what they lead to - they are major because they are fundamental problems - 3 – the problem of exclusion - we have to learn to respect anyone who is speaking the Lord’s name in one form or another - and this is very difficult especially for the Catholic to do - we have it engrained in us that the Christian Catholic way of thinking is the only way of thinking - and for us it is, - but as Jesus says, do not prevent anyone from speaking my thoughts + We are powerless, and we need God’s help - that is an important thought in today’s world.

MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: "Shut Up and Dance" -- Walk the Moon DANCING AS A WAY TO PREPARE

The Gospel

JOHN 21:1-3a

After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat.

Gospelthink: After my Resurrection, I visited the Apostles to give them hope. Am I as hopeful as I should be?

"Oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me. I said, ‘You're holding back.’ She said, ‘Shut up and dance with me!’ This woman is my destiny. She said, ‘Shut up and dance with me.’ We were victims of the night: the chemical, physical, kryptonite, helpless to the bass and the fading light. Oh, we were bound to get together. She took my arm, I don't know how it happened. We took the floor and she said, ‘Shut up and dance with me!’"

We can view the song "Shut Up and Dance" by the group Walk the Moon to be another dance song, but as we study the words, the song lends itself to deeper thought. In the song, dancing seems like a chance for a healing of sorts--they spoke of themselves as "victims." Perhaps dancing can be looked at as sort of a time of relaxation or temporary pause before a major decision is made.

In that light, we can look at the possible remedies to difficult situations in our lives, realizing that we must face them, but that we might need some preparation time to make the decision a little easier. Dancing can serve such a purpose to be sure, which is exactly the case of the song. But there are other ways of such preparation as well.

In the Gospels we saw one such incident with Peter the Apostle after Jesus had been raised from the dead. Peter was no doubt confused about what his future would be like. It was not only the question of what should he do personally, but if he was indeed the leader of the Apostles, what was he as leader supposed to do now? He knew what Jesus had said during his lifetime, and so he had some type of decision to make. And what did he do before all of that future discernment? He did what he knew something about--he went fishing, something to distract him from the problem at hand perhaps. It was not unlike the dancing that the lady in the song strongly suggested.

Whether or not, the application is apropos, it is a very good thought. When we are about to do something that is difficult, often it is good to do something entirely different to "prepare" to face the difficulty. We may want to relax a little or meet with friends or the like. The Christian will naturally think of some time in prayer, but there are other things that could "help" us in some way, even dancing...or fishing.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, in my life, there are many times that I must make a decision that is somewhat significant. As I prepare for such a time, give me the grace to discern how to help myself even by relaxation. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Sometimes we must do something entirely different before we face the difficult situations of the world.

THE GOSPEL
1. In general, what do you think Jesus wanted to accomplish by his appearances after his Resurrection?
2. Peter and most of the other Apostles were fishermen. Why do you think Jesus chose simple fishermen to be his primary helpers?
3. The complete story of the Gospel is a revelation story in which Peter finally proclaims that he is a sinner and truly loves Jesus. What primary lesson does Peter the Apostle teach us?

THE SONG
1. It would seem that there are some problems with the relationship in the song. Would it be better to "take care" of those problems before the dancing? Yes or no and why?
2. Text analysis: "We were victims of the night." What is the meaning of the sentence?
3. Text analysis: What is the significance of the list in the song: "the chemical, physical, kryptonite, helpless to the bass and the fading light."
4. Text analysis: Why were they "bound to get together?

THE MEDITATION
1. Do you agree with the meditation that there is deeper meaning in the song? Yes or no and why?
2. In general, why is it a good thing to have some sort of a "pause" before a major decision must be made?
3. Describe the character of Peter the Apostle as you understand him from the Gospels.
4. The meditation gives some ideas of providing some type of "pause" before making the final decision. What are some other ways to "relax" before making a decision?
5. In general, do you think that Christians spend enough time in prayer before making major decisions?
6. What does the song "Shut Up and Dance" teach young people?

Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America