december29

Song: "Don't You Worry Child" -- Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin

HEAVEN'S GOT A PLAN FOR YOU

The Gospel

MARK 10:32-34

The disciples were on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking in the lead. Their mood was one of wonderment, while that of those who followed was fear. Taking the Twelve aside once more, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “We are on our way up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit at him, flog him, and finally kill him. But three days later he will rise.”

Gospelthink: My apostles wondered about me, but I told them that I was with them. Do I pray to the Lord with the knowledge that He is with me?

"There was a time I used to look into my father's eyes. In a happy home, I was a king, I had a golden throne. Those days are gone, now the memory's on the wall. I hear the songs from the places where I was born. Upon a hill across a blue lake, that's where I had my first heartbreak. I still remember how it all changed. My father said, 'Don't you worry, child. See heaven's got a plan for you.'"

Producers Swedish House Mafia and John Martin's song "Don't You Worry Child" is a song about a breakup of a romantic love relationship but for a believer, it is so much more. In fact, the song contains some very deep thought that can easily be applied to daily living. The belief of the song that the heartbreak involved in a love relationship will heal leads to the statement that heaven or God has a plan for the people involved. By extension, every one of us involved in human interaction with one another will have a plan outlined by God.

The human Jesus knew that fact of human nature. On his way to Jerusalem where he would carry out God's plan for him, he taught his disciples to be aware of God's overall plan. He, the Son of Man would accomplish redemption by suffering, dying and eventually rising from the dead. God's plan for Jesus was clear.

The divine Jesus may have known exactly what God's plan was for him, but what God has in store for us in still unknown, of course. However the fact of God's plan for us should not be in question. The "bottom line" of such a plan is that we will eventually enjoy the heavenly kingdom, but the "working out" of the plan--how it will happen--is still a mystery to us. Our belief tells us that God is indeed working with us in every circumstance in order to attain the best possible good for us. Jesus reminds the believer that our heavenly Father will always give good gifts to those who ask (Matthew 7:11).

The song points out the theological thought that God is at work even in the most dire of circumstances for young people in love. Even though there is a breakdown of a relationship in which love was present and no longer is, God or heaven is at work. In fact, God will always be at work in every part of our lives, helping us achieve a good life.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you had a plan for your Son, and you have a plan for us. Help us understand how your plan will always lead us to something good, even at those times when we question what is going on. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: God always works with us, even during the most difficult times.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The Gospels refer to the "Twelve," namely the twelve Apostles. What was the principal mission of the Twelve?
2. Some theologians maintain that Jesus' rising from the dead was not important for Jesus to have made an impact on our lives. Do you agree, and why or why not?
3 Text analysis: "A happy home." What makes up a happy home now?
4. Analysis: is it true that children are "kings" in their own home? Yes or no and why?
5 What is most difficult about a "heartbreak"?
6. What are the remedies for a "heartbreak"?
7. Analysis: in what ways does a "heartbreak" bring about change?
8. God's plan for Jesus involved "redemption." What is your understanding of "redemption"? See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 613-617.
9. Project: the instructor might want to study some difficult things that are happening in the world and show how "good" can come out of them.
10. Take a difficult instance in your own personal life, and discuss how some "good" resulted.
11. How would you describe God's plan for us?
12. What is the most important characteristic of a "good life"?
13. What does the song "Don't You Worry Child" teach young people?

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike