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[Jesus said:] "What king marching into battle
would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he
can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty
thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a
delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who
does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple. Salt is
good, but if salt itself loses its taste, with what can its flavor be
restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is
thrown out."
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"I was born
in the arms of imaginary friends, free
to roam, then you come crashing in, like the realest thing, trying my
best to
understand all that your love can bring. Half
of my heart’s got a grip on the situation, half of my heart takes
time, half of my heart’s got a right mind to tell you that I
can’t keep loving
you with half of my heart. I was made to
believe I’d never love somebody else. I
made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself. Lonely
was the song I sang till the day you
came, showing me another way and all that my love can bring. You will hate that I never gave more to you than half
of my
heart, [but] I can’t stop loving you."
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Jesus
spoke often about the cost of discipleship, that is, what it meant to
follow him. It was a matter of all or nothing. It had to be complete.
Either
you followed him as a disciple or you did not. He used the examples of
the day to bring his point home. As a commander of an army, you want to
win a battle, and therefore you carefully determine the opposition
before you engage them in battle--you determine what the cost of
commitment will be. Likewise, salt is only good when it keeps its
taste--if you say that you are salt, a disciple, you must mean it. If
you do
not mean it, you might as well be "thrown out."
One must look at love, whether romantic or otherwise with Jesus' thought. Love must be complete, and trying to make it anything less than complete is an insult to the one loved. The person in John Mayer's song "Half of My Heart" realizes the fact, but he still wants the love, and so he has chosen to love his girlfriend with an incomplete love. The problem is that when we try to love with only half of our hearts, we are holding something back, and the "something" is usually very selfish. The person about to be married who loves the good life more than his/her future spouse; or the spouse whose job has become more important than her/his married love; or the grandparent who loves the grandkids more than his/her spouse, are loving with only "half of a heart." The love is incomplete, and therefore it is not love. Giving ourselves to something only halfway, or with only half of our hearts, is a fault. Jesus realized the problem as he chose his disciples and asked them to be complete in following him. The person who chooses to love another in marriage must love with a whole heart. Love must be complete because only then, can there be a true commitment. |
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PRAYER
Good
and gracious
God, your Son taught us to be complete in our love, whether it be in
loving you by being your disciple or in loving one another in marriage
or in life. Our problem is that we are selfish, and we hold back some
of our love in a selfish way. Give us the grace to be complete in our
love
of others. Be with us, we pray.
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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: One must show love completely, or else it is not love. THE GOSPEL 1. To be a disciple of Jesus is an all-consuming vocation. It must be accepted with mature deliberation. Do you believe that most Christians consciously reflect on the importance of their Christian vocation. Yes or no and why? 2. Jesus says that people must consider the odds of winning before undertaking a battle. He is saying that one will not choose to follow someone if he/she cannot do it completely. Do most Christians follow Jesus completely? Yes or no and why? 3. Giving up all of one’s possessions is obviously an exaggeration. As you understand it, explain what Jesus means. THE SONG 1. The person in the song wanted to remain “alone” after presumably some other relationship failed. People usually need “time” after some break-up. In general, how long should a person wait between serious relationships? 2. The person in the song is only giving “half of his heart.” In your opinion, what does the phrase mean? 3. What are some indications in the relationship when a person is only giving with “half of his heart”? 4. In your opinion, do a large number of people try to love with an incomplete love? Yes or no and why? THE MEDITATION 1. Jesus uses the image of “salt losing its flavor.” What does this mean for a Christian? 2. The meditation maintains that when we “hold something back” in a love relationship, it is because of our selfishness. Explain some of the harms when one party of love relationship is overly selfish. 3. The meditation gives examples of incomplete love, namely when the couples are more interested in the good life, a job, or grandkids. Give some more examples of what you consider to be “incomplete love.” 4. The meditation indicates that a true commitment to love can only happen when there is complete love. Give your definition of commitment and what it means for you at this time of your life. 5. If I give only half of my effort to something, that “something” will not be as good as it can be. What does it mean to give full effort to (a) your studies; (b) your developing a love life; (c) your friends? 6. What does the song "Half of My Heart" teach young people today? |
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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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