TGIMMking

	THE "COMMUNICATION ABILITY"

The Gospel

MARK 6:45-46

Then [Jesus] made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray.

The Media -- "King of Anything" (Sara Bareilles)

"So many things I’d say if only I were able, but I just keep quiet. You got opinions, man, we’re all entitled to them, but I never asked. So let me thank you for your time, and try to not waste any more of mine; get out of here fast. I hate to break it to you, but I’m not drowning: there’s no one here to save. So, you dare tell me who to be? Who died, and made you king of anything? All my life I've tried to make everybody happy while I just hurt and hide, waitin' for someone to tell me it's my turn to decide."

The person in Sara Bareilles' song has some strong issues with her boyfriend: she believes him to be arrogant, condescending, causing her pain, and totally unaware of how she really feels. And it may all be true, but he will never know unless she decides to tell him. It seems so obvious to someone looking from the outside--this lady must tell her boyfriend how she feels. But when someone is in the throes of complicated love, things become very clouded. Yet, telling him how she feels is indeed the solution to her problem.

Jesus had pain in his life, and most of it was caused by people who refused to understand what he was all about. His solution recorded throughout the Gospels was to talk to his Father in prayer. He knew that he had to say what was on his mind to the One who was closest to him. He did it often, especially when there were important questions that had to be answered concerning the direction of his life.

Communication is probably the most common topic of the love songs of our day. Lack of communication is also generally recognized to be the number one cause of marriage breakdown. In general, we know that we must communicate, but for one reason or another, we do not do it as well as we should. Perhaps one of the principal tasks for people preparing for marriage as well as for those who are already married is very simply to take the time to determine their "communication ability." It is done by asking each other questions: are we talking about the things that we really feel? Are we discussing the things that honestly matter in our lives? Has anything else like work or children taken away from the communication that we should be doing?

One further point. The Christian must not overlook the spiritual side of what Jesus taught. He turned to God at every moment of his life. One of the lessons that Christians must learn is that we will be able to accomplish our goals much better if we take the time to address our God in prayer. Marriage and indeed living in this world is never easy, and perhaps the point must be made that talking to our God is a good preparation for the communication that is necessary for our human living.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we know that we must communicate with one another, and it is often so difficult. May we always try to improve our communication with you so that our communication with each other will be better. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: If we want to convey our ideas, we must learn to communicate with those we love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In the Gospel, Jesus wanted to be alone at times. Why is “being alone” good? What is the difference between “being alone” and “loneliness”?
2. This passage speaks of Jesus’ prayer to his Father. What do you think was the essence of Jesus’ prayer?
3. Jesus prays before some major decisions in his life. In your opinion, do most Christians pray before major decisions? Yes or no and why?
4. Why does a person often “keep quiet” even though he/she wants to say some things?
5. The lady in the song is rather direct in her thinking, even if she does not say it. When we judge others in our thoughts, what should we keep in mind to make our thoughts more “Christian”?
6. In the song, the person is waiting for someone to pay attention to her. What is the best way we can show attention to our friends? To those people that we do not know very well?
7. Why is communication so difficult for the people of our world?
8. One gets the feeling that with the strong feelings she has, she will eventually tell him what she is thinking. Do you agree and why or why not?
9. Telling her boyfriend how she feels is only the first part of the solution. What should follow after she tells him?
10. If lack of communication is the number one cause of marriage breakdown, in your opinion, what are some other causes?
11. In your opinion, speaking generally, in terms of the meditation, what is the “communication ability” of people who have only recently been married, that is, in general, how are they communicating? Of the people who have been married for about fifteen years? Of the people who have been married for forty years?
12. What does the song “King of Anything” teach young people?

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