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	EVERYONE IS IMPORTANT

The Gospel

JOHN 5:2-9a

There is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

The Media -- "What About Us" (Pink)

"We are searchlights: we can see in the dark; we are billions of beautiful hearts, and you sold us down the river too far. What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? We are problems that want to be solved; we are children that need to be loved. What about love? What about trust? What about us?"

There was a young lady in the nursing program of one of our universities who was asked a question on her final exam that she could not answer. She was a conscientious student and was doing quite well in the course and felt good about the exam until the last question. It read: "What is the first name of the maintenance man who works in our building?" Of course, she had seen the maintenance man several times—he was a rather unorthodox man who was never very happy and not real friendly, and consequently she had never talked to him.

The young lady handed in her exam paper leaving the question blank, and it was marked “wrong” when she received the exam back. The professor explained something that the young lady never forgot. Her professor said: "In your career of helping people, you will meet many people; all are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'." She went up to the maintenance man a couple days later, found out his name, and asked about his family and life, and spoke to him often while she was involved in her Registered Nurse training.

Everyone is important. Of all the characteristics of Jesus, the importance of everyone is basic. He would go into a place in which many sick people were gathered, and pick out one in particular who needed the most help. He was even known to heal all the sick gathered around him because everyone, even the most neglected, was important to him.

This is one of the basics of good living. The fact is that we all have different personalities and all have different ways of looking at things. If we could learn to accept those personalities a little better, our world would turn out to be a little better. In Pink’s song, "What About Us," she wants people to notice those people who deserve recognition. Speaking for them, whoever they might be, she says simply, “What about us?” Are we not important? Should not the people in charge give us recognition?

Everyone is important. Jesus said it and the popular music of today says it as well.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son taught us that everyone in our world is important. It is a lesson that we all must learn, and we need your help to do it better than we are. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Everyone is important, and we must treat them with respect.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In the Gospel, the people believed that the first person to enter the pool would be cured. In your opinion do "miracles" happen in our world? Yes or no and why?
2. Text analysis: "You sold us down the river." What could be the meaning of the sentence?
3. Text analysis: "We are children that need to be loved." What is most important for children in our world?
4. Granted that everyone is important, are there some people more important than others? Yes or no and why?
5. Who is the most neglected in our society? What can we do to help them?
6. What does the song "What About Us" teach young people?

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