TGIMMweare

	TRYING HARD

The Gospel

LUKE 7:36-39

A Pharisee invited [Jesus] to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and anointed them with the ointment.

The Media -- "We Are Young" (Fun.)

"I’m trying hard to take it back [namely, a "scar" that he gave to her], so, if by the time the bar closes and you feel like falling down, I’ll carry you home. Tonight, we are young, so let’s set the world on fire. We can burn brighter than the sun. Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart." The lady in the relationship finally agrees, saying, "Carry me home tonight."

What do you do when you realize that there have been mistakes in the past, and now you want to make up for them? The lady that Luke the evangelist describes as a "sinful woman" in his Gospel probably did not know where to start. She chose to anoint a person who was recognized to be holy, allowing her action to be the beginning of her conversion. After that, one would guess that she understood that she had to spend more time and effort at working with the past, doing her best to change some things with regard to her behavior. Jesus was a catalyst that brought about change.

Fun.'s song "We Are Young" is a statement of recognizing past mistakes and trying to do something about them. Primary among those mistakes was some physical abuse, something that is very difficult to forgive. In fact, there are many counselors who suggest that a relationship in which there has been such abuse should cease forever. In the song, the man wants to try to make up for it. He seems to concentrate on the present, recognizing that they are young, and that they can enjoy the world. But such thought does not take away from what has to be done. Once he realized his mistake, he understood that he had to "try hard" to correct it. If a person is going to make up for past mistakes, it will take much more than a good feeling about the present. The person will have to spend time and effort on what to do about the past.

In order to make up for past mistakes, there are a number of things that must happen in our lives. We first of all must recognize that there were mistakes. The sinful woman of the Gospel did it by physically anointing Jesus; the person in Fun.'s song realized that he had hurt another human being. Once we make the recognition, then we must do the work to make up for the mistake. It will mean honest effort, and honest effort will mean significant time spent in making the effort.

The couple in Fun.'s song feel that the fact that they are young can help the wounded relationship because they still have time to "set the world on fire." Perhaps a better way to look at their youth is that they still have time to heal the mistake.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we make mistakes. We are all too aware of it, and sometimes the mistakes are quite serious. Give us the grace to recognize that we must do something about those mistakes and likewise the grace to spend time and effort to correct them. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Working out past mistakes is a process that usually takes time and effort.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Jesus accepted invitations to dine not only with the poor, but with the well-to-do as well. What does this teach us about Jesus' attitude of living? And what can we learn from it?
2. The sinful woman shows courage in the embarrassment of anointing Jesus in front of the others at table. In today's world, where do we see the most "courage" in doing something good?
3. The woman is expressing sorrow for her sins by her actions. What are the best ways to express sorrow for past offenses?
4. The presenter may want to take the occasion to talk about sin and the remedies of sin. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 1846-1869 (sin) and 1422-1470 (sacrament of Reconciliation).
5. The "problem" in the song is physical abuse. If people want to work out such a relationship, what are some things that must be done?
6. Analysis: "We are young." What are the advantages to being young in life? What are the disadvantages?
7. Text analysis: "We can burn brighter than the sun." What is the meaning of statement?
8. Analysis: "We could find better ways to fall apart." What is the meaning of the statement?
9. Do you agree with the counselors who maintain that a relationship can never be healed when physical abuse is part of the relationship? Yes or no and why?
10. As one speaks of time for a relationship to heal, in general, how much time should be spent?
11. What does the song "We Are Young" teach young people?

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