January 23


[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, January 23

MARK 3:13-19

Choosing the Twelve 

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus goes to the mountain no doubt to pray first and then chooses the Apostles.  Again, the question of how much prayer time am I giving to the Lord? 

b. The Lord appointed specific people to be his Apostles. I am a person He has appointed in the sense that I am His creation. In my work, am I honoring the Lord who has created me by doing my work with love? 

c. He gave them authority to drive out evil. I must drive out the evil in my life. Identify the evil around me and determine a way to conquer it in my own way.

d. He deliberately chose people of passion (sons of thunder). Am I passionate in my acceptance of Jesus and His teaching in my life? 

e. Jesus chose Judas who betrayed him. In what ways have I betrayed Jesus in the past?  Perhaps this is the time to renew my asking for forgiveness. 

f. My prayerthoughts… 

Today, I will read 1 Samuel 24:3-21 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy 

JESUS AND JUDAS


+ As we listen to Mark’s description of the call and naming of the Twelve

- it’s always interesting to see that Jesus chose Judas

- Jesus must have know something about Judas

- and was probably giving him a chance to be what he could be

- which was a good minister

- it may be that the person of Judas is an indication of the possibility of human nature

- the possibility of bringing about good or evil

- it is always up to us

- we choose who we are

- and one would guess that in Judas’ choice to go a different direction from Jesus that there was a lot of thinking and serious consideration on Judas’ part

- ultimately, Judas simply did not agree with Jesus as the guide


+ Christianity is a choice

- although because of our involvement with it over the years,

- it may not seem that way because what we do is so automatic

- but it is a choice that implies action

- somewhere along the line, Judas chose to leave the guidance of Jesus

- you and I must continually choose to accept the guidance of Jesus and what he said and did


+ That acceptance involves a number of things

- but the overall choice is based on the fact that Jesus is the center of the New Covenant as outlined by the letter to the Hebrews

- that he is the catalyst that allows God to say and now carry out in the new law:

- I will be their God and they shall be my people.]


+ This leads quite naturally to a meditation on how well we know Jesus and the New Covenant

- and the way to determine how well we know Jesus

- is to look at our past thoughts, words and actions

- to see whether we really know Jesus or not

- and whether we are following what he wants

- it takes time and effort to do it


+ A lack of doing that may have been Judas’ downfall

- he had to know what Jesus’s words and thoughts and actions were

- maybe he simply didn’t take the time and effort to let them affect him like he should have

- needless to say, we have to let Jesus affect us.






MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Crawling Back to You" -- Daughtry

SWALLOWING PRIDE



 

The Gospel


LUKE 11:1-4

[Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.'"

Gospelthink: I taught my disciples to pray saying praise God, ask for God's help, forgive us, and be aware of your final end. Lord, may I pray always with meaning.

"Lessons learned, bridges burned to the ground, and it’s too late now to put out the fire; tables turned, and I’m the one who’s burning now. Well, I’m doing alright, ‘til I close my eyes, and then I see your face, and it’s no surprise: just like that, I’m crawling back to you just like you said I would. I swallow my pride; now, I’m crawling back to you. I’m out of my head, can’t wait any longer, down on my knees. I thought I was stronger." 

There is little doubt that the most common prayer that is said in the Christian churches is what we have come to call the "Our Father." The shorter form of the prayer in Luke's Gospel is probably closer to Jesus’s words according to Scripture scholars. The prayer is significant for the Christian because of a number of reasons, one of them being the stress that Jesus places on forgiveness. As he verbalizes the prayer, Jesus says that a principal part of our prayer to God must be asking for forgiveness, and at the same time, saying to our God that we will forgive others. In Jesus's mind, forgiveness, both asking for it and giving it, is among the most important directives for a Christian.

Examples of forgiveness are easy to see when one studies the romantic songs of our day. In Daughtry's song "Crawling Back to You," for example, the man in the relationship who had hurt the other intends to go back to the person he had hurt and on his knees beg for her forgiveness. If she were to act as a Christian, she would forgive him, although she might not want to re-establish the relationship.

There are two important points of meditation here for the Christian. First, Christians must truly recognize that they make mistakes. Too often we tend to blame others or give excuses for the things which we have done, and we must be willing to tell our God and others that the sin or fault is really ours. It is truly a difficult action.

Secondly, as we recognize that we truly makes mistakes, we know that other people do too. As we would not want our God to hold our mistakes against us, we must not hold others' mistakes against them. Christians must understand their need to forgive other people, whether they ask for it or not.

Our lives on earth are complicated because too often we "burn bridges" in Daughtry's words where we should not. They could become a lot less complicated if we swallow our pride and learn to practice forgiveness.

PRAYER

Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test. Be with us, we pray. 

 

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must learn the virtue of forgiveness.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Project: make a presentation on prayer as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2623-2643.
2. What is your definition of prayer?
3. Project: make a presentation on the different ideas in Luke's rendition of the "Our Father"
4. In your opinion, why did Jesus put so much emphasis on forgiveness?
5. Text analysis: "Lessons learned."  What are the most valuable lessons that should be learned as we grow? Why?
6. Why do people often say that they are just "fine" when they are not just "fine"?
7. Text analysis: "I thought I was stronger." What are the ways to make us stronger when it comes to romantic love relationships?
8. What are the most common "hurts" that a couple give to each other in a love relationship?
9. In your opinion, do most Christians live out what Jesus directed about forgiveness? Yes or no and why?
10. It is an important point to make concerning asking forgiveness and re-establishing the relationship. Just because one asks for forgiveness does not bring the relationship back. In general, what would the man in the relationship of the song have to do to re-establish the relationship?
11. What is the most common excuse when we have done something that is wrong?
12. In what areas do you see the sin of pride being practiced in our world?
13. What does the song "Crawling Back to You" teach young people?  

 

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America