[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, March 11 LUKE 15:1-3,11-32 The story of the Prodigal Son or Forgiving Father is one of my most important stories.Prayerthoughts a. According to Scripture scholars, the action of the younger son during Jesus’ time was paramount to an insult to the father. Yet the father did not react in a negative way. How do I react to those especially in my family who insult me? b. When bad things happen to me and the world around me, do I turn to the Lord for help or merely blame others? c. “Tending the swine” was an insult to the Hebrew person. Do I find myself wanting to strike back in revenge against others who insult me? d. The center of the story for the younger son was the idea that he came to his senses. Do I spend time every day thinking seriously about the direction my life is going at the present time? e.  The father shows true compassion toward both the sons. Who is the one person in my family, friends or co-workers for whom I have not shown enough forgiveness? What can I do about it? f.  The father was “there” for both of his sons. God is “there” for me always forgiving and helping me. Should I be more thankful to God than I am? To whom in my life right now should I be more open to help? g. The father refuses to react to the sarcasm of the older son. How do I react to someone who is saying false things about me? h. My prayerthoughts… Today I will read Micah, chapter 7, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy THE FORGIVING FATHER           Often our feelings about ourselves, others and the quality of our relationships may have more to do with how often we get sick than our genes, chemistry, diet or environment. The fact might be arguable, but it is an interesting thought. Forgiveness and better relationships with others leads to good health.           Every Christian then should have relatively good health. The Gospel today tells us in no uncertain terms that forgiveness is one of our hallmarks because our God is that way. The God presented to us in the Gospels by Jesus is a forgiving God, a completely forgiving God.            The story of the Prodigal Son, or a better title, the Forgiving Father, makes it very clear that this is so. As Jesus tells the story, God personified in the father is the one who is searching out the person who has turned away. The important theological thought is this: whether the son came to his senses or not, the father was searching, was already forgiving. When the son finally did come to his senses, God became pro-active. The father is looking for his son; he is filled with compassion, he runs to him, he embraces him, does not let him finish his prepared speech, and immediately calls for a celebration.            Not only that. When the second son becomes angry and sulking, the father, symbolizing our God again, goes out to him, and begs him to come to the celebration. There can be little doubt from Jesus’ story that our God is a forgiving God, and will forgive as long as we are willing to ask for it. The Christian religion has to be among the most hopeful of all religions, because all we have to do is to ask for God’s forgiveness, and we have it.            It must be noted that Jesus did not finish the story. He deliberately leaves the listener with the questions of what the younger brother will do once he sees that his father was so forgiving, and what the older son will do after the father talks to him. The logical, consistent thing would be that they will both become forgiving people as well. Anyone who receives the type of forgiveness that is presented by the father in Jesus’ story should become a forgiving person him/herself. But, did the younger son stay with his father? Did the older son finally forgive his brother? Jesus leaves us wondering.            The point of the story, of course, is “What about us?” It is one thing for us to hear the story as Jesus tells us, but obviously, it should have a personal conclusion: we can become the forgiving people that the sons should have become. It is a good meditation for us because many of us have not become the all-forgiving people that we could be. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Don’t Wanna Know” — Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar PRETENDING AND REALITY The Gospel MARK 12:38-40 In the course of Jesus’ teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”

Gospelthink: There is evil in the world, and I condemn it. Do I give in to some of the evil around me?

“I don’t wanna know who’s taking you home and loving you so, the way I used to love you.” He’s spending his time drinking and he’s wondering whether she is thinking of him and whether she is happy. But he continues to say that he does not want to know.

Jesus knew well what “pretending to be something that one is not” would do. He realized that the religious leaders of his day, the Scribes, were doing exactly that–they were pretending that they were holy, reciting “lengthy prayers”, and actually they were cheating the people who were poor. They were not searching their consciences to discover what they were really doing, thus bringing about evil in their actions. Such is why pretending is wrong. One does not face a relatively obvious truth and therefore there will be some type of pain, either their own or someone else’s. Denial of reality is an easy avenue to choose because we sense that it is difficult to choose to know the truth. In Maroon 5 and Kendrick Lamar’s song “Don’t Wanna Know,” the man in the relationship is choosing the easy way out of a painful situation, namely pretending that there is nothing wrong. But in the end, revelation of the truth will cause more pain because it will be clear that the lady in the relationship has no interest in pretending the way the man wants. Knowledge of the truth is paramount in any relationship, no matter how difficult it may be to listen to it. Our human natures are often into temporary relief of pain by denying the obvious, but the pain that this causes is not temporary. It will continue and the only way that we will find relief is to face exactly what is happening, namely the truth. Pretending that something is not so only causes more pain.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son knew that the religious leaders of his day were only pretending to be holy. Give us the grace to desire to know the truth, no matter how difficult it may be to accept it. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Pretending that everything is just fine when it is not will never solve a problem..  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Who in our world are most like the Scribes described in the Gospel? Why? 2. What are the principal reasons why “drinking alcohol” will not solve a problem? 3. In your opinion, do many people honestly “search their consciences” to discover why they are doing certain things? Yes or no and why? 4. In your opinion, do you think that many people simply “deny” the truth? Yes or no and why? 5. In love relationships, in your opinion, do many couples “pretend” in their relationship? Yes or no and why? 6. Are there instances in which “telling the truth” is not advised? Yes or no and why? 7. In general, what is the fundamental reason why people do not tell the truth? 8. What does the song “Don’t Wanna Know” teach young people?