[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, March 17 MARK 12:28b-34 Through the scribe, I give you the basic laws of love again. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus is giving me His two commandments of love. Is it clear that my love of God is a strong part of my life? b. As I listen to Jesus say that I must love my neighbor as myself, is there anyone that I am excluding from that love right now? What can I do about it? c. The scribe seems to have caught exactly what Jesus meant since Jesus said that the scribe answered with understanding. Do I spend enough time with the Gospels of Jesus?   d. In choosing the image that Jesus chooses—“worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices”—Jesus is showing that love of God and neighbor even surpasses worship      of God. Is my acceptance of Jesus’ directive of “love of God and neighbor” as strong as it should be? e. I obviously want to be close to the Kingdom of God. Today, how can I choose to be closer? f. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will pray Hosea, chapter 14, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy GETTING IT + What was the understanding of the scribe in the Gospel that Jesus praised today?           Jesus saw that he answered with understanding – the evangelist Mark says           – his understanding was that he “got it” in terms of a popular expression,                      – that is, the scribe recognized what Jesus was doing—Jesus had placed the basic religious law of Israel, the law of Shema, namely, to love God with all your heart on the same level as to love your neighbor                      – he tells that scribe that he was not far from the Kingdom that he was preaching about                                – it is a remarkable statement for Jesus to make considering the way he felt about the religious leaders of his time           – and he made the statement because the scribe caught the essence of what Jesus was teaching, that is, he “got it,” he understood his teaching + To truly understand a teaching is to “get it”, that is, to understand it with the thought that goes further than simply knowing some answer + Contrast that with the negative campaigning of the candidates for office in our country           – most of them Christian people who want to have an office in which they will supposedly help the people of whatever locale                      – viciously attacking the person who is running against him/her                                – what a horrible example of Christianity                                          – it is a lack of understanding of the application of the law of love of God and neighbor                                                    – such a person does not “get it” + You and I as followers of Jesus are called to a true understanding of the law of love           – that is, we are called to “get it”           – what does it mean for us?                      – it means the insight of the scribe: this law—that of love of God AND neighbor is on the same level, and that both are the will of God + Worship of God is not the problem, obviously, since we wouldn’t be here if that were the case           – it is the other part of the law that is the problem                      – that is, the love of neighbor that is a topic of Scripture most of the time                                – and the problem is that in this area, many of us just don’t “get it”                                          – proof that we don’t “get it” comes from the contradictions that we allow in our individual lives                                                    – and we need to spend time thinking of them + What is needed above all in our spiritual lives is personal responsibility           – one way of understanding what Hosea said today: Straight are the paths of the Lord                      – if we learn to accept responsibility for everything that we do, we will be walking straight on the path of the Lord                                – and is a sign that we truly “get it.” MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Lose You to Love Me” — Selena Gomez I NEEDED TO LOSE YOU The Gospel                                               LUKE 21:25-28 Jesus said, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

Gospelthink: Do not be afraid of the final days: you will have eternal life. I should prepare myself for the final days by leading as good a life as I can.

“You promised the world and I fell for it, set fire to my forest and you let it burn, sang off key in my chorus, cause it wasn’t yours. I saw the signs and I ignored it, rose colored glasses all distorted set fire to my purpose and I let it burn. You got off on my hurtin’ when it wasn’t yours. To love, I needed to lose you.”

Jesus knew about signs. Much of his ministry was spent trying to move people to read signs. It was evident when Jesus spoke of the Second Coming. There will be “signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,” Jesus says. “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” But Jesus also says that there is no reason to fear since we will rejoice at being saved. He says, “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” That is to say, although there are signs that are negative, we will be able to “read” them correctly and thus enjoy our redemption. Involvement in a love relationship is a complicated undertaking. Two people are involved and therefore there will not always be agreement, and sometimes they may find themselves at odds with each other too often. If that is the case, it is a “sign” which the couple ought to read. Such was the problem In Selena Gomez’ song “Lose You to Love Me.” The lady in the relationship says that she “saw the signs” and “ignored” them. It is important what the ignored signs were. They all had to do with the selfishness of the other party in their relationship. The man in the relationship promised, but did not follow through; he initiated a good relationship at first, but let it dwindle away, blamed her when things were not going well; he was interested in his own pain, and not hers. It is a true statement that she makes: in order to discover love for herself, she had to lose the person that was causing the pain because of his own selfishness. Jesus wanted his disciples to read the signs of the times, explaining to them that they were quite capable of doing it. In a relationship, if it is to last, both should be knowledgeable of the signs that each gives to the other. They can do it if they do some reflection on their actions and words. If selfishness is a problem with either one, it is time to cease the love relationship. It was the result of the situation of the song.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, when we fall in love, we set up a special relationship with the one loved. Help us do our own individual parts in order to make the relationship a good one. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We can read the signs when a relationship is not what it should be. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Lose You to Love Me” teach young people? 2. What part of the “end of the world” gives you the most concern? 3. From your knowledge of Jesus’ ministry, what was his principal message? 4. In general, do you feel that couples who are dating communicate enough with each other? Yes or no and why? 5. Give your own definition of “selfishness.” 6. Is there another course of action besides a breakup that a couple should enter into in order to solve the problem of selfishness? Yes or no and why? 7. Why do couples often not “read the signs” in a relationship?