[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, April 22 JOHN 6:16-21 I sent my Apostles into the world to save it. Prayerthoughts a. The Lord “sets up a situation” in a sense for his disciples. The Lord gives us situations in our lives. Am I open to realize that everything that happens to me happens for a reason that the Lord has in mind? Think of some difficult situations and think of what the Lord wants of me. (This is the task of the meditation.) b. A strong wind was blowing. It is a symbol of things not going right. In my life, right now what most of all is not going right, and am I adjusting well? c. Jesus as God can do anything, of course. He walks on the sea as a sign of encouragement to the disciples. How is the Lord encouraging me right now? d. The Lord is always present in my life. Perhaps I should thank the Lord more than I do. e. What are the times in which I have most been afraid? How was the Lord present to me at those times? f. My prayerthoughts….   Today, I will carry out letter a. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  DO NOT BE AFRAID  + The Gospel today can be considered an allegory             – that is a story that is told by the evangelist John to bring home a point             – the other evangelists all have as part of their Gospels a section concerning Jesus’ walking on water, each of them having their own point                         – here, John’s point seems to be the assurance that Jesus is always with them no matter what the circumstances of their lives  + It could very well be that the Joannine community who wrote the Gospel was remembering this fact of Jesus’ life as there was persecution in the Church             – John’s Gospel was written later than the other Gospels,                         – and during the time of John’s Gospel, there was already much persecution of the Church even as the Church began to grow throughout the world             – it would be only natural for Joannine community to recall Jesus’ walking on water:                         – the sea was stirred up because of a strong wind                                     – that is, the going along in life was difficult                         – Jesus tells them, “It is I, do not be afraid”                                     – that is, even during the persecutions and difficulties you are experiencing, do not be afraid, I, Jesus, am with you  + The application is relatively simple, and very apropos for people of the twenty-first century             – the waters are stirred up because of strong winds                         – we have things that aren’t going as well as we would like                                     – on an international level                                     – in our own country and area                                     – especially in our own families                         – strong winds that disturb us, scare us, and have a tendency to make us doubt about God’s presence             – but Jesus comes along in the midst of that turmoil, and reminds us: It is I, do not be afraid                         – somehow Jesus will help us determine a good course of action                         – somehow good is going to come out of the bad                         – somehow the Lord will always give us the grace to persevere  + The first reading is the selection of the first deacons             – chosen for a specific role in the Church                         – we are all deacons in a sense                                     – called to serve others                                     – as we do it, and run into problems, we know that Jesus is always with us. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “7 Years” — Lukas Graham SING THE SONG OF MATURITY The Gospel LUKE 18:18-23 An official asked Jesus this question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him,…“You know the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother.’” And he replied, “All of these I have observed from my youth.” When Jesus heard this he said to him, “There is still one thing left for you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when he heard this he became quite sad, for he was very rich.

Gospelthink: Jesus tells me that I should watch how much I possess because it can be a block to know God better.

The song goes through the years of life starting at 7 years old, talking about life and about being lonely, saying: “I always had that dream like my daddy before me, so I started writing songs. Something about that glory. I only see my goals, I don’t believe in failure ‘cause I know the smallest voices. They can make it major. I’m still learning about life. My woman brought children for me so I can sing them all my songs. And I can tell them stories. Remember life, and then your life becomes a better one.”

Lukas Graham’s song “7 Years” is about growing into maturity, and thinking about the past in order to be better in the future. In particular, it is about a respect for being a father in today’s world with all of the ramifications of that choice of a way of life. It is not easy to accept the necessity to grow into maturity because there are so many other things that we could selfishly choose, but it is necessary if we want our life to become a “better one,” as the group sings. Jesus knew the importance of growing into maturity. Knowing that being rich and having many possessions could easily move us off the path to maturity, he presented what might be called the essence of maturity in his encounter with the rich young man in Luke’s Gospel. He told him that in order to “follow him,” that is, in order to accept a way of life that could help ourselves and others according to the Way of Jesus, we had to learn to give to others, and therefore be willing to give away some of what we have. If the essence of maturity does lie with the ability to give away some of our possessions, as Jesus seems to indicate, then the person seeking maturity has his task outlined. Not only does the mature person have to see that she/he must help others with what they have, but they must give away some of their personal desires. She/he must see that other people are just as important, must be able to value the gifts that others have, and in general must be able to truly “follow Jesus” with all of what it means in our lives. Lukas Graham speaks of the songs that a father will sing to his own children, songs of maturity and life. Jesus speaks of a way of life that begins with giving to others and brings about eternal life.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, You call us to seek maturity as we grow, and as Your Son said, it begins with our ability to give to others. Give us the grace to truly understand what it means to be mature.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: When we study our past lives carefully, we can learn maturity. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Gospel text analysis: “Sell all that you have.” Jesus uses exaggeration in his sermons often. Why do you think he speaks in exaggeration? 2. Detachment from material goods is obviously the message here. Speaking realistically in today’s world, how would a person who really wants to follow Jesus behave with his/her material possessions? 3. In particular, do most Christians follow what Jesus says–to sell material goods and give to the poor? Yes or no and why? 4. Text analysis: “Something about that glory.” What do you think the song is referring to? 5. Text analysis: “I don’t believe in failure ’cause I know the smallest voices.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 6. Text analysis: “Remember life, and then your life becomes a better one.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 7. What is your definition of “maturity”? 8. Why is a “father” so necessary for a family to grow well? 9. Why is “giving away some of our goods” so important for maturity? 10. In your opinion, do most Christians really “follow Jesus”? Yes or no and why? 11. What does the song “7 Years” teach young people?