[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, June 10 MARK 12:38-44 I contrast the hypocrisy of the Scribes and the poor widow. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus tells the Pharisees and me not to be proud as I feel as though I should be honored in some way. Do I try to develop humility as I deal with my life? b. Jesus is very strong in his condemnation of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Am I hypocritical in my approach to the spiritual life? That is, does my life—thoughts, words, deeds—show my devotion to God, as I profess in my prayer? c. A thought that crosses my mind a lot is money or wealth. Do I tend to judge in jealousy  those whom I think are rich or have more than I do? d. The thought with Jesus’s story is that we should give of what we have to good causes. Do I consider this a true necessity in my life? e. Do I see myself giving of my “surplus wealth.” That should be a given in my life. But do I give a certain percentage of the rest of my income as well. (Realizing that we really do need money for living.) f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will the Book of Tobit, chapters 12 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy:  EVIL WILL NOT FIND ITS WAY  + The weekday first readings complete its presentation of the story of Tobit, Tobias and Sarah          – God through Raphael tells the principals of the story that if they follow through with good ideals,                   – that evil will not finds its way in your lives                            – following the ideals will keep the evil away         +- I believe that you and I can listen to the same directive, and discover something about our own spirituality                   – the word of God tells you and me to take the evil away and follow the ideals of God                            – to me, I am to do what I have been called to do—as a religious taking specific vows, and working in this world                            – to you, you are called to be true people of God in the midst of the world you live in                                     – people dedicated to the ideals that God through Jesus gave us  + Those ideals, of course, cover the whole spiritual life that you and I have learned and hopefully try to carry out—          – love of God and neighbor, forgiveness of others, and so forth          – and Jesus gives us two in particular in the Gospel reading today for our particular consideration:          – 1 – you and I are called to be sincere in what we do                   – Jesus had a very difficult time with the scribes who only acted like they were holy                            – ominous words here from the Son of God:          they will receive a very severe condemnation          –        – as we avoid evil in this world at this time, we have to be sincere in our approach to what we are doing, and especially in the way that we treat others                            – we can’t just act like we are good—we have to be good          – and 2 – you and I are called to give                   – Raphael tells Tobias and Sarah to be involved in almsgiving                   – Jesus observes a poor widow who gives to the temple treasury                            – and she gives from her poverty, not her surplus wealth                                     – almsgiving is the topic here                                              – giving our money on behalf of good causes                                                       – the parish we attend is certainly one of them                                                                – because we are trying to keep up the influence of the Church in this area                                              – but giving to charitable causes also comes into play here,                                                       – giving of what we have to others who do not have and need our help  + Part of the directive to stay away from evil is a call to each of us to do the things that we should be doing to bring about the kingdom of God in this world          – part of that ministry is being sincere in our approach to God and others          – and learning the lesson of almsgiving, giving of ourselves to those who need our help. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Lean On” — Major Lazer featuring DJ Snake and MO SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON The Gospel JOHN 1:35-42 The next day John the Baptist was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas” (which is translated Peter).

Gospelthink: I chose people that I could depend on in my ministry. The Lord has chosen me as well. Am I showing the Lord that he can depend on me?

“Do you recall, not long ago? We would walk on the sidewalk–innocent, remember? All we did was care for each other. But the night was warm. We were bold and young; all around the wind blows. We would only hold on to let go. What will we do when we get old? Will we walk down the same road? Will you be there by my side, standing strong as the waves roll over? Blow a kiss, fire a gun? All we need is somebody to lean on.”

We all know what it is like to have someone to lean on, that is, to depend on in life. Life is often complicated and we get ourselves into so much that often we can become overwhelmed with what is happening. At those times, we desperately need someone who is “there” for us. We need friends, we need parents, we need counselors, ministers, and people who have it all together in order to help us, to lean on during those moments when things are not going our way.Not only that. We need someone that we can count on in the future. Major Lazer’s song “Lean On” speaks not only the thought of the present, but is most interested in the future. They are saying in effect: “Yes, you are here for me now, but what will happen later, when we get old? Will you still be there; will you blow a kiss in love or fire a gun in hate?” The song speaks of the desire that we all have for a person we can lean on forever. What were the Apostles thinking when Jesus asked them the question “What are you looking for?” No doubt they were looking for someone who would be a friend to them, someone they could lean on right at that moment, but they were looking for something else. They were looking for a person that could help them in the future as well. And so, they chose Jesus as a friend and the person they could lean on in the future. There are two lessons to be learned here. One is the obvious–that we need friends who will be with us at the present and perhaps even more importantly, in the future. We expect the person we are counting on to be “there” for us no matter what. And we implicitly say to our own friends that we will do likewise, be “there” for them as much as we want them to be “there” for us. The second lesson is the lesson of a person of faith. We believe that we have a friend who will be with us, who has asked us “What are you looking for?” Our response is the same as that of the Apostles: not only someone we can lean on right now, but someone we can lean on forever. Jesus says to us, “Come and see.” If we turn to him in faith, He will be with us.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we need people that we can lean on in our lives. Give me the grace to understand that there are people in my life that I can lean on. Especially, give me the grace to understand that You are always present to me. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Everyone needs someone we can count on all the time. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What is your understanding of “The Messiah”? 2. In your opinion, what are the people of the world looking for in today’s world? 3. Text analysis: “We would only hold on to let go.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 4. Text analysis: “Standing strong as the waves roll over.” What do you think the phrase is referring to? 5. What happens when someone does not feel that they have someone to lean on? 6. Speaking practically, how do we lean on Jesus as we live in the world? 7. The prayer says that we will always have someone in this life to lean on. In your experience, is this a true statement? Yes or no and why? 8. What does the song “Lean On” teach young people?