[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, June 16, Sacred Heart of Jesus MATTHEW 11:25-30 I tell you to be totally trusting in me and ask me for help and rest. Prayerthoughts a. “These things” refer to the “important things in life.” What are the three most important things in my life right now? In what way is God helping me with them? (This is the task of the meditation.) b. The Lord wants us to be “childlike.” It means that we must become vulnerable and marginalized so as to want to receive the Lord’s message. In what ways can I pay more attention to the Gospel in my life? c. Continually in the Gospel Jesus refers to his closeness with the Father. Who are the people that I am closest to in my life? I should tell them how special they are sometime this week. d. Do I come to the Lord in silent prayer as much as I could? e. What is most burdensome to me at the present time? What am I doing about it? What  should I be doing about it? f. Have I truly placed the Lord’s yoke on my shoulders, that is, have I tried to follow all of the Lord’s directives in my life?   g. The Lord is gentle with me. Should I be more gentle in the way I treat others? h. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will carry out letter a. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy   AVOIDING THE YOKE  + Where do you go when you are anxious?          A couple of years ago, I was hearing confessions and some young people who were very much afraid of something came to the confessional          I really couldn’t help them, but what impressed me was where they came when they were that anxious—to church, to God in a way, although they didn’t think God would listen to them          – where do we go when we are burdened and looking for rest?          – is God even a possibility amidst all the other things that we might do: relax and read in a favorite chair, go to a party, watch TV, go to a movie, sleep, play golf, exercise                   – none of those are bad, but they can only solve part of our problems          – Jesus says that we can find rest in him:          Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  + But Jesus also says that it is a little difficult and I think that right there is the problem:          Take my yoke upon you.          – not a lot difficult, but a little—My burden is light, he says,                   – but it is difficult                            – and I think that that is the problem for the Christian—we do not accept the yoke of Jesus because it means some work—putting the yoke on us implies work  + But Jesus says that that is the condition for rest          – putting on his yoke and learning from him                   – what does that consist of?, what is the yoke?                            – accepting his guidance by knowing what he asks                                     – we have to want what he wants—peace, love, no revenge, unity, forgiveness, what we commonly call Christian virtues                            – we have to really want them, and try to make them our own  + The problem may very well be that we are not scared enough to put on that yoke          – and maybe one of the jobs of Christianity is to scare us                   – perhaps the job of the minister is to bring back the old idea of the possibility of us going to hell—namely, what can happen to our souls                   – fear of what our futures will look like if we don’t place God into them                            – convince ourselves that we really are close to hell or at least purgatory                                     – and that as a result we will run to what can help us  + There is reason to fear hell with what is happening in our world          – there are many indications that we are not following God’s law                   – many people think that the natural disasters are a sign of God’s displeasure with us                            – I personally don’t think that, but I think of all the disasters that we are responsible for—the abortions, the wars, the pornography, the blatant disregard for sexual morality, the hatred of peoples                                     – that is what scares me, and I think that it should be enough to frighten all of us          – and it should make us want to turn to the yoke of Jesus, and put it on so that we can have God’s presence and protection  + We honestly need the Lord’s help          – he is our rest, and will help us, but we have to place his yoke on us first. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “How Do I Say Goodbye”–Dean Lewis LOVE OF PARENTS The Gospel LUKE 2:51-52 Jesus went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

Gospelthink: As I finished off my young years, I was obedient to my parents.

“Early morning, there’s a message on my phone. It’s my mother saying, ‘please come home’. I fear the worst, how could you leave us all behind? There’s so much to say but there’s so little time. So how do I say goodbye to someone who’s been with me for my whole life? You gave me my name and the color of your eyes. I see your face when I look at mine. When I couldn’t, you always saw the best in me. So, how do I say goodbye. And I saw the way she looked into your eyes, and I promise if you go, I will make sure she’s alright.”

It is interesting to study the close of St. Luke’s “infancy section” of his Gospel with the thought of how Jesus reacted with his parents in his young years. Luke simply reports that Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor. Case in point: part of that wisdom that he learned was no doubt a love of his parents. Being a devout Jewish person, he had to be aware of the directive of the Book of Deuteronomy, “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deut 5:16) Such a study means that as he grew, he was most concerned about his father and mother. Interestingly enough, a popular song gives the same counsel to the singer’s life. Dean Lewis in his song “How Do I Say Goodbye” speaks in a sense of a deep love of his father and mother, a love no doubt that directed his life as he grew up, but especially as his parents became older. The song is directed toward his father, but he also includes his mother and his love of her. Dean Lewis must have realized how hard his parents had tried with him. He understood that he and indeed all of young people did not come out of the womb with instructions. Like any young person, he probably had given his parents a rough time. As often expressed by adults, he may have been responsible for the gray hairs that were part of their lived life. He also understood that his parents at times did not do what was best for him. They made mistakes as they directed him, but he understood also that he had caused some of the problems. The song does not mention the “problems” of his growing up or the “problems” of parenthood, but given the nature of families today, he must have realized what his life with his parents was like and what it should have been. And with the song, he is telling them how much he has loved them, and that he wants to take care for them as they get older. It is an excellent “call to others” to do the same for their parents.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we all have families, and we all have parents who have been part of our lives. If they have passed, we pray for eternal life for them. If they are still alive, we ask for the grace to help us understand their needs especially when they get older. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We must remember our parents and help them if they are still alive.        DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “How Do I Say Goodbye” teach young people? 2. What do you think Jesus’s early life was like? 3. What do our parents need most from their children? 4. [personal suggestion] Perhaps it would be a good idea to write a love note to one’s father and mother. 5. In your opinion, do most young people understand their parents and the situations of their lives? Yes or no and why? 6. If there was only one thing that everyone should say to their parents (besides the obvious “thank you”), what would it be? 7. What is your opinion about placing parents in nursing homes or the like?