[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, June 2 MARK 11:11-26 My Father’s house is the house of God. Prayerthoughts FIG TREE (two places in the reading) a. Cursing the fig tree is a parable in action representing Jesus’s judgment on barren Israel and the fate of Jerusalem for failing to receive his teaching. What is the most neglected teaching of Jesus in our world today? Do I have a part to play in it? b. Jesus once again mentions “faith.” What part of Jesus’s doctrine do I find takes the most faith? CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE c.Jesus saw that some of the people were making a profit on what was necessary for sacrifice in the temple. Do I find that I may be too interested in money and profit? d. Jesus shows “justifiable anger.” When I get angry, am I certain that it is “justifiable,” that is “absolutely certain” that I have a right to be angry, and not just my selfishness? e. Jesus is very concerned about the sanctity of the temple. When I am in my Church, do I show the reverence that I should? PRAYER f. Every prayer that I say to the Lord will be answered. Do I pray with that thought in mind or do I think that the Lord answers some prayers and not others? A prayer of thanksgiving to God for listening to my every prayer would be in order here. g. The Lord tells me that when I pray, I must have already forgiven anyone who has done anything against me. Do I follow that directive of the Lord? h. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read the Book of Sirach, chapter 44, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy OUR PRAYER IN CHURCH + The Gospel is the evangelist Mark’s relating of what we have come to call the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem, along with some commentary on prayer           – actually the whole passage can be taken as a look at how we should consider prayer and especially our prayer in Church  + First of all, Jesus makes it clear by his actions that the temple is to be a place of true prayer           – what the money changers and merchants were doing was using the temple for their own profit                      – in order to worship in the synagogue in Jesus’ time,                                – there were certain things that were required to worship well, certain material things, like doves, and so forth                                          – and if you had to have doves, etc., you needed to sell them, and to sell them, there was money involved                      – literally, that was what was happening at the entrance to the temple           – Jesus’s thought was very simply that prayer is prayer to God, and you can’t use it for anything else  + The easy application for us is that we can’t let the externals get in the way of what is truly happening here in Church           – yes, it is good that we have all of the externals to the Church, to our Mass—the decorations, the building itself, the vestments, the liturgy—but we can’t miss what we are doing here                      – we are celebrating the covenant—agreement–we have made with Jesus Christ, the sign of which is this Eucharist                                – the covenant is Jesus giving to us in the Eucharist                                – our response should be that our lives will be given to him in a sense  + And if we are truly doing that, as Jesus said in his commentary on prayer in the Gospel, today           – one, we have to believe that the Lord will work good in our lives           – and two, as we pray, our inner disposition ought to be one of love of others—“forgive” is the Lord’s word  + The first reading says that we have had good ancestors in the past who have inspired us           – and the common thread among all of them was the fact that prayer to God was real and true  + The liturgy challenges us to understand our prayer here in Church a little more today           – we can’t make a mockery of it                      – we are here for one reason, and that is to connect ourselves with God—nothing else can stand in the way. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars EMOTIONS AND COMMUNICATION The Gospel MARK 7:32-35 People brought to Jesus a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears, and spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

Gospelthink: I healed the man, but did not want to make a big show of it. Have I given into pride too much in my life?

“Jump in the Cadillac, anything you want just to put a smile on it. You deserve it, baby and I’m gonna give it to you. Gold jewelry shining so bright, strawberry champagne on ice, lucky for you, that’s what I like. If you say you want a good time, well, here I am. Talk to me.”

It felt very good for the deaf and mute man to finally hear and finally be able to talk. He had never been able to do that until the Lord finally intervened in his life. What was most important to him at that time, the feeling good or the ability to finally communicate? The emotions of the moment dominated his life, and he was very happy that he felt the way he did, but in the long run, the most important part of his life was the ability to communicate with people. Feelings often dictate behavior and attitude. It is part of our human nature that we enjoy if the feelings are good. In a love situation then, feelings become so important that they drown out what is really important. In Bruno Mars’ song “That’s What I Like,” what the man in the relationship likes is a good time and the feelings that go with it. But it seems that the more important part of the relationship is dictated by his words to “say you want a good time,” and “talk to me.” Communication is more important than the feelings. The reason is obvious to a person who is interested in pursuing a relationship for a longer time than it takes to simply feel good. If a couple wants to make the relationship last, they must talk about the way they feel, and anything else that enters into the relationship. The word is “talk” since all the other feelings will usually disappear in the relationship. “Talk to me” is perhaps the single most important statement that a couple must make to each other.

PRAYER Good and gracious God,  one of the areas of living well is that we are able to communicate with one another. Give us the grace to understand that as we grow in a romantic love of another, and give us the grace to understand it with everyone we meet.. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: In romantic life, what feels good is important, but talking is more important. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In your opinion, in the Gospel, what is the significance of Jesus taking the man off by himself? 2. Touching someone as Jesus does in the Gospel is a way of showing care. In our society right now, what profession shows the most care? 3. The song talks of material things. Why are material things so important to us? 4. What is the strongest emotion that a human being feels? 5. What are the characteristics of people who are communicating well? 6. In general, do most people communicate well with others? 7. If “talking” is the single most important part of a relationship as the meditation says, what are some other important parts? 8. What does the song “That’s What I Like” teach young people?