[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday July 25, St. James, Apostle MATTHEW 20:20-28 You must not be like my two Apostles; you cannot have pride that hurts others. Prayerthoughts a. My attitude toward prayer is often the selfish attitude of the mother of the sons of Zebedee here: “Command that these….” How can I be more unselfish in my prayer? b. I want to have eternal life, to be sure, but I must do something to earn it. Am I doing enough right now? c. Can I “drink of the cup” that Jesus gives me?  Can I say with all sincerity that I accept whatever God sends me in this life? d. The apostles are indignant at James and John. Do I see any jealousy in my life right   now? e. Jesus gives a very straightforward explanation of people who want power in the world. In my thinking, do I spend too much time judging others as if I were more important than they are? f. Again, Jesus is very straightforward with me concerning how I should be in this world: a servant, even a “slave” to others. Am I the servant to others that I should be? g. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will be aware of someone to whom I should be more of a servant, and do something for that person. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  SERVANT-LEADERS  + We celebrate today the feast of James, a real hero to the Jewish Christians             – a person that Paul probably had some disagreements with since the early Christian churches were centered around James and the “conservative” Church in Jerusalem and Paul and the “liberal” Church in Antioch             – the readings of the liturgy do not reflect any of that controversy, of course, but present for us the idea of service as a leadership style                         – in our spiritual growth, in whatever form of work that we are doing now, whether we are strong or passive leaders                                     – we are called as Christians to be servants, and not leaders who lord it over others, as Jesus says:             The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.  + We might look at the liturgy of James to be a mini-statement about servant-leadership with a couple of characteristics:             1 – servants cannot be jealous or proud people                         – speaking of what happened in the Gospel with James and John and the Apostles, leaders who let their own importance guide them, Jesus says:             It shall not be so among you.                         – that thought goes directly against some basic human tendencies                                     – and therefore something that we always have to keep in our minds             2 – suffering is very much a part of a Christian plan, and an understanding of it is necessary for the Christian servant                         – it must be a true understanding of it—as Paul seemed to understand it in the first reading: “We are afflicted in every way.”                                     – there must be an acceptance of it personally—James and John, even though they are misguided in their motivation, nonetheless say “We can”                                                 – that is, we can accept the suffering             3 – as we serve others, there must be a sense that God is working with us             – Paul says to the Corinthians: “Everything is for you.”                         – that is, grace has directed everything to good in our lives and in others                                     – as difficult as it may be at times             4 – we have to speak out of our conviction and our belief                         – Paul to Corinthians, quoting a Psalm: “I believed, therefore I spoke.”                                     – that is, when we speak, it should always be done with the sense of the presence of Jesus, especially his Redemption                         – our speech is guided by Jesus                                     – saying the things that must be said, keeping quiet when it is better to keep quiet  + The feast of James calls for the image of servant-leadership             – something we must work for in the spiritual life. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “I Don’t Care” — Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber DEPENDING ON ANOTHER TOO MUCH The Gospel JOHN 20:16-18 After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mary of Magdala. Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.

Gospelthink: Mary of Magdala was a special woman because she listened to me. Am I paying as much attention as I should to Jesus’ words in Scripture?

The Media — “I Don’t Care (Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber)”I’m at a party I don’t wanna be at. Don’t think I want to be at this party, I always feel like I’m nobody; who wants to fit in anyway ‘cause I don’t care: when I’m with my baby, all the bad things disappear. And you’re making me feel like maybe I am somebody. I can deal with the bad nights when I’m with my baby.”

Mary of Magdala and the other disciples were quite despondent after Jesus’ death. They had given themselves to the belief that their friend Jesus was someone special, maybe even the awaited Messiah, but after his death, they doubted it. In terms of Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s song, “I Don’t Care,” they sensed that bad things were going to happen. It all changed with Jesus’ Resurrection, of course; suddenly, there was hope. Jesus was alive, telling Mary and the other disciples not to “hold on to him,” that is, not to keep it secret, but to proclaim it to all the world.Jesus was very much aware of how much his disciples needed him, and so he appeared to them a number of times after his Resurrection, assuring them that he was risen as he said he would. He told them not to “hold on to” him, that is, not to depend on him too much because if they did, Jesus knew that his message would not be given to the world. If his Kingdom was to catch on, his message had to go out to all of that world. It was good that his disciples depended on him as their leader and guide, but too much dependence would actually work against the cause. Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s song has the same message. The lady in the song is certainly the foundation that that the man in the relationship needed. He felt like “nobody,” like he did not want to even “party,” like he needed to be “somebody.” And when she was with him, everything was just fine; there would not be any “bad nights” because all the “bad things” would disappear. We only hear one side of the feelings in the song, namely the man’s. In the song, we do not know how she will react. She could just say that she is not interested in him, and in that case, he would be crushed. But most probably she would feel good that he likes her so much and their relationship will be good for a while. But if the relationship continues, and he continues to be dependent on her, she will gradually feel this is not as it should be. The fact is that we must be our own persons and if we cannot show it, our lives will be empty. If there will be a future commitment, both parties must be strong enough to have their own personalities and their own feelings. There is a certain amount of dependence that is necessary, but it is dependence on both parts.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son told his disciples not to hold on to him after His Resurrection, but to go to all the world and tell His message. Help me understand in my life that I can be too dependent on another, and that I must be independent enough to have my own feelings and goals. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: It is always good to have a friend to depend on, but sometimes we can depend on that person too much. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “I Don’t Care” teach young people? 2. Why do you think Jesus chose Mary of Magdala to be the first he appeared to? 3. How do you define “hope”? 4. In your opinion, what is Jesus’ main message to our world? 5. Is that message that you answered in number 4 actually being given to the world? Yes or no and why? 6. How does a friend make someone feel important? 7. What does it mean to be one’s own person? 8. What are some signs that a person is too dependent on another?