[media presentation below] GospelThink Sunday, September 3, Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time MATTHEW 16:21-27 I give you exactly what it means to be a disciple of mine. Prayerthoughts Prayerthoughts a. Jesus knew that suffering was part of his future. We also may be aware of present suffering or suffering that will afflict us in the future. How can I suffer well? b. Peter and the other disciples were friends of Jesus. In what way can I show better that I am a friend of the Lord? c. Jesus gives us a great way to think in the Gospel passage. How am I presently showing  that I am thinking as a human being rather than the way God wants me to think? d. The classic definition of a disciple of Jesus is given here: “deny himself”, “take up his cross daily” and “follow me”. e. Do I deny myself certain things that I like every now and then, and think of the Lord during that time? f. Do I accept the situations of my life as they occur? I need to change the things that I can, but accept the illness, old age or things that I cannot change. g. The following of Jesus means reading the Scriptures, especially the Gospels. Have I made the thinking of the Scriptures to be part of my daily routine? h. We can get wrapped up in the things of this life without the Lord (“saves” his life) or we can choose to lose our life for the Lord’s sake, that is, give ourselves to the Lord more and more in our living. Do I see evidence in my life that I am choosing correctly? i. We do not want to fall into the pattern of working only with material things. We must “forfeit” them by turning more and more to the Lord by making God part of our living. j. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I write a prayer expressing my desire that the Lord may always be part of my life. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy “HUMAN THINKING” AND “GOD THINKING”           Jesus makes a powerful statement to Peter in the Gospel:           You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do. It leads to the questions of what is God thinking, and what is human thinking?            First, we ask the question about “human thinking.” I think that the best way to answer is to study commercials, especially television commercials because commercials, according to those who make them, are what we desire. If we desire it, we will buy the product. What is “human thinking”, according to our advertisements?            I come up with five things—think of some commercials on the television shows that you watch and see if you agree with me. According to advertisements, the way I see it, we should want these things:           – 1 – beauty is a significant desire, usually a thin, young and athletic body with the right kind of figure, and therefore, the right food, the right razor, and the like, and all kinds of clothing, pills and creams are necessary;           – 2 – pleasure is a desire, pleasure from eating or drinking or feeling comfort, better convenience in our lives, and feeling good about our pets; it includes the whole area of enjoyment from sex (which is much more explicit in today’s world than it ever has been);           – 3 – money is very much part of human being thinking—making more of it, saving it better, or especially getting something cheaper;           – 4 – health, and in particular no pain is a guideline in human thinking—so that life can always be happy, with no suffering, and again, pills are necessary for it to happen, with a denial as much as possible of the pain of growing older;           – 5 – a sense of being superior or having power is important—to be more intelligent, more powerful, more clever than someone else, and so we need the right car, the right bank, the right broker, more money, and so forth. Those ideas especially and probably many others make up part of “human thinking.”            In sharp contrast, Jesus speaks of God’s thinking in the Gospel. What is “God thinking”? As described by Jesus today, “God thinking” would consist of:           – 1 – denying oneself—selfishness has no part of God’s way; there must be very little concern for how much we ourselves will get out of any venture:           What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?           – 2 – the cross is part of “God thinking”—there will be pain and suffering, driving that point home to Peter, calling him Satan when he misunderstood it;           – 3 – we must have a religious guide: he says specifically:           Follow me. It implies knowing Jesus well enough so that his thoughts, words and actions become our thoughts, words and actions.            Therefore, we have given to us two different points of view. Practically everything in our lives can be considered in the light of the contrast of “human thinking” or “God thinking.” For example, living in a family, in a community, going to college, working to make money and so forth. Or take for example our spiritual lives: growing spiritually takes time, time spent in things like reading Scripture and reflecting on it or spiritual reading or time spent in prayer by ourselves. It involves the thought that we really must improve our lives. “Human thinking” about that is that it is a waste of our valuable time.            In the second reading, St. Paul tells the Romans (Romans 12:1-2) that they should not conform to this age, that is, “human thinking.” Instead, he says to conform to “God thinking” completely. In terms of the Gospel, “success in life” is not defined in terms of beauty, pleasure, money, health and power, that is, “human thinking.” Success in life will happen only with “God thinking,” by denying self, accepting the pain of living, and following closely the message of Jesus Christ. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Part of Me” — Katy Perry YOU CAN NEVER BREAK A SOUL The Gospel LUKE 14:1-6 On a sabbath [Jesus] went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.

Gospelthink: I wanted the religious leaders to understand that people are much more important than law. Have I placed the good treatment of others as a priority in my life?

“Days like this, I want to drive away; you chewed me up and spit me out like I was poison in your mouth. But that was then and this is now. This is the part of me that you’re never gonna ever take from me. Throw your sticks and your stones, throw your bombs and your blows, but you’re never gonna break my soul. Now, look at me: I’m sparkling, a firework, a dancing flame. You won’t ever put me out again. I’m glowin’.”

Jesus always had the highest regard for human beings, especially those who were set aside by the majority of the people. One of the ways that he showed it was by his attitude toward the laws of the sabbath. Jesus considered the sabbath sacred, as did the religious leaders, but the laws of the sabbath were not as important as a human person or even a suffering animal. Observing Jesus’ attitude toward the human person, one must always conclude that every human being is very special because every human being is a child of God.  Katy Perry’s song “Part of Me” is an excellent song about the importance of every individual. The person in the song has been hurt by her boyfriend, but she is saying that she will survive. She has the highest regard for the human person, and in particular, her own humanity. She knows the importance of her own soul, as she says, and no one will ever be able to take away the depth of who we are. Of course, there are going to be problems: we are going to feel like we have been chewed up, and spit out of people’s lives because of whatever reason. Sometimes, unfortunately, we are at fault, and we should be chewed up a little. That in itself is very difficult to face, because we do not like to think that we are at fault. But sometimes, we are not at fault; the other person should not be doing the chewing up and spitting out. It is totally wrong, and it should not be happening, but it is. The person in the song has the attitude that it is not going to make any difference in her life because she realizes who she is, that she has a soul.Now, of course, the sticks and stones and bombs and blows are going to hurt the lady in the song, no matter how much she says that such a thing is not going to happen. We are all human and we are going to feel the mental pain of someone not liking us or talking us down, especially when we do not deserve it. But her attitude is the one to be learned and sought after by every one in our world. We are human beings; there is greatness in our lives because of it. We must treat ourselves and others with that in mind.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, you have given us the great gift of creation. May we always thank you by being aware of the importance of who we are, both for ourselves and for others. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We must understand the greatness of our humanity at all times in our lives, even when we have pain.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In the Gospel, the man with the disease may have been the reason why Jesus was invited to the meal, hoping for a cure. One of the laws of Christian love is that we are good to the sick. In general, do Christians have a true loving care for the sick in the world? Yes or no and why? 2. In general why is the Sabbath (Saturdays for Jewish people; Sundays for Christians) such an important day? Do you think that people treat the Sabbath any differently from other days of the week? Yes or no and why? 3. Should shops and stores be open on the Sabbath? Yes or no and why? 4. Why are breakups often so bitter? 5. The person in the song has a very positive outlook on life as she sings the song. What will it take to keep such a positive attitude in her life? 6. What is the best way to treat a person who has hurt us in a past love relationship?  Is it the way most people would behave? Yes or no and why? 7. Analysis: no one will ever be able to take away the depth of who we are. What is the meaning of the statement? 8. In general, do most Christians think that every one is a special child of God? 9. The presenter may want to make a presentation on “body and soul.” See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 362-368. 10. The meditation refers to times when we should be chewed up a little. In particular, what are some of those times? 11. Jesus has said that we must forgive those who have hurt us. In general, do Christians follow the doctrine of forgiveness all the time? Yes or no and why? 12. What is the best way to heal the mental pain that comes into our lives because of what others do to us or our families? 13. What does the song “Part of Me” teach young people?