[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, September 7 LUKE 5:1-11 I chose my apostles, telling them that they will influence others. Prayerthoughts a. The crowd was listening to the Word of God. How well do I listen to the Word of God? Are there some elements of that Word that I do not pay as much attention to as I should? b. The Lord is truly “in my boat,” that is my creator and giver of life. I should take the time right now to thank God for all that God has done for me, especially something that happened yesterday. (This is the task of the meditation.) c. Sometimes it seems as though the Lord is giving me a directive that does not make sense, as Simon thought. It especially happens when something is happening to me that I wish were otherwise. I must take the time to see that the Lord is working with me in whatever that happens. d. The Lord is always working and many times He will work as I want. Do I thank the Lord as often as I should? e. One of my thoughts ought to be that I have sinned, and as a result to ask the Lord for forgiveness and for the honor of being created. f. I truly should be astonished at what God has done for me and the world. g. Jesus tells the Apostles that they will be “catching men,” signifying their future with Him. I may not have the same directive from the Lord, but I see people every day. I should take the time to accept His directive to love everyone I meet today. h. I do not need to “leave everything,” but there are probably some things that I could easily give away to those who care for the needy of the world. i. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will carry out letter b. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  A TOTAL RESPONSE TO JESUS  + The last phrase of the Gospel is the statement of how Luke describes the ministry of the Apostles:           – they left everything and became his followers                      – that is, the Apostles gave a total response to Jesus  + As you and I attempt to be spiritual people, there must be a total response to the Lord as well           – and from the liturgy today, there is some idea of what that total response means           1 – From Paul or a person directly influence by Paul, as he writes to the Colossians, we are to live a life in manner worthy of the Lord                      – the phrase could mean a number of things,                                – but fundamentally what it means is that the Lord’s words are sacred and our job is to live those words by carrying them through to the circumstances in which we live           2 – From the Gospel, and Peter’s statement today                      – “But at your command…”—that is, he is going to follow what the Lord says even if it doesn’t seem to be the way he thinks it should be                                – if we want to respond totally to God as a spiritual person,                                          – again, we must follow the word of God in Scripture                                                    – determine the mind of Jesus and then if in the Gospels, Jesus says to do it, do it           3 – Again, a statement of Peter: “I am a sinful man”                      – if we want to respond totally to the call to be a spiritual person                                – we must admit the possibility of sin in our lives                                          – not only in the sense of having sinned,                                                    – but especially in the sense of need of help right now  + The liturgy today presents three important helps to the spiritual life and a total response to God           – these are not exhaustive, but they are all necessary:                      – listen to the Lord’s words, determine and follow the mind of Jesus, and recognize that we are sinners and need God. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Rather Be”–Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne NO PLACE I’D RATHER BE The Gospel JOHN 19:25-27 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Gospelthink: I gave the care of my mother to the disciple and in essence give her to you as your heavenly Mother. Do I have a devotion to Mary as I should?

“We’re a thousand miles from comfort. We have traveled land and sea, but as long as you are with me, there’s no place I’d rather be. I would wait forever, exulted in the scene. As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat. If you gave me a chance I would take it; it’s a shot in the dark, but I’ll make it. Know with all of your heart, you can’t shame me.”

There is a debate in religious circles about the identity of “the disciple that Jesus loved” as described in John’s Gospel. Many think that it is John himself; many scholars feel that it is someone else. But no matter who it is, there is one thing for certain. The description of the disciple is someone who totally enjoyed Jesus’ company and followed closely his words. At the foot of the cross, the lowest point in Jesus’ human life, he was there, and at Jesus’ request, took Jesus’ mother into his safe keeping for the rest of their lives together. For the disciple, it is quite true to say that there was no place that he would rather be. Such is the description of friendship in Clean Bandit’s and Jess Glynne’s song “Rather Be.” Probably referring to a romantic relationship, the song refers to a characteristic that is a “must” for any type of friendship. Given any set of circumstances, friends will be people who are totally dedicated to each other. Or in the song’s words, there would be no place that each would rather be no matter what the situation. It is a tall order for people who are friends, and they should not make the promise lightly. It means that each will give to the other under every condition. Even if there are difficult moments, they will remain friends. They will be able to say to each other that they would rather be no where else but with them at every moment in time. Unfortunately in many friendships the opposite is true. Friends will say that no matter what they will always be friends, but leave when things are no longer easy and comfortable. As we try to develop true friendship, we would do well to remember the example of the “disciple whom Jesus loved” to rather be with each other even if it costs a little in the process.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we human beings are often involved in being friends with others. Give us the grace to learn how to be a good friend, especially when there is a need to help such a friend. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: One of the signs of true friendship is that each partner will enjoy each other’s company in any circumstance. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. At the cross of Jesus, why do you think there were more woman disciples than men? 2. The Church has interpreted the action of Jesus’ giving of his mother to the disciple that Jesus loved either literally or symbolically. The symbolic meaning has various views, one of which is that Mary is a symbol of the Church, and here is given the role of mother of Christians. Why is Mary such an important part of Christian thought? 3. Project: the presenter may want to spend some time discussing the identity of the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” See any commentary on John’s Gospel. 4. Text analysis: “We’re a thousand miles from comfort.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 5. Text analysis: “I would wait forever, exulted in the scene.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 6. Obtain a copy of the video to the song, and discuss it. 7. Analysis: In your opinion, what if anything does the description of one disciple as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” imply about Jesus’ relationship with the other disciples? 8. The meditation speaks of friends being “totally dedicated to each other.” Practically, what does the phrase mean? 9. In your opinion, do “friends” say that they are “friends forever” too easily, that is, that they really do not mean it? Yes or no and why? 10. Why is it so difficult to be friends “at every moment of time”? 11. In general, from your study of “friendship” in college and high school, do most friends honestly mean that they will stay friends forever? Yes or no and why? 12. What does the song “Rather Be” teach young people?