[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, September 13 LUKE 6:20-26 I speak the Beatitudes that speak of real living. Prayerthoughts  a. Have I used any wealth I have not only to my advantage but to help others? b. Am I always satisfying myself, and forgetting that I should not give in to being self-serving? As I go through my day yesterday for example, was I more interested in satisfying self than others? c. When people dislike me for whatever reason, am I willing to accept it and not give into feeling sorry for myself?  d. Am I a joyful person, able to accept adversity and problems as I place my hope in God? e. Is it clear from my lifestyle that I need God to be part of my life, that God is part of my day-to-day living? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Colossians, chapter 3, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE POOR FOR GOD  + The so-called Sermon on the Plain begins in Luke’s Gospel in today’s Gospel reading           – compared to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, chapters 5-7, it is shorter and not as comprehensive  + The Sermon’s center comes from the first beatitude (different from Matthew’s, since it is much stricter)           – the “poor for God” is the group who acknowledges the need for salvation                      – they recognize that they will have to suffer hunger, sorrow and hatred as part of their heritage                      – the opposite of those ideas—being rich, no hunger, laughing, others speaking well of them are ephemeral and passing fancies compared to the serious business of following Jesus                                – following Jesus is much more important than being rich, full, laughing and having others speak well of you           – and so the beatitude actually is: “Blessed are the people who acknowledge salvation, no matter what their external circumstances; woe to you who are interested only in passing things”  + Paul wrote to the Colossians, expressing the same thing more or less:           – set your heart on what pertains to higher realms, he says, since you have been raised in Christ’s company, and be intent on things above rather than on things of earth  + The application to us, people who are striving to grow spiritually, might be this:           – the spiritual person—what we are called to be—will be a part of the “poor for God”                      – he/she will recognize the absolute need for God and salvation                                – and his/her life will reflect that in every way                                          – if that life has good elements to it, so be it                                                    – they are not important                                                               – in Paul’s thought, they are the things of earth                                          – if that life has tough elements to it, so be it                                                    – these things will pass and they are really not important either                                                              – but the person who suffers these things will be the better off because such a person will better see and understand how important God is                                                                         – in Paul’s thought, they are the things above  + The thought of our meditation today is a basic one: the poor for God will keep the proper focus in life           – and we are called to be part of them. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Cooler Than Me” — Mike Posner THE NOISE OF PRIDE The Gospel LUKE 17:7-10 [Jesus said:] “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'”

Gospelthink: I tell you that you must look upon yourself as a servant. In my attitude toward others, do I see myself as their servant?

“If I could write you a song and make you fall in love, I would already have you up under my arm. I used up all of my tricks; I hope that you like this. But you probably won’t, you think you’re cooler than me. You got designer shades just to hide your face and you wear them around like you’re cooler than me. And you never say, ‘hey’, or remember my name. It’s probably ‘cause you think you’re cooler than me. You got your high brow shoes on your feet, but you don’t know the way that you look, when your steps make that much noise.”

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, a capital sin is that which has an exceedingly desirable end so that in one’s desire for it, the person goes on to the commission of many sins, all of which are said to originate in that sin as their chief source. And first and foremost among the capital sins is the sin of pride or vainglory. It was the sin which transformed Lucifer into Satan, and is called the sin of sins. The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self and the only way to determine it is by taking the time to study our motives, why we do certain things. It comes out in the way that we look at our own abilities, and especially in the way we look on others. Mike Posner in his song “Cooler Than Me” sings about a person who is taken up with herself, and therefore a victim of pride. “You don’t know,” he sings, “the way that you look–when your steps make that much noise.” The noise he is referring to is the noise of pride: it is drowning out any possibility of the love they could have for each other. The remedy to pride? It begins with recognizing our own problem. We must force ourselves to see that God has given us all a life that we are to develop. We are all equal–no one is more important than anyone else. We are all called to live our lives the best we know how, and when we do, we are doing nothing more than our duty. As Jesus reminds us, we are unprofitable servants, and we are only doing what we should be doing in the first place. In the romantic world, as Mike Posner sings, a relationship will go nowhere when there is too much pride involved. It is a fact of life as well. The first sin is pride: it destroys everything. Once we have fallen into it, it will destroy our lives. We must understand the noise that it makes by analyzing ourselves. In the Christian reality, such analysis happens during informal prayer. During such a prayer time when we are doing nothing but thinking with God quietly, we learn to look at our lives in light of what Jesus said and did. It will enable us to understand our motivation a little more, and lead us to the way that Jesus wants.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we are sinful people because in so many ways, we are full of pride. Often we do not recognize it at all. Help us see what causes our pride by helping us understand our motivation better. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme:  A relationship will go nowhere when there is too much pride involved.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. The context of the Gospel is that the disciples are probably too self-assured because of their relationship with Jesus, and therefore a little proud.  Jesus points out that their service does not make them special.  God loves all of us and expects us to carry out our duties, no matter who they are.  What is required of you most right now? 2. The remedy to pride lies in understanding that everyone of us is important to God, and therefore in a sense “the same.”  What is the best way for people to show that everyone is important in God’s eyes? 3. Can someone ever “make” another fall in love?  Yes or no and why? 4. The meditation interprets the song to say that the person in the song’s girlfriend is too preoccupied with self.  Give some examples of someone who is preoccupied with self. 5. Project: outline the seven capital or deadly sins, and explain their significance in today’s world.  See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, number 1866. 6. In your opinion, why is “pride” the first and foremost capital sin? 7. Do you think that most people take some actual time to study their motivation as they live?  Yes or no and why? 8. Sometimes “pride” is a good virtue.  When is “pride” justifiable? 9. How does the sin of pride destroy our lives? 10. What does the song “Cooler Than Me” teach young people?