[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, September 3 LUKE 6:1-5 The religious leaders were not at all interested in my new way of life. Prayerthoughts a. Our Sabbath day is Sunday. In general, have I kept holy our Sabbath Day, refraining from unnecessary work and giving myself to prayer?   b. Jesus could see that an exception was given in the past to accommodate people, showing that people were more important than law. Have I shown a sincere love for all people in my immediate circle? In what area can I do better? c. When Jesus tells me to love everyone, are their some whom I have deliberately excluded? Perhaps I should take the time to pray for them right now. d. Jesus is lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees had many laws about things that were not permitted on the Sabbath. Jesus has his own law. In your opinion from the Scriptures with which you are familiar, what are Jesus’s three most important laws for me right now? (This is the task of the meditation.) e. In general, what does Jesus mean when he says that the Sabbath was made for man? f. My prayerthoughts…. Today, I will carry out letter d. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE LAW  + The Gospel gives us one of the common points of disagreements between Jesus and the Pharisees, namely the law           – and how important is the law                      – in this case, it is the law of the Sabbath                                – and in particular, what can be done on the Sabbath                                          – we know from our study of Hebrew literature at the time of Jesus that the laws of the Sabbath were quite extensive                                                    – hundreds of laws, telling the Israelite men and women how they were to behave, how many paces they could walk, and exactly how much work could be done                                                               – one of those laws dealt with eating and the activity which led to eating, the case in today’s Gospel                                                                         – another dealt with healing, the case in Monday’s Gospel           – today, Jesus points out to the Pharisees that eating is more important than the laws of the Sabbath                      – and in Jesus’ scheme of things, as he talks about the Kingdom of God that he was preaching,                                – he, Jesus, the Son of Man as he frequently calls himself, will put the law of the Sabbath into the proper perspective  + As we search for an application of that Gospel in our lives today in the twenty-first century           – probably that ideal is something that we should consider—we have to place law into the proper perspective           – unfortunately, our own Catholic history and heritage has imitated a stress on law that has been too strong                      – and immediately, we have to say that law is important as a guideline                                – Jesus did not do away with all law                                          – he just said that sometimes some things are more important than law, like people, and in particular ourselves, and our eating, the topic of today’s Gospel           – the same with our Catholic tradition—some things are more important than the laws that we have come to know such as the Ten Commandments or the Canon law of the Church  + When is something more important than the law?           – usually the Gospels will suggest that situations involving people can be more important, like our eating, in today’s reading                      – that is, taking care of self           – in the first reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Paul is admonishing the Corinthians about their personal attitudes                      – it is a complicated reading and probably would demand a little bit better knowledge of the situation than what we have                                – but in general, it is a statement against boasting and pride, and recognizing the gifts that God has given us                                          – that is the law of Jesus, as Paul explains it                                                    – if sometimes you have to boast as Paul does in some of his letters, then the law has to give way to what is more important  + Even if law is most important as we live our Christian spiritual lives, there are things that are more important than the law           – Jesus reminds us of that today           – we have to have a healthy respect for what the law says, but we have to understand also that people—in today’s Gospel, ourselves—sometimes take precedence over the law. 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?