[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, September 1 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. 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, as he writes to the Corinthians, we have to put the world in its place for our lives                      – Paul contrasts wisdom—that of the world and the wisdom of God                                – Paul was speaking of the wisdom of the world at that time                      – even more so now, of course, with our technology and conveniences                                          – we could easily get wrapped up in our world and lose the idea of responding totally to God           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,                                          – 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:                      – put materialism in its place, determine and follow the mind of Jesus, and recognize that we are sinners and need God. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “One Call Away” — Charlie Puth ONE CALL AWAY The Gospel JOHN 1:44-46 Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Gospelthink: My apostles gradually came to understand who I was. Have I shown that I really know the Lord in my life?

“I’m only one call away. I’ll be there to save the day. Superman’s got nothing on me. I’m only one call away. Call me if you need a friend. I just wanna give you love. Reaching out to you, so take a chance. Come along with me and don’t be scared. I just wanna set you free. You and me can make it anywhere. For now, we can stay here for a while ’cause you know, I just wanna see you smile.”

These meditations have mentioned many times that romantic love experiences generally are not part of the thoughts of the Gospels. But one can easily study twenty-first century love situations by meditating on how people reacted to Jesus as he taught on our earth. The Apostles did not know who or what Jesus was at the beginning of their experience with him, but eventually they would come to “love” him as a friend and confidant. The relationship always began with a sincere interest in what Jesus was all about. Most love relationships in our modern day begin with a sincere interest in the other because it is the only way to determine what kind of person the other is. In Charlie Puth’s song “One Call Away,” the man in the relationship is interested in the other and showing it by his words. He tells the other that he is only one call away from being able to open himself completely. He is reaching out to the other, saying that he is interested in the feelings of the other person, and willing to work on a relationship. Being interested in the other is the foundation of human love, whether we are talking of romantic love or simple friendship. It suggests an attitude of real concern on the part of the one who is seeking to know another. Such real concern may not lead to anything at all in the sense of permanent friendship or the like, but it is the statement of a truly human person. A person in our world should always be interested in what makes up the other people of our world with whom we interact. At the beginning of a love relationship, we are not called to love deeply at first. We are called to be open to the other person, giving them the opportunity to build a friendship if they and we would like to develop it. In fact, our attitude as Christians must always be that we are “one call away” from getting to know another. True friendship involves true interest in another.

PRAYER  Good and gracious God, You call us through Your Son to show interest in others by reaching out to them in friendship. Give us the grace to be people who truly are interested in others and to show it by our actions.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Beginning a love experience involves being truly interested in another.  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In your opinion, what was the most important characteristic for an Apostle of Jesus? 2. Text analysis: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” What is the true meaning of the question? 3. Text analysis: “To save the day.” How does one “save the day” in a romantic love relationship? 4. What is your definition of a “friend”? 5. Text analysis: “Don’t be scared.” Why should people who are just discovering love be afraid of another? 6. In general, do you know of any “romantic” references in the Gospel? 7. The meditation calls us in general to always be interested in the people with whom we interact. Why is this such an important thought? 8. As one matures, what is the best way to “discover” another possible partner for life?  9. What does the song “One Call Away” teach young people?