[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, February 27 MATTHEW 25:31-46 I give you a story concerning the judgment at the end of the world. Prayerthoughts a. Is the end of the world something that I fear? Why or why not? b. Truthfully with no thought of feeling pride in what I may or may not have done, what is the principal reason that I should be placed with the sheep? c. What is my own personal understanding of the kingdom of heaven? d. Take time to go through each of Jesus’ phrases asking what I am doing in the areas mentioned: giving to the hungry and thirsty, welcoming people amiably, clothing needy people, visiting the sick, and visiting those who are incarcerated? e. I may not be inclined to visit those in prison, but perhaps I should take the time right now to pray for them. f. Jesus words: whatever I did to the least of the people, you did to me. Who do I consider the least in my life right now, again without judging anyone? Do I look at them as if  they were the Lord? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Leviticus, chapter 19 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  LOVING OTHERS: NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE  + The readings today both have the same conclusion: that we have to truly love people           – that love implies two things, a negative approach, and a positive approach:  +        1 – we see the negative approach from the Hebrew Scriptures                      – it implies that we do not do some things                                – a whole list of things                                          – steal, lie, bad speech, injustice           – saying that part of love of others means that we deliberately refrain from doing harmful things to them  +        2 – from Jesus, we have the positive approach to loving others, telling us that there is a way to behave, and telling us by means of a story           – implying that we must do some things if we indeed are to love our neighbor           – I consider it to be one of the most significant statements of the teaching of Jesus, one of the top 10 Scripture passages                      – when it comes to our final judgment before God, Jesus does not mention the Law, he does not mention God; he does not mention tradition, he does not refer to the prophets, the patriarchs, religious practices and prayers, synagogue, church, none of these           – instead, when it comes down to the final analysis of a person                      -when judgment has to be made concerning what a person has done in his life                                – at that moment, the most sacred of all moments in a person’s whole life                                          – Jesus says everything—our whole after-life—depends on how much the person has given to others           – that is an absolutely incredible statement for a Hebrew religious leader to make                      – and further, as if that wasn’t enough to shock people, Jesus not only talks about the brothers and sisters of the world—he talks about the least brothers and sisters                                – that is, those who criticize us, those who refuse to understand us, those who are evil, those who do bad things, those who are unable to understand the evil of their actions  + If we really want to love people, we have to refrain from doing some things and at the same time, we have to do some things for them. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Bad at Love” — Halsey GOOD OR BAD AT LOVE The Gospel LUKE 24:13-24 Now on the day of the Resurrection two of his disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” … “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and words before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us; they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.”

Gospelthink: This is the beginning of the story of the disciples going to Emmaus and the disciples relating what happened. Do I completely believe in the Resurrection and in Jesus’s life with me?

The lady in the relationship seems to be in the process of loving, mentioning the young men and where they are from, and saying “I believe that we’re meant to be, but I’m bad at love.” Actually she is just having a good time, and does not want to settle down, even though she tells the men that she will settle down. Showing love in such a way is not love at all, and she is correct in saying that she is “bad at love.”

We know little about the two disciples who were traveling to Emmaus on the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, except that they were searching for answers. As we read Luke’s account of what happened, we read about their questions, questions that dealt with Jesus who had been crucified. But their questions went much deeper than that. Since they were followers of Jesus, they were wondering whether they had been wrong all along, and now, what direction they should go with their lives. It seems that they had a love for Jesus and his doctrine, but it was an incomplete love. After they met this stranger whom they finally understood, they were willing to take the time to study their own situations, to learn some things, and once they had learned them, after Jesus’ appearance, to turn around and go back to their original belief. That is, they learned what love of Jesus really meant. In her song, Halsey is singing of a person who does not know what love is all about. For her, it means the feelings that she has when she is with a friend who could be labeled a “boyfriend,” a person that she likes. It seems that she wants to show a commitment to her friend, but then apparently, she meets another boyfriend who satisfies her more. And she loses interest in her previous relationship. The good thing is that she knows it, saying “I’m bad a love”; the bad thing is that she is not doing anything about it. Love, of course, is not only feeling good about a relationship. Such a feeling can describe every good situation in a person’s life. It becomes dishonest in a love relationship when we call a personal relationship to be a commitment and it really is not. Committed love of another is something that is once and for all. It is not negotiable, so that we can choose another personal love commitment at will. Once we have made a true commitment to another, it becomes a statement that cannot be set aside. A person who tries to “change” love commitments is doing nothing more than using other people so that they can feel good. We must spend time in choosing a true love of our lives. The disciples on the road to Emmaus finally discovered that love in a guide called the Christian way which they came to love. In a romantic setting, a couple must choose a committed love of each other that can only be described as being “good at love.”

PRAYER Good and gracious God, you call us to love each other, and to be as good as we can at doing it. Give us the grace to truly show love in our lives with the people of our world and especially the person that we choose as a partner in my life of love. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: That which makes love “bad” is the inability to understand true love. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What is most striking about Jesus’ life? 2. If we have a friend who is “bad at love,” what can be done to help him/her? 3. What specifically does it mean to show a general love of all people? 4. If a person discovers that he/she is “bad at love,” what is the first thing that he/she should do? 5. In your opinion, do most couples make a true commitment to each other too soon in life? 6. Specifically, in your opinion, when should a permanent commitment be made to another person? 7. What are the characteristics of a person who is “good at love”?   8. What does the song “Bad at Love” teach young people?