[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, February 28 MATTHEW 6:7-15 I have given you the “Our Father” as a primary prayer. Prayerthoughts a. There are no doubt many prayers that I “read” or “recite by heart” and I do not pay attention to the words that I should—what might be called “babble.” I should review the formal prayers that I pray and determine to pay attention to the words that I use. b. Our God knows what we need. When we pray to God, we are the ones that change, not God. Our prayer in every instance is something that should help us understand that God is working for us. c. Our prayer should include praise of God. For what things should I praise God most of all? (This is the task of the meditation.) d. I pray that my place on earth be made into the kingdom in heaven. What should I do in my life to make it more in tune with the heavenly kingdom? e. I pray for what I need daily. What are the daily needs that I must have? Do I thank God   enough for them? f. I pray the word “forgive.” The Lord even reminds me after he teaches the prayer. Who should I forgive most at this time of my life? g. I pray that my life may be free from evil. What are the evils that surround me most that  I should avoid? h. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will carry out letter c. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  PRAYER  + Both readings speak of the idea of the word of God           – God’s word in Isaiah is to be listened to and responded to and is true, achieving the end that God intended           – our word to God—prayer—is presented by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew’s Gospel + With any consideration of the prayer that we know as the Our Father, there are many conclusions for the spiritual life           – three of them in particular strike me           1 – with prayer, we have to know what we are saying                                – “do not rattle on”, as if that is the way to please God                                          – being aware of what we are praying is an important consideration for formal prayer            2 — prayer is for us, not for God—your Father knows before you ask                                – we are not “placating” God by our prayer as if “God will get us if we don’t pray”                                – we are not “forcing” God to do anything—we do not have that power                                          – God knows our circumstances and is always working for our good anyway, whether we ask or not                                                    – Jesus tells us to ask because we must know that we depend on God           3 – with prayer, there must be action in the form of forgiveness of another                      – it is no mistake that Jesus doesn’t stop with the statement of asking for forgiveness in the Our Father                                – he reiterates it again immediately after teaching the Our Father                                          – as if to say: this is an important point                                – prayer only makes sense if you are doing the things of God                                          – you cannot pray the Our Father and still not forgive someone                                          – you cannot pray the rosary and still tear another down                                          – you cannot pray a formal prayer and hold a grudge or be prejudiced  + Prayer is a common activity for us           – we are at prayer now                      – we must concentrate on what we are saying, and want to reform our lives as we pray. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Daylight” — Maroon 5 WE’LL BE ON OUR OWN The Gospel JOHN 7:33-34 Jesus said, “I will be with you only a little while longer, and then I will go to the one who sent me. You will look for me but not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”

Gospelthink: When I die, I will of course not be with you, but I will be with you all the days of your life. Do I act every day like the Lord is with me?

“Here I am waiting; I’ll have to leave soon; why am I holding on? We knew this day would come, we knew it all along, how did it come so fast? This is our last night but it’s late, and I’m trying not to sleep ‘cause I know when I wake, I will have to slip away. And when the daylight comes, I’ll have to go, but tonight I’m gonna hold you so close ‘cause in the daylight we’ll be on our own.”

[Note: the video to the song “Daylight” is unique, and good for study in its own right. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 says of the video: “As different as we all are, there are common themes that bring us together, inspire and show everyone what is important today. With this video, we’ll present the world today and beyond, creating more than just a music video.”] The man in Maroon 5’s song “Daylight” is about to leave the relationship, and he is enjoying the presence of his friend one final night. The parting seems to be a “healthy” one in the sense that both of them are choosing to leave the relationship and begin a new life. Jesus knew that his time on earth was only temporary. In John’s Gospel, he knew that he was God, and knew that his task on earth would come to an end somehow, some way. Understanding that he was accomplishing his goal of the redemption of humankind, he told his disciples that he had to go back to his Father. In a sense, he was “beginning again,” by returning to his Father. His disciples, on the other hand, were in a real sense beginning again, since they had to prepare to carry out their Master’s wishes in the Kingdom on earth. In our travel-oriented, work-necessitated world, we have become very mobile, and consequently, we will often move several times during the course of our lives. Every move involves a parting of relationships that have been formed. Sometimes those relationships will continue, but more than likely, they will cease. There is pain involved in parting with friends, especially in love relationships as in the song; even when we enter new phases of our lives like entering college, or a new job, or getting married, there will be some discomfort. But the good thing about leaving a situation is that we can look forward to a new beginning. We can be thankful for the past and the good friends that we have made, and we may indeed come back every now and then. But in order to grow, we must move on. There are always new things in front of us and we must experience those things in order to be completely mature.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son left our earth in order to be with you after his work of redemption. May we learn from him the value of appreciating the past and beginning again. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: At times we must leave the situation we are in and choose to begin again. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In the Gospel, how do you think Jesus felt about leaving his disciples? 2. Jesus’ disciples could not follow Jesus when he rose from the dead, but they were to follow him eventually. Such is our hope as well. What is the most important characteristic that we must develop in order to insure our following of Jesus? 3. Text analysis: “Why am I holding on.”  In general, why do people want to “hold on” to the past? 4. Analysis: Why does it seem like “time” passes quickly at times, and drags at times? In your life right now, is time passing quickly or slowly? Why? 5. Analysis: The song implies some type of physical love involvement in their relationship. Why do people often define love in a physical way? Is it a good way to show love? Yes or no and why? 6. Analysis: “We’ll be on our own.” The song implies that both of the people must leave in some way. What is the best way to prepare for a friend’s permanent departure? 7. Obtain a copy of the video of the song, and study the different parts of it. What is most striking about the video? 8. When is a parting from a relationship “unhealthy.” 9. What are some reasons why a couple should break their love relationship? 10. Life on earth is “temporary.” What conclusion should be drawn from the fact that we all will die? 11. What are some things that can make parting with friends a little less difficult? 12. What is necessary in order to “begin again” in life? 13. The meditation says that we must always experience new things in order to mature. Do you think that the statement is always true? Yes or no and why? 14. What does the song “Daylight” teach young people?