[media presentation below] GospelThink Good Friday, April 7 JOHN 18:1–19:42 I give up my life for you and give you the chance of eternal life. Prayerthoughts a. What do I learn from what happened to Jesus (take these one at a time, spending time with each one): the arrest of Jesus, Peter’s denials, the inquiry before Annas, the trial before Pilate, the scourging of Jesus, the crucifixion of Jesus, the burial of Jesus. b. What do I learn from how these people reacted to Jesus’s Passion and Death (take one at a time, spending time with each one): Judas Iscariot, the Apostles, Peter, Annas, Pilate, the soldiers who punished and crucified Jesus, Jesus’s mother Mary, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea. c. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Isaiah chapters 52 and 53 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  WILLING TO GIVE  + The message of the passion of Jesus in John’s Gospel is that Jesus was totally willing to give himself up for us         – Jesus accepts suffering because it was part of doing his Father’s will                 – as John comments at the beginning of the Passion narrative: “Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,” gave himself to those who would persecute him         – the Passion narrative of John says quite clearly that Jesus was choosing what was happening because he had a job to do, namely the redemption of the human race + Each evangelist had a specific reason for reporting the Lord’s life the way they did         – John presents Jesus as totally in control of what is happening, and yet he was willing to die for us—         – in the Garden of Gethsemane, he doesn’t pray to be delivered as in the other Gospels, because this hour is his whole purpose;         – when the Roman soldiers and Jewish police come to arrest him, they fall to the earth powerless as he says the divine statement: “I AM”, a phrase that is used three times in the description of what happened—it is the name of God given in the book of Exodus;         – he tells Peter to put away his sword because he wants to drink the cup that the Father has given him;         – he tells Pilate that Pilate’s understanding of a king is correct, and that the reason why he was here on earth was to bring out the truth and everyone must listen to his truth;         – Pilate seats Jesus on the judgment seat called Gabbatha because Jesus, not Pilate, is the real judge of the world;         – there is no Simon of Cyrene because John’s Jesus is in control, even carrying a heavy cross;         – Pilate’s inscription on the cross that Jesus was “King of the Jews” is in Latin, Hebrew and Greek, ALL of the languages of the world that counted at that time;         – he does not cry out on the cross: “My God, why have you forsaken me” as other Gospels because the Father is always with him, and he has allowed himself to be crucified because it is his will;         – he says “it is finished” only when he decided it was finished;         – when Jesus died, John says that he “handed over the spirit,” that is, not only dying, but literally handing over the Holy Spirit to humankind which he had promised at the Last Supper;         – he is buried, not in an unprepared manner as in the other Gospels, rather he lies amidst 100 pounds of spices, the type of burial preparation for a king + That “willingness to give” on behalf of others is something worth thinking about this Good Friday, I believe         – one of the best definitions of love is the willingness to give without expecting anything in return         – Jesus did that perfectly                 – but that idea is very difficult for us: are we really giving to others without expecting anything in return?                         – a Good Friday meditation for us involves how much we are truly giving to others + If we call ourselves Christian, we simply must be willing to give of ourselves         – as Jesus did for us. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Stitches” — Shawn Mendes IF I MOVE ON The Gospel LUKE 22:39-44 Jesus went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.” After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.

Gospelthink: I suffered in a very human way as I realized that I would be killed, but I still prayed. Do I pray during the most difficult times?

“I thought that I’d been hurt before, but no one’s ever left me quite this sore. Your words cut deeper than a knife. Now I need someone to breathe me back to life, got a feeling that I’m going under. But I know that I’ll make it out alive if I quit calling you my lover, (and) move on. You watch me bleed until I can’t breathe. Shaking, falling onto my knees, and now that I’m without your kisses, I’ll be needing stitches. Tripping over myself, aching, begging you to come help. Just like a moth drawn to a flame, you lured me in, I couldn’t sense the pain, your bitter heart cold to the touch. Now I’m gonna reap what I sow; I’m left seeing red on my own.”

One of the most encouraging facts for a Christian is that Jesus knew about the same kind of pain that we have in life. For Jesus, mental and physical pain was part of human existence, as can be seen especially at the end of his life. Studying his life from a merely human point of view, his mental suffering at the Garden of Gethsemane was so intense that he actually sweat blood as he thought of the pain that was to come. But he could move on because God his Father sent an angel as comfort to him. Mental pain is common enough in our human existence. It comes in the form of worry or concern about some future plan or care about someone who is hurting for some reason. It is felt especially when people break up from a romantic relationship. As often noted in these meditations because breakups are so often sung about, we do not usually marry the first person with whom we fall in love. Therefore there will be a breakup, and it will almost always be painful. As Shawn Mendes sings in his song “Stitches,” the person who is breaking up is bleeding until he can’t breathe. It would lead to complete despair unless there were something that could help us in some way. Jesus felt the comfort of an angel with his mental pain. The mental pain felt in a breakup or in truth any mental pain in life is a matter of accepting the reality of the moment. We must accept the fact that for whatever reason the pain is present, and then react in a truly human way by “moving on” in life. Looked at from a spiritual point of view, we believe that God is directing us toward another end. Such end could be described as looking at the new opportunities that we have as a result of the pain. Mental health is paramount in our human lives, whether we are dealing with failed love relationships or the common worries of daily living. We must deal with the pain by moving on in a different direction.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, there is always pain in life because we are human beings. May we study the example of Your Son especially at His death, realizing that You will always help us with any pain that we have. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT    Theme: Romantic breakups may be one of the worst pains in people’s lives, but there is always a solution. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:  1. Analysis: In the Gospel, when Jesus tells his disciples to pray that they do not undergo the test, what test do you think he is speaking of? 2. Jesus makes it clear that the Father’s Will is most important in what will happen. What is the best way to determine God’s Will for us? 3. Note Jesus’ mental pain here, the subject of this meditation. In your opinion, what is the worst mental pain you can think of at the present time? 4. Why is it so difficult to “move on” to another romantic relationship? 5. Text analysis: “I’m gonna reap what I sow.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 6. What is the best way to help someone who is suffering great mental pain? 7. What do most people worry about? What should they worry about? 8. Project: Ask someone who is happily married about their first love, determining whether they married their first love or not. 9. In today’s world, what is the best way to bring about good mental health? 10. What does the song “Stitches”  teach young people today?