[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, April 20 JOHN 3:31-36 The Father and I do not ration the Spirit. We will give you eternal life if you want. Prayerthoughts a. The evangelist John makes it clear that Jesus speaks of heavenly things. There are earthly things and heavenly things in my life. What are the heavenly things, things that I do  that reminds me of God, and how much time do I spend on them? b. There are many who now accept Jesus’s testimony. What are the three most important doctrines of Jesus as seen in the Scriptures? (This is the task of the meditation.) c. Obviously, I say that I accept the testimony of Jesus. But do I completely? What are some areas in my life where I need to follow the Lord more closely? d. Jesus’s gifts of the Spirit have been labeled as Wisdom, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Understanding, Piety and Fear of the Lord. What is the most important one for me and why? e. Of course, I have no knowledge now of “eternal life.” What aspect of eternal life do I consider to be the most important? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will carry out letter b. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE WORDS WE SPEAK  + Speaking of himself here in John’s Gospel             – Jesus says: the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God                         – and Jesus’ message is that not everyone is listening to that word             – it is a good source of meditation for the believer in Jesus                         – if we are of God—sent by God—then we will speak the words of God             – that would lead us to a meditation on our words, and how we speak the words that we speak  + In the first reading from Acts, Peter and John are a perfect example of speaking the words of God             – sent by God, they truly spoke the words of God                         – in fact, as they said, they had to speak those words because nothing else made sense                                     – and they were direct with their words to the high priests saying to them that they, the high priests, were indeed responsible for Jesus’ death  + Speaking the words of God is a pretty good thought to consider if we want to grow in our spiritual lives             – with the rather straightforward question for ourselves: what kind of words do we speak?                         – do the words reflect a belief in God                                     – respectful, kind, tolerant, peaceful, honest                                                 – we can still reflect a belief in God even if sometimes our words to others are difficult, as Peter and John’s words were difficult                                                             – but if they are to reflect a belief in God, the words will be said with the thought of trying to help the situation             – sometimes our words are simply not the type of words that should be spoken by a believer                         – not in the sense that we speak against God                                     – but in the sense that we are not speaking with God-like words                                                 – words of hatred, rash judgment, prejudice, revenge, dishonesty, even so-called curse words  + We want that eternal life that Jesus spoke of             – and therefore we profess our belief in Jesus             – and one of the ways to show our belief is by the language that we use. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Top Gun Maverick” — beginning session AGAINST ORDERS The Gospel LUKE 6:6-11 On another sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there who right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it? Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Gospelthink: People are more important than law.

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was a test pilot, maybe the very best test pilot at the time. And he knew it. He was absolutely convinced that he was, and there was simply no discussion, in his mind anyway. And so, when things did not go his way because those who made the decisions felt that no one could do what had to be done in his field of expertise, he was adamant. We see it as the movie begins when Maverick against orders, took his plane to a Mach 10 speed; we see it later on when he proved again against all orders that an action of war involving his plane could be carried out within a specific time frame. Luckily, he had people in high places who could “cover” his disobedience and keep him active. But he proved that he was right.

In a situation that usually is dictated by obedience, sometimes if we know we are right, some type of independence may be in order. Jesus knew that principle of living, and he also knew the law of not curing on the Sabbath. Therefore he knew that he was breaking the law, but he also believed with all his heart that what he was doing, namely curing another, was more important than any law. The tricky area, of course, is finding out the instances in which obedience to a law is less important than what one thinks is right. Jesus felt that he had good reason to disobey the law. In the movie “Top Gun Maverick,” Pete “Maverick” Mitchell felt the same way about the law determined by an immediate superior. He was totally convinced he was right. When one justifies a disobedient action, such a one is leaving him or herself open to harsh judgment. And the action should be carefully studied before it is taken.  In the movie “Top Gun Maverick,” Maverick probably did not take the necessary time to study the situation, but he felt he was correct in his action. As you and I in the “normal” situations of life discover what is the best good that can be done, usually it will be the path of obedience. But chances are that some circumstance may say to us that we must disobey the law in whatever form it comes. Perhaps the best criterion to measure such a moment was pointed out by Jesus, indeed was in Maverick’s mind as well: the good of people is more important than law.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son constantly ran up against the fact that “the law” dictated action that did not agree with the love that he was teaching his world. In whatever we do, help us be able to follow “the law” but always be aware that love is more important than law. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: The thin line between obedience and independence must be governed by love.        DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 60 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2.  In your opinion, why did the religious leaders of Jesus’s time dislike him so much? 3. In today’s world, do people in general “keep holy the Sabbath,” that is for us, a Sunday? Yes or no and why? 4. People often will break some law, for example in driving, paying taxes, and so forth. Do you think that people care about breaking such a law? Yes or no and why? 5. Do people tend to consider carefully some law that they are deliberately not following? Yes or no and why? 6. What are some instances today when helping people may be against some law? 7. In general, do the people of our world believe (and follow that belief) that all people are good and should be helped in some way if they need it?