[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, May 9 JOHN 14:27-31a The peace that I give to you is peace that you have  to make an effort toward in order for it to come. Prayerthoughts a. Perhaps primary among the virtues of the Christian is the whole thought of peace. Am I truly a peaceful person? Does anger overcome me too often? b. The Lord refers to how the world gives peace. What does that mean for me? c. The Lord tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. What troubles me most right now? d. The Lord is looking for the apostles to be happy about his return to the Father. What are my feelings about my own death? e. The Lord wants us to strengthen our faith in Him. What are the best ways for me to strengthen my faith?. f. The early believers in Jesus sometimes felt that the devil was coming in some form. There is evil in our world today. What are the biggest evils in the world, and can I do anything about them besides pray for the people involved? (This is the task of the  meditation.) g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will carry out letter f. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  ACCEPTANCE OF PAIN  + The first reading is during Paul’s first missionary journey (46-49 AD)          – there may be an element of exaggeration here,                   – but Paul’s determination is striking          – Paul is stoned because he is speaking blasphemy in the Jewish mind                   – and yet, immediately after it, he goes right back into the thick of things—to the same town and continues what he is doing          – and in explanation, he says some very important words for anyone dedicated to the service of Jesus:          It is necessary … to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.  + What Paul suffered was not fake          – his suffering was real—people really didn’t like him: they hurt him; in some instances, they tried to kill him; they tried to get others to shun him                   – for the follower of Jesus today, the same applies                            – there will be real trials, real problems with what happens if we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior                            – Paul’s message to us as an educator is this: we must undergo those trials          – Jesus at the Last Supper discourse in the Gospel had already said it:                   – the peace that he is preaching is not the same as the world gives                            – the world saying peace at all costs—pain and conflict is bad                   – Jesus’s peace implies that there will be personal trials to insure the peace of Jesus  + Generally we do not like to undergo trials for anything, let alone for the chance to have eternal life, even if we want to grow in the spiritual life          – we see those trials come to us in various ways:                   – first we see the trials in our own bodies: we don’t like the sicknesses, the weakness, getting old, the dependence on drugs and medical personnel and treatment, the special regimen that disease causes                   – there are also trials coming from our belief in Jesus—moving us to act in certain Christian ways that are difficult                            – our human natures urge us to complain, or give up, or become angry, or take it out on others or the like          – but Jesus assures his followers that he, Jesus, has control of the “ruler of the world” as he calls him in the Gospel                   – the Lord will guide us all the time if we turn to him  + People who want deeper spiritual lives must be accepting of the trials that happen to them          – we have to resolve to seek God’s peace in whatever circumstances in which we find ourselves, even when things don’t seem to be going the way we want them to go. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Suit & Tie” — Justin Timberlake THE SWING OF SHOWING LOVE The Gospel JOHN 2:1-3 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

Gospelthink: I celebrated life just like everyone else. Do I celebrate the moments of living that I am involved in with love?

“I can’t wait ’till I get you on the floor; we don’t mind all the watching ’cause if they study close, they might learn something. And as long as I got my suit and tie, I’ma leave it all on the floor tonight. And you got fixed up to the nines. Let me show you a few things. All pressed up in black and white, and you’re dressed in that dress I like. Love is swinging in the air tonight. Let me show you a few things about love. Now, we’re in the swing of love.”

The Gospels never talk about romantic dancing, mainly because the preparation for marriage in Jesus’ time did not include any personal choice of a future partner. But there was no doubt celebration with dancing after the choice for marriage was made. We know that Jesus and his disciples were invited to such a marriage at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and Jesus also spoke of dancing during his stay with us on earth. He obviously knew that dancing was a way of showing love. He had studied King David, for instance who had such an overwhelming love for God present in the ark of God that “he came dancing before the Lord with abandon” (2 Samuel 6:14).  Dancing is still a part of wedding celebrations, of course. Justin Timberlake in his song “Suit & Tie” is not singing specifically of a wedding celebration (although the song seems to indicate that a wedding may be part of the couple’s future), but he is singing of dancing as a statement of love. It is a love song, extolling the art of dancing and dressing up for that dancing. In our society today, dancing is still a statement of love. It is only part of the showing of love, of course, but a common one for couples in love. Perhaps the lesson for all of us, whether we are involved in romantic love or not, is the need that we have to show our love after we have said it. Taking the lesson from people who are romantically involved in love, people who follow Christian doctrine must see the necessity to do more than simply “talk love.” If love really is present, we will show it by our actions, we will speak it in the words that we say, and most of all, certainly the more difficult, we will think it in the thoughts that we have. Perhaps Jesus’ lesson to us about love is what dancing is to romantic love. If we truly love another, we will show it in an external way.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, through your Son Jesus you call us to love. At times, it will be a romantic love if we think of marriage. Give us the grace to learn about true love and show it by our actions. Be with us, we pray.

+++++GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL FULFILLMENT Theme: When we truly love another, we may show it in an external way like dancing.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. We know that marriages were “arranged” in Jesus’ time. What are the advantages to such a practice? What are the disadvantages? 2. The Gospel of John never mentions the name of the mother of Jesus in his Gospel. In your opinion, what may be a reason? 3. Project: the presenter may want to give a short history of marriage. The Catholic Encyclopedia is an excellent source. 4. Text analysis: “If they study close, they might learn something.” What can we learn from people in love? 5. Text analysis: “As long as I got my suit and tie, I’ma leave it all on the floor.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 6. Text analysis: “Let me show you a few things about love.” What are the things about romantic love that everyone must know? 7. Text analysis: “We are in the swing of love.”  What is the meaning of the sentence? 8. Project: the presenter may want to give a short history of the reason for dancing in our world. 9. The meditation quotes the Hebrew book of 2 Samuel and the fact that King David danced “with abandon” before God. What does the phrase mean? 10. In our world today, is every dance an expression of love of the other? Yes or no and why? 11. In our world today, what is the most important part of a wedding? What should be the most important part? Why? 12. In general, do Christians honestly show the love of Jesus to others? Yes or no and why? 13. What is the best way to bring about loving thoughts about others? 14. What is the best way a Christian has of “showing love”?    15. What does the song “Suit & Tie” teach young people?