[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, September 16 LUKE 6:43-49 I tell you quite plainly: listen to my words and act on them and if you do, you are building a strong foundation. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus uses the example of trees, good trees and bad trees. In my growing up, I probably saw proofs of both. Have I made peace with the difficulties of my youth and early life? b. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit. Obviously, I want to be good, but am I taking the pains to work toward it, that is, by prayer, spiritual reading, and meditating on the Gospels? c. What evidence do I have in my life that indicates I am bearing good fruit? d. Do I truly “listen” to ALL the words of Jesus? e. Are  my actions fundamentally following the mind of Jesus? How can I make them more so? f. Thinking of the story of Jesus, give an example of something that is built solidly on rock. g. Thinking of the story of Jesus, give an example of something that is built on ground without a foundation. h. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will read 1 Timothy, chapter 1, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  ACTING ON THE WORD OF GOD  + In the Gospel today, Jesus concludes what Scripture scholars call the “Sermon on the Plain”           – Matthew had Jesus speak these words and many others in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7           – here in Luke chapter 6, Luke has Jesus give some essential moral directives and what they should mean for our lives  + In his story about the tree, Jesus asks the question: what are your actions showing to others?           – I have a priest friend who says that people are either basically good or basically bad                      – and you can tell by how they act when they are upset                                – the basically good person will generally allow the situation that upsets them to pass without referring to it too much                                – the basically bad person will consider the situation as if it were the worst problem in the world           – it is very telling to study how we react to someone who is not driving the way we think they should for example           – or how we act toward people that we don’t agree with                      – Paul said the same thing in his language to the Corinthians:                                “You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”  + We hear Jesus’ words about the person who listens to him and puts his words in practice           – and his comparison in yet another story about the building constructed on rock                      – the obvious conclusion is the same as that of the story of the good and bad tree: we have to put into practice the words that we hear from Jesus           – it has been the problem with many of the people in our Church’s past                      – we have great theology, a marvelous system of what our belief is, and what our morals are                                – but even with that theology, we have horrible crimes that can be shown                                          – both on the part of the people in the Church and the clergy. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Eyes Closed” — Ed Sheeran DEALING WITH THE CARDS LIFE DEALT The Gospel MATTHEW 9:20-22 A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind [Jesus] and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured.

Gospelthink: I reward a person’s faith.

“I know it’s a bad idea, but how can I help myself? Been inside for most this year, and I thought a few drinks they might help, it’s been a while, my dear, dealing with the cards life dealt. I’m still holding back these tears while my friends are somewhere else. Every song reminds me you’re gone, and I feel the lump in my throat cause I’m here alone. Just dancing with my eyes closed ‘cause everywhere I look I still see you and time is moving so slow, and I don’t know what else that I can do, so I’ll keep dancing with my eyes closed,”

Things happen whether we like it or not. The car breaks down. We are involved in an accident that causes some pain, often debilitating either physically or mentally. We are a victim of a disease. We grow older and simply cannot function like we used to.  Reality. Reality is often not very pretty, but it is reality, and it cannot be denied. What happens after we realize it is a matter of personal choice. We place it into our consciousness, and then decide whether we want to do anything about it. Sometimes we may not want to do anything; sometimes, it may not even help to do anything. But sometimes we can do something, and it can be significant for our lives. The lady in the healing story of Matthew’s Gospel had accepted her ailment for twelve years. No doubt she had tried her best to do something about it; she had even consulted the so-called experts of her time, the doctors. There was nothing anyone could do, and so when she heard of Jesus, she turned to him. And more than that–she believed that he could do something about it. Ed Sheeran’s song “Eyes Closed” describes a real situation that is significant for a person that is trying to get over the pain of the loss of someone close. In his mind, the way to deal with the negative reality was to allow music and rhythm to heal. As he explains in the song, he was “dealing with the cards that life dealt.” For him, dancing with his eyes closed was the remedy to the reality that he had to face. Perhaps one of the most important indications of how we live our lives is how we deal with the “cards that life” deals. We can feel sorry for ourselves and complain to whomever will listen. Or we can do something about it. We can face whatever it is and determine a course of action that will address the problem. Such a course of action can have a temporary result or a permanent one. The song’s solution of “dancing with your eyes closed” may give some relief, but perhaps the decision to do something that will last a little longer is more appropriate. The thought of the lady in the Gospel should be the approach of every Christian believer. Whatever cards are dealt to us, we can turn to our God, and listen to Him tell us what to do.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we make decisions all the time, and sometimes those decisions are not good and end up hurting us. Also things happen that are disappointments to us. Give us the grace to learn to adjust to whatever happens in our lives, and then move on with the help of your grace. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We must find a way to deal with the difficulties of life. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Eyes Closed” teach young people? 2. As you study our world over the past couple years, what are the most important realities that have happened, and how have we adjusted to them? 3. How do most people react to a tragedy that has happened to them or their family? 4. What can I do to help someone who has suffered some tragedy? 5. In your opinion, do you think that simply “ignoring” a problem really works? 6. The meditation suggests that an indication of how we live our lives is how we adjust to the things that happen. Do you agree or disagree? 7. How does our faith in God help with any tragedy?