[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, October 13 LUKE 11:15-26 There is evil is this wonderful world that I created. Resist that evil with all your might. Prayerthoughts a. The Lord was in control of the evil. I too am in control of the evil in my life if I call upon the Lord to help. Do I continually call on the Lord to be present in my life? b. Some people misunderstood Jesus whether deliberately or not. Am I patient with the people who do not understand what I am trying to accomplish? c. Jesus realized the fact that nothing can be accomplished if a group is divided. In general, do I try to bring about unity in the places where I am? d. Other people were exorcists in Jesus time. Jesus controls evil by the hand of God. Is it evident by my life that I call on God in what I do? e. Obviously, I will say that the good is strong in my life. But have I permitted some small evil in the things that I do? f. Evil never rests. Am I always aware that I could turn to evil in the situations of my life, and therefore pray with that in mind? g. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will read Joel, chapter 1 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  JESUS OVERCOMES EVIL IN OUR LIVES AT ALL TIMES  + In Luke’s Gospel today, we have a healing story           – a casting out of the devil                      – but it is also a consideration of evil as Jesus argues with people around him           – first of all, evil might be defined as the evil one directing us to act, say or think things that are in direct contrast to what Jesus says in the Scriptures                      – and there are a couple of points concerning evil from the liturgy today worth considering:           – 1 – the finger of God conquers evil – the prophet Joel talks of the evil in the sense of neglect of God’s temple, but even though that evil is present, God will continue to be with the people—the “day of the Lord” will come                                – saying in effect that God will always conquer evil, even though the people are prone to it                      – in fact, from Jesus’ words in the Gospel, God’s work is the only way to conquer evil           The finger of God casts out demons.                                – and it is clear from the Scriptures that the finger of God includes a dedication to God through prayer and meditation on the Scriptures           – and so we never have to worry about evil in our lives, as long as we have allowed ourselves to be touched by the finger of God           – 2 – there is the possibility of accepting evil by not doing enough to get rid of it                      – the Gospel’s discussion about what is stronger in a person’s life is apropos here                                – simply being against is not enough for action against evil                                          – we have to be pro-active                                                    – taking steps to stop the evil in our lives by truly accepting the Lord as friend, taking the necessary time to pray and read the Gospels                                                               – truly turning against the evil that does happen, and not letting it sneak up on us, gradually becoming stronger than God                                                                         – unless we are active against anything evil in our lives, it may gradually find a place in our hearts           – 3 – and evil is not going to stop           When an unclean spirit has gone out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest, but, finding none,                      –  it goes back where it came from                                – we might conquer—say—some evil at one time                                          – but we always have to be prepared because evil never stops                      – perhaps as we consider our thoughts, words and actions, it is our thinking here that we should consider                                – our thinking constantly must be purified of the evil that lurks                                          – the thinking of pride, judgment of others, placing ourselves as better, etc.  + In all of this talk of evil, we must remember that we need not be afraid— – Jesus has overcome evil in our lives and will continue if we constantly ask him to help us. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Treat You Better” — Shawn Mendes I CAN TREAT YOU BETTER The Gospel JOHN 13:14-17 Jesus said: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.”

Gospelthink: I want you to wait on others the way I waited on my disciples. In general, how do I treat others?

Shawn Mendes’ song “Treat You Better” is a song that shows some domestic violence in the video, and at the end of the video, the domestic violence hotline is listed.  It is the story of a young man who knows that the girlfriend that he would like is dating someone else, but that someone else is not treating her correctly. He sings that he knows the other person is not right for her, and he senses that she knows it also. “I know I can treat you better than he can,” he sings, “And any girl like you deserves a gentleman.” He asks her why she’s spending time with him, and begs her to come over to him. In fact, he sings, “I’ll stop time for you the second you say you’d like me to; I promise I’ll never let you down.”

In the area of how we Christians should treat one another, perhaps the most poignant example that Jesus gave to his Apostles and therefore to us, is his action at the Last Supper as recorded by John the Evangelist. Jesus became a true servant as he washed his Apostles’ feet. Then he told his followers to “wash one another’s feet” since he was their model and teacher. That is to say, the way we should treat one another is with the utmost respect, as a good servant ought to treat his/her master. Another way to view showing respect for others is with the thought of how we want others to treat us. We most definitely want others to show us the virtues that we deem important. We like to be treated with kindness, with respect, with honor even if at times with more than we deserve. It makes us feel good and ready to face a world that at times is somewhat hostile. And if we learn to treat others the same way, our world may become a little less hostile. Whatever our motivation, it is a truly Christian message that we must treat others well. In Shawn Mendes’ song, “Treat You Better,” someone is not treating the girlfriend of the man in the song with the respect and honor that she deserves. He therefore tells her quite correctly that she should get out of the relationship. Of course, he wants her to come to him, but whether she does or not, she should follow his advice and leave that relationship. It is a good rule to say that if either in the party becomes physical in a negative way–slapping, hitting, grabbing someone with too much force or the like–then the relationship must stop. The fact is that too often we treat others well only when we think we can get something from the other. Jesus reminds us that in any relationship we must treat others well by becoming their servants and allowing that to be our guide.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son has taught us the lesson to treat others well by telling us to become servants to all. Give us the grace to accept His lesson a little more into our lives, romantic and otherwise. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We are called to treat everyone well. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Of course, we do not literally “wash one another’s feet.” What does the phrase mean in our modern world? 2. In your opinion, do most Christians try to follow the example of Jesus in their lives? Yes or no and why? 3. If you are aware of domestic violence among your friends, what should you do? 4. Analysis: many songs use the word “never”–“I’ll never let you down.”  Do you believe that we should use the words like “never” and “forever” to describe our relationships? Yes or no and why? 5. How does one treat another with the utmost respect? 6. What does the song “Treat You Better” teach young people?