[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, October 27 LUKE 12:54-59 I remind you that you can read the signs of nature. Should you also not read the signs to know what is right? Prayerthoughts a. Jesus reminds us that we can read the signs of nature. I should be able to read the signs of what is happening in the world. And in particular, how people are turning away from God. In my life right now, what are instances where I am turning away from what God wants? b. Jesus tells us to determine what is “right.” What are the best means to help me form my conscience? As I form it, do I try to follow what is right even if it is difficult? c. In particular, how do I treat the people with whom I have a particular problem? Do I “confront” them in a sensible way with love as a guide? Or, if I can’t do that, do I at least pray that they will allow God’s graces to be with them? d. As I think of the court system where I am, are there some laws that are harmful to some people? What can I do about them? e. My prayerthoughts… Today I will read Romans, chapter 7, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  INTERPRETING OUR LIVES  + One of the best ways to use Scripture as a personal meditation is to center in on the questions that the Lord proposes         – here the question from Luke’s Gospel is:         Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?                 – if you know how to interpret the weather, Jesus says, then you should be able to interpret the things that are going on in your own lives                         – that is, what you are doing with your life, how you are interpreting right and wrong  + Paul gives us the classic problem of determining what is right and what is wrong and interpreting the signs         – our human natures are not prone to do what is right                 – we know what is right                         – but “there is another principle at war with the law of my mind”, he says, “taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” that is—human nature  + And so the question becomes: why can’t we followers of Jesus see what our human natures are doing         – that is, interpret what is happening in our lives and see the possibility that our human natures may be misleading us         – which leads to a number of deep questions that we should be asking ourselves                 – questions dealing with the way we interact with others, our language, our desire to want power, our love of material gifts, and so forth         – deep questions that requires real meditation on our parts  + Jesus’ point is that we should be able to figure out what the direction of our lives is, and what our human natures are driving us to         – we are following a certain pattern in our lives                 – we should be able to tell what it is just by looking at the things that we are doing                         – and if we see some things that need changed, we are called to do it  + It may very well be that we have let our human natures totally dominate our lives         – and we should be able to see it, but we’re not doing it. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” — Train OUT OF LIES The Gospel JOHN 4:25-26 The Samaritan woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”

Gospelthink: I tell the Samaritan woman exactly who I am. I know that Jesus is Lord and the question is: do I act that way?

“My heart is paralyzed, my head was over-sized. I’ll take the high road like I should. You said it’s meant to be, that ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. You’re leaving now ‘for my own good.’ That’s cool, but if my friends ask where you are, I’m gonna say,” … and he goes on to make up reasons why she left—reasons that include among others, “she fell into a cement mixer full of quicksand,” “she met a shark underwater,” “she was eaten by a lion,” and “she got run over by a crappy purple Scion.” He ends with the plea: “Help me, help me, I’m no good at goodbyes, I’m all out of lies, and ways to say you died. My pride still feels the sting, you were my everything, someday I’ll find a love like yours.”

Train’s song “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” is a lighthearted, almost happy song about a very serious problem. The problem is that we do not like others to think that there is something wrong with us. So, when his lady friend decides to leave the man in the relationship because of her own personal reasons, he does not want people to think that it was his fault, and, as he admits, he lies. The song is exaggeration, of course, but the point is made: we like to look good. When we do, we are often not honest with ourselves. The encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman in John’s Gospel is an encounter of two people at opposite ends of the continuum of honesty. Jesus is totally honest with the woman, even admitting that he is the Messiah. The woman on the other hand, at first was not honest at all concerning her life. She only arrived at being honest with herself the more she talked with Jesus. The virtue of honesty is without doubt one of the most important virtues for the human being because it involves how we look at ourselves and others. “Honesty,” Thomas Jefferson said, “is the first chapter of the book ‘wisdom’.” It is the foundation of true living. It begins with ourselves, and very simply, as Train alludes to in their song, it involves being “all out of lies” at every moment. It means studying our words and actions and even our thoughts to see if we are lying to ourselves about who we present ourselves to be, about the relationships that we have, or about the way we truly believe. Jesus knew that the Samaritan woman would only be saved if she became honest with herself about her life and what she was doing. It took some soul-searching on her part and some difficult words from Jesus to do it. The only path to salvation and happiness is one paved with honesty. We must take the time to study how we are walking that path.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, through your Son, you constantly call us to be honest in our approach to life. Unfortunately, we are often not inclined that way. Continue to give us the grace to understand ourselves a little more and always to be honest with ourselves and others. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We must strive to know the truth about ourselves at all times. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Project: outline the story of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4 of John’s Gospel. What is most striking about the story? 2. Jesus is the Messiah. What is your understanding of the title? See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 436-440, 711-716. 3. Text analysis: “My head was over-sized.”  What is the meaning of the sentence? 4. Text analysis: what is the “high road” that he is speaking of? 5. What is the meaning of “being honest with ourselves”? 6. Is there ever an instance where we can actually not tell the truth? Yes or no and why? (See Catechism, numbers 2488-2492.) 7. If “honesty” is the first chapter of the book “wisdom” (as Thomas Jefferson says), what do you think are the other parts of wisdom that are essential? 8. Do you believe that there are people in our world who never lie? Yes or no and why? 9. In what ways do people present a false picture of themselves to others? 10. In what ways are we not honest in our relationships? 11. What are the best ways to “search our soul”? 12. What does the song “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” teach young people?