[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, February 7 MARK 7:14-23 In order to lead a good spiritual life, you must look at what comes “from within” you. Prayerthoughts a. That which comes from within will defile, mainly, our thoughts. Am I trying to “purify”   my thoughts a little more? b. Jesus wants the apostles to understand. Do I take the time to try to understand the difficult passages of Scripture, perhaps through a commentary or the like? c. Jesus talks of entering “the heart.” He is speaking of the way we consider things that we see and make judgments about them. Where in my life can I be more loving? d. That which comes out of the “heart” is what defiles a person. I sometimes dwell on  people or situations in lust, anger or hatred. How should I work with those instances? e. I should look for evidence in my life for each vice Jesus mentioned: evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. f. My prayerthoughts…   Today I will choose one of the evils that Jesus mentions in the meditation, and write a personal prayer concerning it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  CONTROLLING OUR FREE WILLS  + The book of Genesis continues with the so-called “second creation story”           – and sets up the story of the fall of man and woman                      – with the restriction given to man in the Garden of Eden                                – setting up the first sin to be disobedience                                          – man refusing to submit to the will of God  + From the very beginning of the Bible, our free will is the subject of consideration           – as if God is saying to us: I know free will is going to work, it is of the essence of man, but it must be controlled                      – saying this right at the very beginning of creation  + Jesus is talking about an instance of the control of free will in the Gospel today           – saying that it is not food that must be controlled in the set up of the spiritual life                      – it is the thought process, the thought process that happens because of free will                                – that which emerges “from within” must be directed or controlled                                          – so that we don’t have the evils that are clearly part of our world                                                    – Jesus mentions the sins that he is aware of  + The idea to dwell on for the spiritual life, I think is that we freely choose something that will control what emerges from within           – that is one of the basic reasons for our acceptance of Christianity                                – and the whole spiritual set up as we have it                      – we recognize that our free must be controlled  + We have to look at our celebration today and every Mass           – not only as worship of God for what God has done for us                      – but as a willing acceptance on our part of some control of our free will by the life that Jesus set up,                                – and so our prayer is to really desire God’s grace to direct our “within”                                          – we absolutely must have it                                                    – or else our free wills will run out of control. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Stand By You” — Rachel Platton IF YOUR WINGS ARE BROKEN… The Gospel JOHN 11:1-5 Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Gospelthink: I had friends when I was here on earth. There are people that I call friends in my life. Am I as good to them as I should be?

“Hands, put your empty hands in mine. And scars, show me all the scars you hide, and if your wings are broken, please take mine so yours can open too, ‘cause I’m gonna stand by you. Even if we’re breaking down, we can find a way to break through. Even if we can’t find heaven, I’ll walk through hell with you. Love, you’re not alone, ‘cause I’m gonna stand by you.”

We can learn a number of lessons from Jesus’ association with Martha, Mary and Lazarus, three people who interacted with Jesus during his lifetime. Perhaps the most obvious one is the fact that they were friends. Jesus was very interested in their welfare, even entering into their family squabbles at times, but especially he felt sorrow when Lazarus had died. Jesus was saddened by his friend’s death, and true to friendship till the end, worked toward some resolution of his feelings by performing one of his greatest miracles. Rachel Platten in her song “Stand By You” speaks to feelings and actions among friends, friends who have promised to remain friends forever. In beautiful words, the lady in the relationship tells her friend that she will be that friend no matter what. She will be the wings her friend must have, she will find a way to break through any problems, she will walk through hell itself just to prove that her friend is not alone. When people determine that they fall into the category of being “true friends,” there are certain obligations that follow.  Too often we humans say very strong words like “friends forever” or “I will always be with you” or even “till death do us part.” And too often the words mean nothing or very little. We grow older, we move away, we find ourselves in different circumstances, and we forget about the friendship. When we say a friendship is true, it will last no matter what happens in life. Lazarus and his sisters felt that type of friendship from Jesus. Rachel Platten reminds us about the duties of a “true friend” in her song. It is a concept that every one of us should make our own.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son taught us the value of human friendship. Help us to be more aware of the needs of our friends and give us the grace to show them true friendship. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: A true friend will always stand up for his/her friend even during the tough moments. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In your opinion, as you study the Gospel, how do you think Martha, Mary and Lazarus showed friendship to Jesus during his lifetime? 2. Text analysis: “will not end in death.” Jesus no doubt means “spiritual death.” In other words, the situation will end well, and “life” will result. What is the best way to promote a good “spiritual life”?  3. Text analysis: “If your wings are broken…” What is the meaning of the phrase? 4. What are the various ways that a relationship “breaks down”? 5. In today’s world, what are the greatest proofs that one is a friend to another? 6. Project: Go through each phrase of the quoted portion of the song above, stating some examples of what the phrases mean. 7. What are the “obligations” of a true friend? 8. What will be “proof” in later years that one’s friendship in the early years of high school and college were “true” friendships? 9. What does the song “Stand By You” teach young people?