[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, February 9 MARK 7:31-37 I took the man away from the crowd to heal him. I did not want the crowd to interfere. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus visited many areas with his message of the Kingdom of God. In the different places of my life, do I show the virtues of the Kingdom to others? b. There are handicapped people among the people that I know. Do I show them the Lord’s love without being condescending to them? c. The Lord took the man away from the crowd. Am I controlled by the “crowd,” that is, people that I want to like me? d. Jesus prays for the man to be cured. Am I praying enough for the people who are sick and are close to me? (This is the task of the meditation.) e. In general, Jesus did not want his actions to be praised. Do I seek too much the admiration of others? f. One of the descriptions of me should be that I have tried to do all things well. Am I accomplishing this in my life? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will list the people that I should pray for by name and pray for them silently. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE DESIRE TO BE GODS  + We are up to the second story of the five major stories of Genesis 1-11 which we are reading during the first reading           – that of the first sin                      – as with all five stories they are told above all for a specific purpose                                – that purpose was to relay a religious truth           – with the first sin, the purpose is to convey the fact that the primary sin is disobedience of God in order to make ourselves like gods  + And looking at Jesus’ healing story in the Gospel in a teaching way           – Jesus healed the man’s hearing and speaking in order to allow him to function in life                      – it is our hearing and speaking, and what brings them about, our thinking, that must be healed in order to be obedient to God  + The sin of the first people was not only a one-time affair           – it is the essence of every sin                      – we human beings want to be like gods, and therefore we go our own way, ignoring God and what God wants           – and therefore it is significant that people in religious life take the vow of obedience                      – not only being obedient to God, but being obedient to a legitimate superior here on earth  + As we think of the first sin of disobedience, together with Jesus’ healing power, we have to pray for the grace to be healed in such a way that we can be obedient men and women           – working for the ideal of obedience of the will, that is, internally accepting the desires of our God and living our lives accordingly  + I have always maintained that obedience is by far the most difficult of the vows that we take           – and therefore being obedient to God is the same way                     – because we want what we want                               – we are basically selfish people                                – in terms of the book of Genesis, we want to be like gods unto ourselves           – today’s liturgy gives us the chance to do some serious thinking about how we obey God, following God’s directives and how our selfishness tends to get in the way. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Without Me” — Halsey DEALING WITH BLIND LOVE The Gospel MATTHEW 5:38-42 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

Gospelthink: My basic foundation of love: give to others no matter what. This is very difficult–am I coming close to it?

“Found you when your heart was broke; I filled your cup until it overflowed, took it so far to keep you close, I was afraid to leave you on your own. I said I’d catch you if you fall, Put you right back on your feet just so you could take advantage of me. Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?  Feeling so high, but too far away to hold me. I’m the one who put you up there. I don’t know why, thinking you could live without me. My love was blind.”

It is rare for modern media that we find agreement between that media and what Jesus said in the Gospel. But if we listen to Halsey’s song “Without Me”, we will hear agreement with Jesus as he tells us not to retaliate if someone harms us. The song is the story in song of a friend that the lady in the song helped, but apparently he has forgotten her now that he feels better. Love was blind she sings, and now it has cost her the relationship because he has left. She has allowed herself to be “used” by her boyfriend, and now that he has broken up with her, she is realizing what has truly happened. It is the case of what Jesus was speaking of during his Sermon on the Mount when he was speaking of retaliation and revenge. He said quite directly: there is to be none. Our tendency is to respond like for like as is found even in Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus knew that, of course, because he knew those Scriptures well. He goes to the extreme, exaggerating as it does. He says that even if the other person deserves it, the Christian law–his law–is that we never “turn our back” on someone. In the song, there are many ways in which she could respond, of course.  She could say words that are not at all indicative of being a good person; she could do actions that hurt him and let others know what he did. But as if listening to directions that Jesus gave, she chooses not to do that. It is obvious from the song that she is a little bit angry. But that is to be expected. Hopefully the anger will dissipate; retaliation leaves a lasting residue. The person who manages to stay away from retaliation and revenge will usually have a better life. Jesus knew that. It is good for modern media to be aware of it also.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we are often driven by the way we feel, and when we are hurt, we have the desire to get back at the person who has hurt us. Give us the grace to listen closely to Your Son’s words about revenge and retaliation. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: A break-up with a person that we have helped is even more difficult than any other break-up. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Without Me” teach young people?  T 2. Jesus’ directive may be the most difficult directive in the Gospel. Thinking globally, what would the world look like if the most powerful countries followed it? 3. Jesus uses exaggeration as he speaks here. In your opinion, why does he speak this way in his sermons? 4. Can you think of any other modern media that is closely aligned to Jesus’ way of thinking? 5. What is the best way to work with break-ups? That is in the song, how should the lady work with the problem? 6. What is the most common way of responding in a break-up situation? 7. Generally speaking, do you think that it is true that a person will have a better life if he/she does not turn to revenge in a break-up situation?