Crowded Hearts
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Mark 8: 34 – 9:1 Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Jesus asks a reflective question in the Gospel, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world…?” Certainly gaining the whole world would be attractive – think about it. Consider: all the money, all the power, all the pleasure, all the fame, all the comfort. Really, it’s pretty awesome. Who wouldn’t want that? Who doesn’t want that? And are all these things evil? No. Essentially they are good, because God made them good. But they can’t be our goal. Why? Gaining the world and also gaining God doesn’t work naturally and it doesn’t work supernaturally.
Let’s look at these two reasons: 1) It doesn’t work naturally: The fact of the matter is that we will all die. And then all that we have gained on earth, whether nothing or the whole world, is lost to us – we take none of it. If our life was spent to gain things, then our death becomes our total failure. 2) It doesn’t work supernaturally: The fact of the matter is that love is a choice. There is something about the human heart that won’t let it be divided. Our hearts won’t love God enough if we love stuff too much. On the other hand, our heart won’t love stuff too much we love God enough. “No one can serve two masters”, Jesus says about loving God and money, “he will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). What is crowding our hearts?
Together as a family pray a portion of the Rosary (i.e. – very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture above. (Optional – allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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