The Way Retreat
Second Talk

SATURDAY

7:00 AM Wake up, breakfast

8:30 AM SECOND TALK: Responding to Love

Opening Song

Last night we reflected on the many ways Jesus shows His love for others, and we shared those many “miracles,” especially the miracle of God’s forgiveness, which we’ve experienced in our own lives.

Give an example of how God has blessed you in a particular way.

There are many ways we can respond to God’s love in our lives. I am free to accept God’s love: I am also free to reject it. In between these two extremes are a variety of other responses. I can ignore God, become indifferent to Him, fear Him, or even pretend He doesn’t care about me. I need faith and trust to help me see and accept God’s love in my life.

Jesus’ greatest miracle occurred when He raised Lazarus from the dead. This miracle, more than any other, showed God’s love for us.

LISA: There was a man named Lazarus who lived in Bethany with his sisters, Martha and Mary. Lazarus became very ill, so his sisters sent word to Jesus: “Lord, Lazarus, the one you love, is sick.” Upon hearing this, Jesus said:

MIKE BRUNO: “This sickness will glorify God, and through it I will also be glorified.”

LISA: Even though Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha and Mary very much, He waited two days before responding to the news of Lazarus’ sickness. Finally He said to His disciples,

MIKE: “Let us go back to Judea.”

LISA: The disciples protested because they knew that there were many who would like to put Jesus to death, but Jesus added:

MIKE: “Our beloved Lazarus has fallen asleep and I am going to wake him.”

LISA: Again, the disciples objected, so Jesus told them plainly:

MIKE: “Lazarus is dead.”

When Jesus announced His plan to go to Bethany, the disciples reacted with fear. They knew that there were many people who hate Jesus and wanted to kill Him. But Jesus’ love for Lazarus, Martha and Mary was so powerful that He was able to overcome His own fear of His enemies. If I place my faith and trust in God, I can overcome my fears.

Give an example of a deep sorrow you’ve experienced. How has God’s love, experienced in the loving presence of others, helped you to overcome your sorrow?

LISA: When Jesus arrived at Bethany, He found that Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Since Bethany was a suburb of Jerusalem, many people came to console Martha and Mary over the death of their brother Lazarus. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she ran to meet Him, while Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus,

JENNY ROMMEL: “Lord, if you had been here sooner, my brother would not have died. Even now, I am sure that God will give you whatever you ask of Him.”

MIKE: “Your brother will rise again.”

JENNY: “I know he will rise again on the last day.”

MIKE: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even if they should die, will have life; those who are alive and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

JENNY: “Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who has come into the world.”

LISA: After she said this, Martha went back and told her sister Mary that Jesus had arrived. At once Mary went out to meet Jesus, and many people followed her. When Mary saw Jesus, she fell at His feet and said to Him:

ANNIE BERTA: “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”

LISA: When Jesus saw Mary and those with her crying, He was deeply troubled and filled with sadness.

MIKE: “Where have you buried Lazarus?”

ANNIE: “Lord, come and see.”

LISA: Jesus began to weep, which caused some of the people to say, “See how much Jesus loved Lazarus,” while others criticized Jesus and said, “He opened the eyes of the blind man, so why didn’t He stop Lazarus from dying?”

At first, Martha and Mary were angered that Jesus had arrived after Lazarus had already died. His loving words, however, comforted them in their deep sadness and grief. As Jesus approached Lazarus’ tomb, He also was overcome with sadness and wept. By His actions Jesus shows us that God loved us so much that he shares in our sorrows as well as our joys. While some people, like those who criticized Jesus, might react to our sorrows and joys in an unloving way, those who love us are miracles of God’s presence. They comfort us, show concern for us, care for us, and respond to our needs in a loving way. If I place my faith and trust in God and those who love me, I can overcome the deepest sadness.

Give an example of a deep sorrow you’ve experienced. How has God’s love, experienced in the loving presence of others, helped you to overcome your sorrow?

LISA: Once again, deeply troubled and filled with sadness, Jesus approached Lazarus’ tomb.

MIKE: “Take away the stone.”

JENNY: “But Lord, Lazarus has already been dead for four days. Surely there will be an awful odor.”

MIKE: “Didn’t I assure you that if you believed you would see God’s love and glory?”

LISA: As they removed the stone over Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus prayed:

MIKE: “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me. May the crowds believe that You sent me.”

LISA: Then Jesus called out loudly:

MIKE: “Lazarus, come out!”

LISA: Lazarus came out, wrapped in linen burial clothes. Jesus said:

MIKE: “Untie him and let him go free.”

LISA: This caused many of the people who had seen what Jesus had done to rejoice and put their faith in Him. Others, however, went to the leaders of the people and told them what had happened. The leaders argued violently among themselves.

JOHN WA: “What are we to do with this man Jesus? He performs all kinds of miracles. If we ignore Him, the whole world will believe in Him.”

LISA: And from that minute they plotted to kill Jesus.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead for one reason: to show how much God loves us. Many of the people responded by rejoicing and believing in Him. They saw God’s love in action through Jesus, and they accepted it in their own lives. But others responded by rejecting Jesus to such an extent that they wanted to kill Him. They were threatened by His love. They refused to share the joy of those who willingly accepted God’s love. They allowed their jealously and pride to overcome their ability to love. Their concern for their own popularity led them to fear those who responded to Jesus, and they foolishly thought that if they killed Jesus they would remain the center of attention.

Give an example of something you’ve done out of love for another person that was misinterpreted or misunderstood by another person. Why did the person become jealous? How did their jealousy harm your friendship? How did you feel about it? How did you resolve it?

If I place my faith and trust in God, I can overcome my pride, jealousy and selfishness. When others share their lives with us and show us love, we can accept them, reject them, fear them, misinterpreted or misunderstand them, or become threatened by them. The choice is ours. Just as Jesus couldn’t force anyone to accept His love, no one can force us to accept theirs. With faith and trust in God – and in ourselves – the choice is ours; and with a firm desire to accept the love which God shares with us through others, we are raised with Lazarus to new life in Jesus Christ.

Closing Song

Faith Celebration

Water is an essential for life. The earliest life forms existed in water. Before we were born we were cushioned by water in our mother’s womb. Our bodies are seventy percent water. Without drinking water regularly we would die, and it is known that drinking plenty of water has a cleansing effect on our bodies. When we were baptized, water was used to signify the new life which we receive when we respond to God’s love. Let us renew the faith, hope and love we receive through Baptism.

Father will invite everyone to pray as water is blessed. After the blessing, the holy water will be passed around as everyone signs a cross on each others’ forehead with the water. The closing song will once again be played.

Small Group Discussion 2

Begin by giving your reaction to Second Talk. Clearly share what impressed you the most. Ask each candidate to do the same.

The speaker for the second talk mentioned that many people chose to reject God’s love present in Jesus’ raising of Lazarus. Most of us have had experiences where others have rejected or misunderstood our love, or where we have rejected or misunderstood the love offered by others. From time to time we’ve failed to believe and trust God and others.

Give an example from your own life and share how you overcame the misunderstanding. Ask each candidate to do the same.

Ask each candidate to make a list of “rules” to follow which will (so we won’t reject others in the future) help to make the correct choice in responding to others. Allow five to ten minutes for them to write their rules. You should also make a list. When all are finished, ask everyone to share his or her list. Select a candidate to offer a reaction when regrouping takes place.

Reactions

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