[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, June 20 MATTHEW 7:1-5 One of the sins that everyone is tempted to is to judge others. Prayerthoughts a. How much do I judge others? Do I take the time to pray for them when I know that I am judging them? b. As I study my thinking when I judge others, what primarily am I judging them about?  Why? c. As I think of myself seriously, what do I consider my main fault? What in particular can I do about it? d. Do I try to “see clearly” in every situation in which I am involved? e. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will write a prayer on behalf of those I judged falsely yesterday. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy TO SEE CLEARLY  + One of the keys to the serious spiritual life is given to us by Jesus as Matthew closes off the Sermon on the Mount           – namely, to be able to see clearly                      – the context of the statement is very important because the Lord is talking about how we pass judgment on others                      – we definitely have to pass judgment at times                                – but Jesus’ point: we have to be able to clearly see in order to do it                                          – if we see clearly, then we can take the speck out of our brother’s and sister’s eye  + Some thoughts might be in order to understand what “seeing clearly” means           – to do it, we have to get rid of the plank in our own eye                      – anyone who thinks about the conduct of another automatically must first consider his/her own behavior if we are to follow Jesus’ directives                                – it should be automatic for the Christian                                          – and more often than not, the true Christian will see that his/her behavior leaves much to be desired, even in the area where the judgment is made  + Seeing clearly also involves a true understanding that we have sinned           – the message of the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 2 Kings                      (- it will be the same message of the Babylonian captivity which is upcoming in the Israelite history)                      – the Israelites sinned against God, and therefore were punished           – Jesus corrected that mentality of “God punishing”                      – but whether God punishes or not, we still sin                                – and we must acknowledge it                                          – and it must be sincere                                                    – our sins may not be specific, although more often than not, they are, especially in our speech                                                    – but we always know that we have the tendency to sin, and we must acknowledge that sinfulness before God  + Our prayer today is to see clearly           – to see clearly in order to make our judgments well           – to see clearly that we have a tendency to sin and must ask for forgiveness. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “See You Again” — Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth THE BIGGER PICTURE: A BETTER PLACE The Gospel JOHN 3:14-16 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Gospelthink: I came into the world to save it and save you. Have I responded the way I should in my life?

“It’s been a long day without you, my friend, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. We’ve come a long way from where we began. Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. Who knew? All the planes we flew, good things we’ve been through, that I’ll be standing right here talking to you about another path. I know we loved to hit the road and laugh, but something told me that it wouldn’t last, had to switch up, look at things different, see the bigger picture. Those were the days, hard work forever pays. Now I see you in a better place.”

The familiar passage from John’s Gospel gives both the fact of eternal life, and the way to get there. Jesus assures a true follower of his that if she/he truly believes in what the Lord Jesus stands for, then the gift of eternal life is theirs. What it says is that, provided the believer has accepted the Lord, then there will never be anything called “death.” Death will only mean passing from this life to eternal life. Such is the belief of the song “See You Again” from Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth who sing the song as a tribute to Paul Walker. They believe that their friend is in a “better place” now as they study what they call the bigger picture. He is no longer with them, but his memory lives on with them while they are here on earth, and they will be together again when they are with him in heaven. Perhaps the only way that we human beings can explain death is by accepting “the bigger picture,” that is, that life really goes beyond this life, and takes in the truth of eternal life. Considering the love that God has for us, it is totally in “character” for God to give us that possibility of life that lasts forever. A good God will give what we want with all our hearts, and the thought of living well is the one thought that every human being desires. The one requirement that the Lord gives us is that we “believe in him.” The question arises of course about the exact meaning of the phrase. The Lord spells it out in the Gospels, by giving us very direct statements about the way to conduct ourselves in today’s world–the love, forgiveness, repentance, peace, and so forth that he preached. That is to say that we will believe in Jesus if we know what he stands for and we try to do our best to carry out the belief. The Christian religion is a very hopeful religion. We have the assurance of life here on earth, and when we die, we will have the eternal life that Jesus promised.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, You have given us one life that begins here and lasts forever in eternity, an eternity that will be spent in happiness with your people who have been your Son’s followers. Give us the grace to truly believe in your Son, and therefore live our lives forever with You. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Perhaps the only way to explain death is by believing in eternal life. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What is your understanding of “belief in Jesus”? 2. John 3:16 is often used by evangelical Christians as a reminder that we must choose Jesus as our personal savior. In your opinion, is the use of the slogan “John 3:16” a good way to remind us that we should be better Christians? Yes or no and why? 3. What does the phrase “condemn the world” mean? 4. Text analysis: “had to switch up.” What is the meaning of the phrase? 5. What is your definition of the “bigger picture” in life? 6. In your opinion, do most people believe in a life after death? 7. Guided by our belief in heaven and hell, in your opinion, are there more people in heaven than in hell? Yes or no and why? [Note: In his life, Jesus never answered this question directly. 8. How would a non-believer explain “death”? 9. What is your opinion concerning the doctrine of “purgatory”? [See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 1030-1032.] 10. In your opinion, what was Jesus’ most important doctrine? Why? 11. Do most Christian people read portions of the New Testament often?  12. What does the song “See You Again” teach young people?