[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, March 23 MATTHEW 5:17-19 I tell you to keep all the commandments.  Prayerthoughts a. The law of Jesus fulfills the Ten Commandments given to Moses. Therefore, I should know the Commandments and what they mean in light of Jesus’ words. (This is the task of the meditation.) b. We should recognize the law of Jesus to be of paramount importance. List five statements of Jesus that I should pay most attention to? c. Most scholars would say that the law of Jesus was primarily the law of love. How do I  rate my life right now in terms of love of God and others? d. The Lord refers to scandal as he talks of how people obey his law. Is there any time in my life in which I scandalize others? e. The two parts of being “great” in Jesus’ eyes are a person who “obeys” the law and “teaches” the law. Do I see myself as doing these two directives? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today I will list the Ten commandments and my own understanding of what they mean for me in my life in light of Jesus’s teaching. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE LAW OF JESUS + The Hebrew law has been looked on in various ways in the Old and New Testaments           – Moses looked at it with the highest reverence—as God’s word, taking the place of God here on earth           – Paul was to look at it as necessary for a while, but unnecessary now           – Matthew as he wrote his Gospel, looked upon it as Moses did with the addition that it now is totally fulfilled with the law of Jesus Christ                      – the Hebrew law now is to be looked on only as a “helper” to the Christian vision  + The history of the Law and its importance is interesting enough,           – now in our Christian spirituality, we concentrate on the new law, the law of Jesus Christ, contained in the Gospels                      – and as we do that, we can concentrate on the way the Hebrew Law was understood by the Hebrew people, only considering their words and ideas now to be applied to the law of Jesus: + As can be seen from the Deuteronomy reading:           – the law of Jesus must first of all be heard                      – we have to know what it says                                – once again, the importance of reading the Word of God and concentrating on what it says           – and it must be taught                      – the importance of education, both of our children, and probably more importantly, our adults                                – adults must understand as completely as possible what Jesus said so that families can be formed in light of it                                          – incidentally, in my opinion, this is the most crying need in the Church today  + According to the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew’s Gospel (from which today’s Gospel is taken), the law of Jesus is absolutely paramount           – it is the final word, that which is referred to as the absolute answer           – primarily that law is written with the idea of love                      – love of God and love of neighbor                      – saying therefore that the absolute ethical standard for living                                – the final reference, the guide for everything that we do must be true love of God and neighbor                                          – therefore: every action of our day today                                                    – every word that we say                                                    – every thought that we think                                                               – if we are to be Christian, must be governed completely by love of God and neighbor  + Knowing and keeping the law of Jesus is necessary if we really want to follow Jesus. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Happy” — Pharrell Williams BECAUSE I’M HAPPY The Gospel MATTHEW 13:15-16 [Jesus said:] “‘Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and I heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”

Gospelthink: I was happy with the people who really listened to what I said. Do I follow the Lord and his directions well?

“It may seem crazy what I’m about to say. I don’t care by the way because I’m happy. Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. Because I’m happy: clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth. Because I’m happy: clap along if you know what happiness is to you. Because I’m happy: clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do. Your love is too high. Can’t nothing bring me down.”

Pharrell sings of an attitude in his song “Happy.” It can be described as a positive attitude toward life. There are a number of negatives in our world–fights, wars, disagreements, unhappiness, things that just do not go right–and we can dwell on them and feel badly about life. If we can do something about them, we should, but whether we can or not, much of how we approach life and the negatives depends on “attitude.” It may seem “crazy” as Pharrell sings, to act this way, but the positive attitude can actually change us for the better, even in the midst of negatives. Jesus had a positive attitude toward life, mainly because he knew that our lives could end with the ultimate positive, namely eternal life with God. And so he could tell his Apostles, in contrast to the negative people who do not hear God, that they were “blessed.” Many English translations use the word “happy.” “Happy” are you, Jesus says, because you are seeing and hearing the word of God. Interestingly enough, the word of God can translate into what Pharrell is singing. Happy are they who feel open to God, happy are they who search for the truth, happy are they who understand they can always be happy because of the love they have received and give to others. In fact, there is nothing that can bring such a person down because their approach to life is always positive.              Positive thinking is the active ingredient in flourishing businesses. It can also be a guide to living fulfilled lives.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son showed a positive attitude toward life. He wanted us to be the same way. Help us always be open to what you want so that we can be truly happy in the way we approach our lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We can show a positive attitude in life if we want. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In the Gospel, Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah, commenting on the way many of the Hebrew people did not truly listen to God. In general, do you believe that our world really listens to God’s direction? Yes or no and why? 2. In the world, who is most in need of “conversion.” 3. Give some examples of people who have truly heard and seen the word of God in their lives.    4. Text analysis: “It may seem crazy what I’m about to say.” Why is it “crazy” to be happy? 5 Text analysis: “Feel like a room without a roof.” What is the meaning of the phrase? 6. Text analysis: “Happiness is the truth.” Why is it “happy” to speak the truth? 7. Text analysis: “Your love is too high.” What is the meaning of the statement? 8.  What brings us down more than anything in our lives? 9. The meditation reflects many of the thoughts of the song “Smile” by Uncle Kracker. The presenter may want to refer to that song during the presentation. 10. Give your own definition of a “positive attitude.” 11. How do you understand “eternal life.” See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers  988-1001. 12. How do you understand the thought that we should feel “open to God.” 13. Why is a positive attitude so important in business? 14. What does the song “Happy” teach young people?