[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, June 21 MATTHEW 6:1-6,16-18 I tell you to do your religious duties, but not to draw attention to yourself. Prayerthoughts a. I do many things that can be called “righteous deeds.” What is my motivation behind them—that is, why do I do them—to be praised or paid or actually to help someone? b. “Giving alms” is an automatic in Christian spirituality. Do I give of my time or talent or money on behalf of a good cause with no desire to receive something in return? c. The Lord wants my “almsgiving” to be secret. As I study my “giving” to others during this week, how many people knew about it? d. The Lord wants my prayer to be sincere. Do I make a show of my prayer so that others see what I am doing and therefore “praise” me? Am I praying all the time and not just at assigned times like in Church? e. I must be careful as I study another not to assign an evil intention to what they are doing. I cannot read another’s mind when it comes to their praying or giving or fasting. f. The Lord wants my fasting (from food, television, Internet, etc.) to be in secret. The fasting should remind me to turn to God more in my life. What should I choose to fast   from? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will determine a specific spiritual act that I will do today. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  TRADITIONAL SPIRITUALITY  + Paul tells the Corinthians in the first reading that “God is able to make every grace abundant to you”           – and therefore he wants his audience to use that grace, to sow it, so that they can reap from it  + We look at the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, as incidents of grace that are given to us           – and our spiritual lives will grow if we use the grace that is given  + Today, the Sermon continues with three traditional Jewish acts of religion:           – religious Hebrews knew and practiced all three of these                     – what Jesus is most interested in is that they be real, and not be for show                                – Jesus was looking at the intention of the people                                          – he knew well why people performed religious acts                                                    – some liked the praise, the approving looks when they did some deed, or just the notice they received                      – in Jesus’ mind, this portion of the Hebrew understanding of religion is very important in our own spiritual development  + There must be a giving to others if we are a Christian, and in Jesus’ mind, no one should know about it           – it is the whole basis of the Christian concept of stewardship                      – we heard about it yesterday with Paul’s idea of generosity, and here Jesus speaks it                      – we freely give back to God what God has given to us, and we don’t make a big show about it                                – I really have a rough time with people who have to have their names on things that they donate                                          – look at all the stained glass windows and a lot of furniture in the Church                                          – but as pastors you have to accept it                                                    – and you can’t really make it a teaching moment because people with money basically do not relish being taught about things that have to do with money  + There must be prayer           – a portion of the passage on prayer is the Gospel meditation tomorrow                      – the “Our Father” and the statement on forgiveness           – here Jesus does not have anything against public worship since he took part in it                      – probably what he is saying is that private prayer is the most important                                – time spent in careful consideration of the way our lives are going, that is, the way we are using the grace the Lord has given us                                – it is the concept of “wasting time with God”                                          – simply being in God’s presence and recognizing what God has done for us                                          – saying formal prayers by ourselves slowly, thinking about the phrases                                          – reading Scripture with the idea that Jesus/God is saying something to us, and it is our job to figure out what it is  + There must be fasting, that is, times of deliberately not eating or drinking or giving up something we enjoy           – for the purpose of humbling ourselves before God, strengthening our faith, and reminding us of the importance of God in our lives, and therefore the importance of others           – giving up things simply to remind us of God                      – Francis’ idea of giving up                                – for us, it is the concept of only having what is necessary to live in this world of ours                                          – I believe that that is basic to the whole thought of Franciscan spirituality                                                    – we remind ourselves of God’s importance by making sacrifices  + The traditional three forms of spirituality with Jesus’ own nuances are given to us today, and three questions for our spiritual life:           – how well do we give to those who are in need?           – how much time are we giving to prayer?           – are we fasting at times for the right reasons?  + Most of you have seen or heard about one of the versions of the movie “The Karate Kid”           – in the latest, the young man Dre is taught the art of kung-fu from Mr. Han, the maintenance man                      – and the essence is practice—over and over—always the same thing                                – “take off your jacket and put it on”           – that is the idea of these traditional forms of spiritual growth                      – practice, practice, practice           – it was the thought of the early Jewish people as they set up their spirituality                      – Jesus makes it part of his as well. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Marry Me” — Train GETTING THE NERVE The Gospel MATTHEW 4:12-17 When Jesus had heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulon and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled. … From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Gospelthink: I began my ministry with the thought of repentance, asking you to change. Have I listened to the Lord and truly repented for my sins?

“Forever can never be long enough for me to feel like I’ve had long enough with you. Forget the world now; we won’t let them see. But there’s one thing left to do: now that the weight has lifted, love has surely shifted my way. Marry me, today and every day. Marry me. If I ever get the nerve to say ‘hello’ in this café, say you will. Together can never be close enough for me. You wear white and I’ll wear out the words ‘I love you.'”

The group Train speaks of marriage and the proposal of marriage in their song “Marry Me.” It is an interesting story because the perfect marriage that he sings of is only in his mind: he must first get up enough nerve to talk to her. When we study the life of the human Jesus, knowing that his incredible task was the redemption of humankind, we have to be interested in how he began the process. What were his feelings? How did he even go about starting it? What would it lead to, and what would it involve?  Matthew’s Gospel tells us that he went right to the task. It was as if he said, “Now is the time to begin; John prepared for it; it’s the perfect time. I will begin it by telling the people to repent.” The message was difficult enough; but it may even have been more difficult to begin to do it. The excellent music video that accompanies Train’s song “Marry Me,” begins with married couples who talk about their involvement with each other at the beginning of their marriages. In every instance, they talk of the courage to begin the process of discovery of the other person. Train’s song contains a double lesson: the one is the essence of marriage that will last “forever,” the first word of the song. The second is the nerve it takes to begin the commitment. Both are important for us. Because most of us get married, we must know what we are getting into, and completely understand that the word we use will be the word “forever.” Too often we have not understood what it means. The thought of “gaining the nerve” to begin the process is also something to consider. It certainly applies to the commitment of marriage, as the song and video show. But it also pertains to life in our world: if we want to accomplish any goal, we must have the courage to begin. One of the problems of putting ideas into action is procrastination–what our dictionary defines as consistently putting something off. It is a fault that can destroy ideas and even ruin lives. If there is something that we can do for others or for ourselves, something that will help us be better people, we must first begin to carry it out. Once we have begun, then we can refine it, develop it, and put it into practice. But to bring it about, we must begin to bring it about.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we are eternally grateful to you for bringing about our redemption. As we study how Jesus achieved it, we learn the human lesson of how to accomplish our goals in life. Give us the continual grace to learn from him. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: If we want to accomplish anything in life, we must have the courage to begin. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. The message of the meditation centers in on beginning something. In your opinion, what were the thoughts of the human Jesus as he began his public ministry? 2. Jesus begins his ministry in a place different from John the Baptist because of Herod’s arrest of John. From the very beginning, Jesus had to be concerned about persecution. Why would Jesus’ message be such a problem for secular rulers? 3. Considering Jesus’ message, what is your definition of “repentance”? 4. The meditation mentions that the first word of the song is “forever.” The word should be said only with a permanent commitment. Give some examples of things that must be done “forever.” 5. The song speaks of the permanent commitment of marriage. In your opinion, what is absolutely necessary for a couple before marriage can take place? 6. Text analysis: why is it so difficult to “get the nerve to” talk to a person of the opposite sex? 7. Analysis: why can a married couple never “wear out the words, ‘I love you”’?      8. What is your understanding of Jesus’ redemption of humankind? (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 599-618.) 9. Obtain a copy of the video of Train’s song “Marry Me” and study the beginning dialogue of the couples. What is a common element in each of the stories? 10. In your opinion, do most couples who get married really understand the meaning of “forever”? Yes or no and why? 11. Given all the external preparations that are given to marriage especially in the Western world, do you think that the couple is really thinking about the real meaning of marriage as they prepare? Yes or no and why? 12. What does the song “Marry Me” teach young people?