[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, July 1 MATTHEW 8:5-17 I see great faith in the Roman and I continue to heal especially those close to me. Prayerthoughts a. The centurion was not only a Gentile; he was in the service of the Romans. Yet, even though he may have been rough and harsh at times, he is still concerned about his servant. Do I show enough concern for all others, no matter who they are? b. Jesus is most willing to help everyone. Do I show that same type of willingness? c. Am I convinced that Jesus will be with me always and that he will always send “the word” to help me? d. Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith, saying probably in exaggeration, that he had not seen such faith among his own people. What are the ways I can strengthen my faith? e. Again, it is the centurion’s faith that allowed his servant to be healed. What area of my faith needs to be strengthened? f. As this Scripture suggests, It is evident that Jesus was an instrument of healing for so many. Do I “heal” those around me by helping them as much as I can? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today I read Genesis, chapter 18, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  OUR RESPONSE OF FAITH  + This passage concerning the centurion of Matthew’s Gospel is important for a number of reasons           – one is the statement of humility by the centurion that has made its way into the Latin rite of the Mass                      – we say it in a slightly different form at Communion every Mass                                – it is a statement of faith by a Gentile           – another is Jesus’ response to the statement that was a direct insult to the Hebrew people                      – and going even further, a scare tactic said to move the Hebrews to greater faith in him           In no one in Israel have I found such faith;           The children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness.                      – implicitly, hell  + What the Lord wanted the Hebrew people to do           – was to turn to God and recognize that he, Jesus, was the person that could lead them to God                      – like Abraham in the first reading, Jesus wanted them to trust in God and in God alone                                – in that reading, Abraham and Sarah trusted in the triune God  + The spiritual consideration that comes from the readings should revolve around our own response to Jesus as he calls for greater faith           – it calls for a renewed acceptance of Jesus and Jesus’ words in our lives                      – studying what we can do better                                – and why we aren’t doing as well as we could                      – the conclusion of Scripture is always the same—look at the Scriptures as a mirror to study our own actions                                – we simply should be responding to Jesus better than we are  + You and I are called by Jesus to respond like Peter’s mother-in-law           – she got up at once and began to wait on him                      – that should be the description of how we respond to Jesus. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Intentions” — Justin Bieber featuring Quavo COMPLIMENT FOR NO REASON The Gospel LUKE 1:39-45 Thereupon Mary set out, proceeding in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.”

Gospelthink: Elizabeth recognized the importance of my earthly mother. Do I recognize the importance of my own family enough?

“Picture perfect, you don’t need no filter, gorgeous, make ‘em drop dead, you a killer. Shower you with all my attention–these are my only intentions. Shout out to your Mom and Dad for making you, standing ovation, they did a great job raising you. When I create, you’re my muse, that kind of smile that makes the news. Can’t nobody throw shade on your name in these streets. You make it easy to choose, you got a mean touch I can’t refuse.”

John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb because the world was about to change. Elizabeth could sense it as Mary visited her, and so she showered her with true compliments. Mary was indeed blessed among all women, she was to be the mother of the Son of God, and she trusted that the Lord’s words would be fulfilled in her. Elizabeth knew that Mary would help her as she gave birth to John the Baptist, but she knew most of all who Mary was and what she meant to the world. Justin Bieber and Quavo’s song “Intentions” sings a man’s compliments to his girlfriend. The man in the relationship wants to shower her with all of his attention and that was his only intention. There was no “ulterior motive.” He did not want anything in return. He wanted to simply say what he believed–the lady deserves to have compliments simply because they were the truth in his eyes. In a love relationship, perhaps one of the actions that a couple will overlook is the simple statement of a compliment to the other. Giving a compliment is easy to do, but it must be honest; the one making the compliment must want nothing for him/her self as a result of the compliment. The compliment must be “free standing” so to speak, that is, a statement that is the honest truth and no other reason for saying it. As they sing in their song, “these are my only intentions.” The situation applies to every day living as well, maybe even more so than in a love relationship. There are many situations in our own lives when we could give compliments to someone else, whether romantically involved or not. In fact, an argument could be made that the reason why there is so much anger in a person’s life is that he/she does not receive or give enough compliments for the good things that are part of every life. In the thought of wanting better relationships with people, giving compliments to others is important. If we were better at doing it, perhaps our lives would be better.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, the example of Mary the mother of Jesus is so important for a Christian. She deserved the compliments that were given to her. Give us the grace to recognize when we should compliment another.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Part of every good relationship includes true compliments to each other. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Intentions” teach young people? 2. In the Gospel passage, it is clear that Elizabeth knew the importance that should be given to Mary. There are important people in my life: do I give them the attention they deserve? 3. Is it true that when we compliment someone else, we are looking for something in return? Yes or no and why? 4. Do you believe that people in a love relationship compliment each other as much as they should? Yes or no and why? 5. What are some situations in our everyday living in which we can compliment others? 6. Is the meditation correct in saying that an angry person has a difficult time giving compliments?  Yes or no and why? 7. [Personal suggestion: today give a compliment to someone whom you have not complimented for a while.]