[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, July 7 MATTHEW 9:9-13 The call of Matthew. Prayerthoughts a.  In my chosen way of living right now, in what ways am I following the Lord? b. Matthew’s call ended in an immediate response to follow the Lord. How can I follow the Lord right now? What can I do better? c. Answer the Pharisees: why did Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners? What can I learn from this? d. How can I show more mercy toward the people around me? e. In many ways I see myself as righteous in what I do, but in reality, there is sin in my life. How can I be better in the very near future? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Genesis, chapter 23 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  ADMITTING SINFULNESS            We should probably note right away that in the parallel passages to this Scripture in Mark and Luke’s Gospel, Matthew is called Levi, but there is a Matthew mentioned and John’s Gospel doesn’t mention him at all.  The reason why is argued by scholars but there seems to be no reason except that Matthew was also known by the name of Levi.           That really doesn’t have that much effect on us, other than leading us to wonder, but the second reason why this is a challenging story is why Jesus called Matthew/Levi.  Tax collectors were viewed by devout Jews as traitors because they served the Roman empire and since most Jews would not tolerate them, only sinners would associate with them.  These days we might compare them to drug lords—very unsavory people, not honorable at all.  Actually tax collectors were thieves, exacting more money than was necessary.           Not only did Jesus call him, but he actually ate with him and his sinner friends.  Eating publicly with someone in Jesus’s time was saying that one was in close communion with whomever you are eating.  And further, he asked Matthew/Levi to be one of the people closest to him.  What Jesus did here was absolutely scandalous.  Literally everyone felt that Jesus was doing something quite wrong.            But he did it and he tells us why he did it:           Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. … I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.           That last phrase puts us in sort of a bind because we really don’t want to be either righteous or sinners.  We don’t want to be called righteous as Jesus used the term because that puts us in the area of false religion.  And we don’t like to admit that we are sinners either.  But that is the point of the Gospel passage.  Being a sinner and doing something about it is what happens to anyone who really wants to follow Jesus.  Matthew/Levi obviously discovered it.  You and I have to understand it because it nothing less than the beginning of the spiritual life.           The problem is that many times we do not recognize that we are sinning because we simply refuse to recognize it.  We don’t take the time to think about what we are doing.  We don’t take the time to analyze—really analyze—the words that we say, we don’t take the time to study our lives, and ask the difficult questions—why did I do this or that, etc.           In the first reading, the Book of Genesis makes a big deal about remaining faithful to the Israelite race.  You and I are called to be faithful to our Christian upbringing, and the way we do that is to first of all admit that we are sinners, and then follow the Lord in doing what he says to do. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Allegiant” — final session OPEN TO THE TRUTH The Gospel JOHN 7:49-52 Nicodemus, one of their members (the Pharisees) who had come to Jesus earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Gospelthink: Nicodemus was not afraid to speak on my behalf. Is it clear from my speech that I am a Christian?

Having encountered David, the person in charge of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, Tris was recognized to be a “pure” Divergent, and was given special treatment in the facility. At first, she was convinced that this Bureau was the answer to the problems in her world. But as Four and the others were taken into the facility and given different assignments, Four discovered that it was not what Tris thought. He finally convinced Tris that they must once again go back to Chicago to try to set things right. They found that David had convinced Evelyn in Chicago to release some debilitating gas on the populace in order to control everyone. Four and Tris found a way to stop the gas and David, but the movie closes with David watching everything that happened, no doubt ready to try to change things as he wanted them.

It is clear from the Gospel of John that Nicodemus the Pharisee was considering the possibility that Jesus was not an enemy of Israel. Nicodemus knew the law of Moses and therefore he knew how his fellow Pharisees were thinking when it came to understanding Jesus. He had begun to wonder about what he considered to be truth. So, he had visited Jesus early on in Jesus’ ministry, and now, as he worked as a religious leader of Israel, he knew that he had to pursue the truth.One of the things that we must remember as we accept something to be true is the possibility that we could be wrong. In the movie “Allegiant,” Tris had hoped that the solution to the problems of Chicago was what David showed her in the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. But, with the help of her friend Four, she saw that she was wrong, and was able to correct her thinking. She was open to the truth.One of the facts of human nature is that we can become convinced of something that is not at all true. And part of maturity is to be able to change when we discover that something in not true. We do not like to do it because it will mean admitting that we were wrong. But the mature person will always be open to the truth, and thus be willing to adjust his/her thinking.

PPRAYER Good and gracious God, we are convinced that You have spoken the truth to us through Your Son Jesus. Make us always aware of the truth, and give us the grace to follow it in our lives. Be with us, we pray.

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Part of the solution to a problem is to continue discerning the solution to find the truth.        DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 56 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. In the Gospel, why do you think the Pharisees were so disbelieving of Jesus? 3. In general, do you think that most people try to find the truth before they act? Yes or no and why? 4. In particular, do you believe that most people who are in charge of some organization are truthful? Yes or no and why? 5. What is the best way to determine whether something is true or not? 6. Dialogue analysis: Tris–“Everyone is worth saving.” Do you believe that all people accept this belief? Yes or no and why? 7. Analysis: As Tris and Four and their friends come back into Chicago, they find chaos because of the warring factions. In your opinion, is it possible to bring about peace without war? Yes or no and why? 8. What does the movie “Allegiant” teach young people?