[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, July 15 MATTHEW 10:24-33 I again warn my disciples and you that you may be persecuted. Remember that I am with you. Prayerthoughts a. Once again Jesus introduces the idea that evil can enter into our lives. What do I consider evil in this world, and does it have any hold on me? b. The Lord tells us that we need not be afraid of that evil, that we can proclaim the coming  of the Kingdom with no fear. In my own way, am I proclaiming the Kingdom by my thoughts, words and actions? c. What I must fear, Jesus says, are the things that can destroy body and soul. What are the things in this life that can destroy the soul? Am I close to any of them? d. The Lord tells me that I need to fear nothing because just as sparrows, he will take care of us. Do I believe with all my heart and soul that the Lord has my back? e. I have acknowledged the Lord by my life, and therefore I have the confidence of having the Lord as my witness. f. I should take the time to pray for everyone to acknowledge the Lord in some way in their lives. g. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will visit a church or spend time by myself and pray especially for those who have not chosen a Higher Power. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy DO NOT BE AFRAID OF ANYTHING  + One of the marvelous stories of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament is the story of Jacob and his sons coming down to Egypt and their encounter with their brother Joseph          – that has been the first reading over the past couple of days          – and a couple of times Joseph makes the statement that all of what has happened was nothing less than God’s hand at work in order to bring about greater good                   – in today’s reading: God meant all of this for good to achieve his present end, the survival of many people                            – it is Hebrew Scripture’s way of saying that God is truly in charge of our lives  + Even though God is in charge          – it does not mean that we are going to like everything that happens to us                   – God writes straight with crooked lines, and we are often caught up in the crooked lines                            – Jacob’s life was full of problems; Joseph had much to put up with; the Israelite people, now settled in the land of Goshen in Egypt were going to soon be slaves                                     – so many of the things that we like and want are not going to be happen the way we want  + Jesus anticipated that with his missionary Apostles as he sent them out into the world two by two          – he tells them that there will be people who will intimidate them, that there will be people out to take their lives, that people will want to destroy their bodies and souls          – Jesus tells them not to worry about them                   – and gives an often quoted Scripture passage that speaks total trust in God                            – God knows what is happening, even in the lives of the smallest sparrows that live and die on the earth                                     – and he counsels his Apostles: do not be afraid of anything  + It is such a simple doctrine: God is going to take care of everything          – so allow that to happen, and don’t be anxious about it                   – the presumption, as we said yesterday, is that we are doing what we are called to do                            – in the context of this Gospel reading, the Apostles were supposed to be doing the preaching of the Kingdom                                     – and as they were doing that, no matter what happened, they were to realize that God was going to take care of everything  + The conclusion is the same as yesterday:          – as you and I go about our assigned task, whatever that may be                   – including living out our lives with family                   – discovering what our future vocation may be                   – making money in order to live          – we have to allow God to work                   – to adjust to the challenges that God sends and enjoy the gifts that God has given to us  + Indeed, God means everything that happens for the good          – and if we understand that in our lives, we will understand the Christian message. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Without You” — The Kid Laroi IF YOU DON’T TAKE IT BACK The Gospel MATTHEW 27:3-5 Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself.

Gospelthink: Suicide has been described as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I must be willing to consider other solutions when I feel down for some reason.

“You cut out a piece of me, and now I’m bleeding internally, left here without you. And it hurts for me to think about what life could possibly be like without you. I can’t believe that you wouldn’t believe me. The heck with all of your reasons, I lost my cool, you know I didn’t mean it. Now I see it, you run and repeat. And I can’t take it back, so in the past is where we’ll leave it. So there you go, I’ll never find the words to say I’m sorry, but I’m scared to be alone.” [Lyrics adjusted]

Human emotions are complex, and therefore, discovering romantic love is very complicated. At times, the people in love will say words that they do not mean, and their selfishness will lead to conclusions that neither really want, and the relationship falls apart even though it could be salvaged. The song “Without You” from The Kid Laroi gives that scenario. The man in the relationship does not want to be alone, he sings, but at the same time, he does not want to say he’s sorry. And so the relationship ends. The relationship between Jesus and Judas was not a romantic one, of course, but it was one based on love. Jesus chose Judas to be one of the Twelve, and therefore it was a relationship of special significance. It became a confusing one because for some reason Judas could not comprehend what Jesus wanted. In Judas’ mind then, he had to make a decision about the future. He chose to move on in his life away from the relationship he had with Jesus, but his unstable emotions caused things he never intended. Break ups do not usually end up suicidal, but they feel like it at times. But when one studies what happened rationally, one can see how breakups happen. In The Kid Laroi’s song, the man in the relationship said some things, the lady reacted, told others, and at that point, if either of them had acted rationally by talking it out and discussing how they felt, then the breakup could have been prevented. Unfortunately, selfishness often takes over, and irreparable decisions are made. The song is basically a negative song in that it ends with bitter feelings, it seems. What must happen if the song is to be considered positive in some way is to look at what can be learned. Unfortunately, in disagreements in relationships, words are spoken that really hurt one another. It is at that point that the relationship must allow for a rational thought rather than a selfish one. If the couple takes the time to talk things out, most probably a good conclusion will follow. Either they will decide to leave the relationship in a good space, and move on, or they will discuss what they meant, and repair the relationship. We make mistakes all the time because we are human, but if we learn from them, those mistakes can lead to good conclusions.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, because we are human, our relationships with others can be very confused and complicated.  Give us the grace to understand what our selfishness can lead us to, and help us resolve our lives with rational thought.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: In a break up, we will have pain, but we must learn some things from it or else our lives could hurt forever. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Without You” teach young people?   2. What do you think was Judas’ motivation for betraying Jesus? 3. Money obviously plays a part in Judas’ betrayal. Money is and has always been important. What is most people’s attitude toward money today, and what should it be? 4. Do you believe that Jesus’ and Judas’ friendship was ever “close”? Yes or no and why? 5. Given the circumstances of Judas’ situation, what should he have done? 6. Lyrics analysis: “You know I didn’t mean it.”  Is that generally a true statement? Yes or no and why? 7. Why do people not want to say that they are sorry? 8. The meditation makes the point that acting rationally involves sincere communication. Do you think that most relationships reach this point before marriage? 9. Besides lack of communication, what are some causes of marriage breakdown? 10. What most of all should we learn in any relationship?