[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, July 21 MATTHEW 12:1-8 I am the person who is more important than any law. Listen to my words and live. Prayerthoughts a. Our Sabbath day is Sunday. In general, have I kept holy our Sabbath Day? b. Jesus could see that an exception was given in the past to accommodate people, showing that people were more important than law. Have I shown a sincere love for all people in my immediate circle? How can I? c. Jesus is lord of the Sabbath. What does the statement mean to me? d. Jesus tells us that “mercy” is more important than temple sacrifices. How do I define “mercy”? Do I show “mercy” to the people with whom I come in contact? e. My prayerthoughts…. Today I will read Exodus, chapter 11, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE IMPORTANCE OF JESUS AND WHAT HE TAUGHT  + In Matthew’s Gospel, the eventual reason why Jesus is executed is his disagreement with the Pharisees          – especially his statements about the law                   – Jesus is changing what is sacred to the Hebrew mind                            – it was blasphemy to put anything above the law                                     – especially any person, as Jesus did:          There is something greater than the Temple here.          – referring to his divinity, of course                            – it is also blasphemy to find fault with that law                                     – by allowing for exceptions even though they were indeed present in the past, as Jesus points out                            – it was blasphemy to say that the law was inadequate:                                     – Jesus saying that it was mercy, and not the sacrifice required by law that is the important factor of religion  + As shocking to the Pharisees as the statements of Jesus concerning the laws were,          – they now are guides for the Christian seeking to improve his/her spiritual life          – 1 – Jesus is more important than the law                   – that is, the “attitude of Jesus” is to be sought after in every situation                            – the law of the Church, with our thick commentaries and catechisms and lists of laws                                     – does not cover every circumstance                                              – whereas the “attitude of Jesus” does                                                       – we gain that by studying his words, his actions and his life                                                                – attempting as far as possible to get into his mind and just what his thinking was          – 2 – an essential element of the law is given here in the Gospel                   – namely mercy                            – even more important than the concept of offering sacrifice to God, that is, worship of God                                     – it is more important than Church, than the ritual of Church, than the worship of Church                            – being merciful, kind, and open to other’s problems is at the very heart of our spirituality  + We have to understand the action of God in the plagues sent on Egypt in that light          – God was open to the problems of the oppressed Israelites, God showing mercy to them                   – God worked with Moses and the Israelites the way that was acceptable at that time, namely by death and killing                            – the reading from Exodus is concerning the tenth plague, the most devastating, the one that the theology of the Church was to adopt as a symbol of what Jesus did for us                            – Jesus changed the way of solving those types of problems, and introduced mercy, even with enemies, even if it meant defeat and death, as it did for him  + Our spiritual lives are based on Jesus as our center          – and mercy as an essential element of it. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Numb Little Bug” — Em Beihold  GOTTA SURVIVE The Gospel MATTHEW 8:24-27 Jesus got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

Gospelthink: i calm the storms of life for you if you have faith in me.

“I don’t feel a single thing; have the pills done too much; haven’t caught up with my friends in weeks. And I just wanna see if you feel the same as me. Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, like you’re not really happy, but you don’t wanna die, like you’re hanging by a thread but you gotta survive? So I got these quick repairs to cope. Like a numb little bug that’s gotta survive.”

Matthew’s Gospel speaks of the challenge of a sudden fierce storm that threw the fishermen into a state of panic. The challenge was so great that even their experience could not keep them from being alarmed. They were people who knew what to do with these sudden storms; they understood the procedures; they had been through them before. But, as they were being tossed and thrown in every direction with this storm, they lost perspective. The pressure of the moment was too much. They yelled at Jesus in their fright: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!  We are about to die.”The Gospel can be studied from the point of view of an allegory, that is, a story that is told by the evangelist Matthew to bring home a point. There are moments in life which can easily be compared to storms, moments and difficulties which tend to dominate one’s thinking and one’s behavior. Em Beihold in her song “Numb Little Bug” identifies them as the happenings which make you feel like you are hanging by a thread. She wrote the song, she says, while she felt numb because of the antidepressant pills that she was taking for her anxiety. But the song can easily be the song of anyone who is experiencing some form of anxiety or “storm” in their lives. Which is all of us at one time or another as we live. At times, we feel like we are hanging by a thread, like yelling at someone or something to “save us because we are about to die.” Em Beihold sings that she needs quick repairs in order to cope, in order to survive. The ability to live through those storms lies in the ability to identify the quick repairs and to use them as best we can. Many in the modern world have found those repairs in some sort of chemical that makes us feel better whether in pill form or in drink or some drug. Jesus tells the person of faith that she/he must understand their faith a little more, calling their faith “little.” He has the answers that are quite capable of rebuking the storm or challenge or anxiety. They are contained in the Gospels in the way he lived and spoke and thought as he lived on this earth that we live in. The problem comes in following what he said, did and thought. But if we manage to do it, we will find that it is the way to cope with the challenges that we face.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, there are indeed challenges in my life that make me feel like I am close to despair. Help me identify with your Son in such a way that His words, actions and thoughts become part of me. Be with me, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We need quick repairs in life in order to survive the challenges. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Numb Little Bug” teach young people? 2. The Church defines “faith” as belief in Jesus and what he taught. What is your definition of “faith” and how does it differ from how the Church defines it? 3. What causes people to “lose perspective” as they feel the pains of life?\ 4. What do most people turn to when they feel as though they are “hanging by a thread”? 5. Do you feel that most people turn to things that hurt us more than help us in the long run? Yes or no and why? 6. What is the best way to really understand what Jesus wants of us?