[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, August 19 MATTHEW 19:13-15 You must be like a child as you pursue the Kingdom. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus was always open to the gift of children. Looking at the children in my family and close acquaintances, do I pay attention to them enough? b. Jesus prayed for the children. Do I take the time to thank God for the grace given to the children around me, praying “for” them, asking God to continue to look with kindness on those children? c. Here and in other passages of Scripture, Jesus used the image of a “child” as a pattern for the personality of the people of the Kingdom that he preached, referring to a number of characteristics such as honesty. Do I show child-like characteristics in my life? d. Am I concerned about the children that surround me, keeping in mind that there is abuse in our world? Do I especially concern myself with the children who are the victims of the divorce of their parents without judging the parents? e. Jesus touched the children. Generally speaking, children liked to be touched. Do I pay attention enough to children as to “high five” or shake hands with them? f. My prayerthoughts… Today I will be especially kind to the children that I come across. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  FOLLOWING THE LORD’S TEACHINGS  + Jesus used the example of children often during his public ministry           – what is it about children that made Jesus so intrigued and wanting to use them as an example                      – there are probably a number of reasons                                – one is no doubt, their innocence and naiveté                                          – Jesus was probably attracted to the fact that there was no duplicity in the way they behaved                                                    – no adult problems of worrying about what other people thought, or hurting other people’s feelings, or trying to look better than someone else                                – another reason, and one perhaps we can spend some time on today                                          – was their willingness to believe someone else                                                    – children as a general rule are people who are totally dependent on someone else, their parents, or someone they trust                                                               – they are willing to follow such a person  +- Jesus wanted people to follow him like children would follow a parent or someone the child trusted           – in essence, that means that Jesus wanted people to accept his teachings in whatever form they came                      – he gave a number of those teachings himself during his lifetime                                – and during his sermons he probably referred to areas of the Hebrew Scriptures that said what he was teaching                                          – one of them would have been from the book of Joshua in today’s first reading  + It is interesting to think of how Jesus would have used the reading from the book of Joshua today           – the people were promising that they would serve the Lord God forever                                – the famous saying of Joshua: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”                      – and Jesus knew that they didn’t do that                      – and the children could easily see what their parents were doing                                -Jesus would no doubt point out as we do, that the sins of the parents are likely to hurt the children  + Jesus loved children           – not only because they were children, and needed love                      – but because of what they could teach adults                                – and one of the ways is how they totally trust someone else, and for our spiritual lives, totally trust in God. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Uma Thurman” — Fall Out Boy POWER TO BECOME The Gospel JOHN 1:10-13 The Word was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

Gospelthink: I came into your world and you have the power to accept me. Am I showing that I have chosen the Lord to guide me?

“I can move mountains; I can work a miracle. I’ll keep you like an oath: ‘May nothing but death do us part.’ She wants to dance like Uma Thurman. Bury me ’til I confess. She wants to dance like Uma Thurman, and I can’t get you out of my head. You’ll find your way and may death find you alive.”

The group Fall Out Boy’s song “Uma Thurman” recalls the actress Uma Thurman in some movies in which she starred. Ultimately, it is about the power that a young lady has over the man in a relationship. In the group’s description, they say that she can “move mountains” and “work a miracle.” The young lady is in charge of her life, and she understands that she can become whatever she wants as she sets up her relationship with the man. In the superb beginning of John’s Gospel, the evangelist describes the power of the Word who was with the Father for all time and together with his Father created the world in which you and I dwell. But he also describes the depravity of the human race, some of whom refused to accept the Creator. But fortunately for our race, some did accept Him by choosing to be born “of God.” It was to them that He gave the power to become God’s children. Like the lady in Fall Out Boy’s song, we now have the power to become whatever we want in God’s world. We are indeed the children of God that John spoke of, but as children of God, we can still choose to reject Him since we all have free will. The call of the Word, of course, is a call to accept Him with all of our hearts and enable us to remain the true children of God which we chose at one time. But we have free will also. That will never be taken away from us, even if we turn away from the Creator. We choose what we can be. It is up to us. The world will improve only when we choose to be the children of God that God wants us to be. We truly have the power; we can use it if we want.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, You have given us the power to be Your children. Help us accept Your help and grace to become more dedicated in our endeavor to be with You every moment of our lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Everyone has the power to be who they want to be.     DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In what ways have some people not accepted Jesus into their lives? 2. Fundamentally, how should a “child of God” behave in today’s world? 3. Text analysis: “I can move mountains; I can work a miracle.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 4.  What role does “dancing” play in a love relationship? 5. What does it mean when someone is in “charge of their lives”? 6. What is the best thing about having a “free will”? What is the worst thing about it? 7. How is it true to say that we can “become what we want” in this world of ours? 8. What does the song “Uma Thurman” teach young people?