[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, September 21, St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist MATTHEW 9:9-13 I asked Matthew to be an Apostle. He was recognized by the religious leaders to be a sinner. Prayerthoughts a. In my chosen way of living right now, how am I following the Lord? b. Matthew’s call ended in an immediate response to follow the Lord. How can I follow the Lord today? What can I do better today? 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? e. In many ways I see myself as righteous in what I do, but in reality, there is sin in my life. What sinfulness have I overcome with God’s help? Perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving is in order. f. My prayerthoughts… Today I will read Ephesians, chapter 4 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy   THREE STEPS TO GREATER SPIRITUALITY  + Matthew is recognized to be one of the writers of the Gospels          – and therefore always acknowledged in the Church in a unique way                   – probably not the same writer as the finished form of Matthew’s Gospel which we have, but may have been responsible for an earlier form of what we know as the Gospel of Matthew  + A number of things are striking to me about the readings that can easily be applied to you and me as we strive to greater spirituality          1 – the immediate following of Jesus                   – probably not as quickly as the Gospel describes, but nonetheless, some type of an immediate following of Jesus                   – you couple that idea with the first reading’s thought of service—and the conclusion for us as we apply those Scriptures to our present life:                            – we have a directive to follow Jesus immediately in the call to service of others                            – often we shy away from service to others with excuses of not enough time, no one ever says “thank you” and the like                                     – a follower of Jesus must be a person who wants to serve others and will not hesitate to do it          2 – we are told by the author of Ephesians to live a life worthy of the calling of a Christian                   – as Matthew did                   – you and I are called to be Christians                            – it should not only be evident by the virtues described in the reading which should be ours, but also by all the virtues that Jesus gave us to live by                                     – especially the virtue of love of others and love of God                                              – the calling we have is to be a Christian, and the calling of a Christian is primarily to love          3 – Jesus’ quote concerning self-righteousness and sinners is a very challenging one                   – first of all, notice the Lord’s words of mercy over sacrifice                            – there are a number of people who do all kinds of sacrifice from formal prayers to Eucharistic Adoration, or do what might be called “church” things and will not show mercy to people with whom they don’t agree or simply will not be kind                   – secondly, we must consider the idea of being self-righteous because we can easily fall into it                            – as the Pharisees, we have a tendency to judge others to be less than we are, for whatever reason                            – we have a tendency to look down on others who are not conducting their lives the way we think that they should be                            – paraphrasing what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, there are many Catholics and Christians who cannot see the sin in their own lives because they are too busy finding sin in others  + Matthew’s feast is yet another occasion to remind ourselves that we must truly work at our spiritual lives          – by following Jesus immediately in our service of others,          – by living the life worthy of a Christian which is primarily a life of love,          – and by learning true mercy. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “This Afternoon” — Nickelback HANGIN’ WITH FRIENDS The Gospel JOHN 17:15-19 Jesus said: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Gospelthink: For me, the truth is always important. Do I make it a practice to always tell the truth?

“I’m down with hangin’ out this afternoon, I’m out on the couch this afternoon. Beer bottles layin’ on the kitchen floor. If we take them all back we can buy some more, so I doubt we’ll go without this afternoon. You better hang on if you’re taggin’ along, ’cause we’ll be doing this till six in the morning. Me and all my friends, we drink up, we fall down, and then we do it all again, just sittin’ around hangin’ out this afternoon. I just love being with my friends.”

Human beings are “into” pleasure, from relaxing with friends to wasting time in front of a television. “Slowing down” is necessary in a world in which we spend far too much time achieving more power or gaining more money. We must have some leisure time but sometimes we overdo the relaxation, and when we do, it can bring about harm to us and to others. In John’s Gospel, the “world” is a dangerous place. It can lead the follower of Jesus away from the teachings that Jesus gave us. And so, as Jesus prays his “high priestly prayer” at the Last Supper, he asks his Father to keep his Apostles from the “evil one” even as they must remain among the dangers of the world. The “evil one” comes in various forms in that world of which the evangelist was speaking. Nickelback’s song portrays two of them. One is drinking alcohol. There is nothing wrong with the legal drinking of alcohol according to the law of our land, but there is something wrong when there is a casual attitude toward it as if drinking too much is not going to affect us. We have to be aware of what it can cause. Secondly, in the song, the man and his friends spend the whole night partying. Often people who are partying do not understand the notion of moderation. Jesus prays that his Apostles will be consecrated in the truth. The truth involves ideas like slowing down and relaxation, but it also means that we come to an understanding of the evils connected with having too much of a good thing. In Nickelback’s song, friendship is a good to be desired. Part of the “evil one” in the world is enjoying ourselves too much as we spend time with friends.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, even as we know that we have to relax a little, we often disappoint you by enjoying ourselves too much. Give us the grace to understand moderation as we enjoy this world that you have created. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme:  Too much of a good thing may no longer be a good thing.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. “The world” in John’s Gospel is always a place where Jesus’ teachings have little value, and is actually quite similar to the world that we know now. What are the principal dangers of the world as we know it right now? 2. Jesus prays that the Apostles will be consecrated in the truth. What are the greatest truths of the Christian religion? 3. Like the Apostles, we believe that we are sent into the world to help spread the message of Jesus. Primarily, what can a young person do to improve the world in a Christian way?  4. Much of the song “This Afternoon” is about beer and the importance of “beer” as we have fun. Some have said that alcohol is necessary for people to have a good time? Do you agree and why? 5. Do songs such as this one make people want to drink more alcoholic beverages? Yes or no and why? 6. The song presents the possibility of people drinking too much. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, number 2291 suggests that the use of drugs is a grave offense. Do you think that drinking too much alcohol is a misuse of “drugs”? Yes or no and why? 7. “Being with friends” is presented as a good thing in the song. What have been the most enjoyable times you have spent with friends? 8. Project: You might want to invite to your class a person who has given up alcohol in his/her life, asking the person to give his/her view on “the use of alcohol.” 9. How would you define “evil”; do you see it in your world? Yes or no.  (See Catechism, numbers 310-311.) 10. The meditation mentions the idea of “moderation.” How do you understand “moderation”? 11. In what areas of our living is there excessive pleasure? 12. What does the song “This Afternoon” teach young people today?