[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, December 21, Special Advent LUKE 1:39-45 Elizabeth recognized my mother to be a holy person. Prayerthoughts a. Mary was aware of her cousin Elizabeth’s need. There are people in my own acquaintance and in the world in which I live who are in need. Am I doing enough to help them? b. As Elizabeth could see in Mary, there are a number of people around me who truly show the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. If it is appropriate, perhaps I should tell them by a card or the like how much of an inspiration they are. c. Great things happen to me often, and many times I do not thank the Lord enough for  them. I should thank the Lord for the gifts that I received just yesterday for example. d. There are many indications that the Lord is very much at work in our world. I should spend some time making myself more aware of these things, and again thank the Lord for his presence in our world. e. Elizabeth acknowledged that Mary truly believed. My faith should be strong and it should affect everything that I do. How can I better show my faith in God? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Song of Songs, chapter 2, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  CHRISTIAN JOY  + The characteristic that has come across in the first readings throughout Advent—mostly the readings from Isaiah—is that of a renewed hope in God           – and here in the prophet Zephaniah, it is a special type of hope—joyful hope  + Joy is also part of the Gospel message of what we have come to call “The Visitation”           – Elizabeth’s statement: “…the infant leaped with joy.”                      – it is joy mixed with admiration of what God had done for the two women                      – and especially admiration of Elizabeth for Mary: “Blessed are you…”  + Joy is an interesting characteristic to study for a spiritual person           – for the spiritual person, Christian joy is not simply a happy attitude                      – although there can be a lot of good said for that as we work in today’s society                                – if we would have a happy attitude, our workplaces would no doubt be a lot better           – but Christian joy is more than that and comes from a different source  + From the first reading, Christian joy has its basis from the fact that the Lord is in our midst and he will renew us in his love           – what that should mean for you and me is that we truly give the Lord a place of importance in our lives                      – reading his words, studying his thought, meditating on what he wants                                – especially at this time of year           – so we are genuinely happy and joyful because we believe the Lord is present to us  + From the Gospel, Christian joy has its basis in trust in God           – Elizabeth’s words are significant here: “Blessed is she who trusted in the Lord’s words.”                      – joy comes from the fact that we trust—really trust—in the Lord           – when it comes to trust, we are often more like Zechariah than Mary                                – Zechariah simply refused to think in terms of God’s action           – as Christians, we must trust that the Lord will do his part in our lives                      – we learn to trust that he will lead everything we do to good  + Joy is part of our Advent thought           – and one of the characteristics of a Christian person. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Ho Hey” — The Lumineers WE NEED LOVE NOW The Gospel MATTHEW 5:2-10 [Jesus] began to teach them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Gospelthink: I give you the general guidelines of good living here. You should dwell on them. Do I follow these beatitudes the way I should?

“I’ve been trying to do it right, I’ve been living a lonely life. So show me family, all the blood that I would bleed. I don’t know where I belong, I don’t know where I went wrong, but I can write a song. I belong to you, you belong with me, you’re my sweetheart. I don’t think you’re right for him. Look at what it might have been. Love, we need it now, let’s hope for some ‘cause we’re bleeding out.”

Using the catch words “Ho” and “Hey” throughout the song “Ho Hey,” the group The Lumineers tells a story of a person who is looking for love. The man in the relationship is experiencing the pain of watching a person that he once loved go into another relationship. He wishes he did not have the pain, but he knows he does and he knows that it is a very deep hurt. Hoping to alleviate some of the painful feelings, at least, he says, he can write a song about it. In the song, he sings a true statement that goes much further than his own emotions: “Love,” they sing the thoughts of the man, “we need it now. Let’s hope for some ’cause we’re bleeding out.” In a general way, Jesus as described in Matthew’s Gospel must have felt the same way. He probably could see the pain of evil around him, the “bleeding” that was part of the human experience, perhaps even anticipating the evil that would be part of the world he loved. So, he gave his solution–some basic rules that we have come to call the Sermon on the Mount. He began with the general statements about the love and morality that we need now and indeed, every moment of our lives, statements called the Beatitudes. Where do we need such love now? Where is the “bleeding” that makes us aware that we absolutely must have something like the “love” and morality that Jesus preached? It takes little effort to see the answer on an international and even national level. People are bleeding each and every day, often literally, ultimately because of a lack of love. But more importantly, perhaps, we should study our individual situations. Is it not true that we need a little more love right now in our own families and in our own communities? In fact, is it not also true that if we have a little more love in our own personal lives right now, then every situation in which we find ourselves will be more lovable and loving? Maybe it is naïve, but maybe it really is that simple!

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son has given us the Beatitudes and the rules of love to guide our world. Give us the courage to live them out in our own lives, and to do it in a more profound way beginning right now. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We need love right now because of the problems that we have. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Project: go through each Beatitude and outline the human situations that it covers. Note: see the presentation on the Sermon on the Mount in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 1965-1974. 2. Many of the ideas in the Beatitudes comes from the Old Testament. In your opinion, why is knowledge of the Old Testament necessary for the spiritual life? See Catechism, numbers 128-9 and references. 3. Analysis: “Righteousness” is mentioned twice in the Beatitudes.  What is your definition of “righteousness”? 4. The song says that the person in the song has been “trying to do it right.” What is the meaning of “doing love right”? 5. What are the principal reasons for “loneliness” in our world? 6. Text analysis: “Show me family, all the blood I would bleed.” What is the meaning of the sentence? 7. Text analysis: “I belong to you.” What does it mean to “belong” to another? 8. Text analysis: “Love, we need it now.” The song is referring to an individual love relationship, but speaking generally, why does everyone need love? 9. Text analysis: “We’re bleeding out.” What is the meaning of the statement? 10. What can you do to help another who is going through pain because of a breakup? 11. Where do you see “evil” in the world today? 12. Project: Outline the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, presenting the principal message of each section. 13. Why is it a true statement that the Beatitudes give a moral principle that will cover every situation in life? 14. What part of the Sermon on the Mount is most difficult for the modern Christian? Why? 15. Speaking of your community in particular, where is love most necessary right now? 16. The meditation says that having love is the solution to all problems. Do you think that the solution is too simple? Yes or no and why? 17. What does the song “Ho Hey” teach young people?