[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, June 6, The Blessed Virgin Mary,Mother of the Church JOHN 19:25-34 My final words and actions as a human being are given to you for your consideration. Prayerthoughts a. There were women beneath the cross on which Jesus was crucified, showing courage in the face of adversity. Do I show my belief in every situation that I am in. b. Jesus gives Mary to “me,” which spiritually means that she will be a person on intercedes on my behalf to the Lord. Is my devotion to Mary such that I recognize that she is leading me to the Lord?   c. They broke the legs of the criminals. Many times cruelty is described “lightly” in the    Scriptures. I should never excuse any “cruelty” that I show toward others? d. When the soldier thrust the lance into Jesus, blood and water flowed out. In John the      evangelist’s theology, “blood” stood for the Eucharist, and “water” stood for Baptism, that is my redemption came from Jesus. Am I thankful enough for what Jesus has accomplished for me? e. John the evangelist speaks of telling the “truth.” Do I live as if I truly believe? f. John the evangelist wants his audience to “believe” in Jesus. Is my spiritual way of living the most important thing in my life at the present time? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today I will read the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH + In establishing the feast in 2018, the Church said this, quoting Pope Paul VI: “Venerable Brothers, this concerns a title by no means new to Christian piety; indeed, the Christian faithful and the universal Church choose to invoke Mary principally by the name of Mother. In truth, this name belongs to the genuine nature of devotion to Mary, since it rests firmly on that very dignity with which Mary is endowed as the Mother of the Incarnate Word of God.”  + The liturgy uses two very familiar references to the Blessed Virgin           – Genesis 3:15, saying that God will put enmity between the devil and the woman, always interpreted in the Church to be speaking of Mary           – Jesus giving Mary to John as Mother, again interpreted by the Church as Jesus giving Mary to all of us as Mother + Quite naturally, we are drawn into what in the Church is called “Mariology” or the “Theology of Mary”           – which is based, as Pope Paul VI said on the fact that Mary is the Mother of the Incarnate Word of God  + What should it mean for us?           – a mother will be someone who both helps a child and acts as a perfect example for the child                      – two things for us to consider there  + First, Mary helps us           – the Church has believed from early on that Mary will intercede for us, much the same way that Mary interceded for the wedding couple at Cana in John’s Gospel                      – on behalf of the couple, asking her Son to relieve their distress, and then one of the ten most important lines in Scripture, I believe: saying to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you”                                – Mary will help us                                          – saying to us to follow the directives that Jesus gives us                                – we don’t know how, but our faith tells us that what we ask of God will have Mary’s endorsement  + Secondly, Mary serves as a perfect example for us as we live our Christian lives on earth           – she recognizes what God wants of her, and in her famous words at the Annunciation, understands that she is called by God —“Let it be done according to God’s word,” – yes, I will do it           – and she followed through with her “yes”                      – once she had said that she would follow what God wanted of her                                – without knowing what that meant, she followed through being present for her Son in everything           – a lesson for all of us when we say “yes” to our faith, no matter what happens  + Mary is truly our Mother as well as the Mother of Jesus. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Fancy” — Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX GETTING WHAT I WANT The Gospel MATTHEW 23:1-5 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their words are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.”

Gospelthink: I was hard on the scribes and Pharisees because they only spoke a good line. Am I honest in doing what I say?

“I’m so fancy. You already know I’m in the fast lane from L.A. to Tokyo. I’m so fancy. Can’t you taste this gold? Feels so good getting what I want. Yeah, keep on turning it up.”

Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s song “Fancy” praises the culture of North America and in particular, the rap part of the song praises the pastimes of drinking alcohol, having money, pleasing self and desiring sexual involvement. They are singing about what is pleasurable, and the people they are singing about, that is, the people of the world, for the most part desire to have these things. It is a good feeling, and the culture of which they sing is interested in offering that feeling as much as possible. But there is a problem with feeling good. Human beings do not always experience the feeling for a variety of reasons. Often they will do anything to bring about those feelings, not considering the possible long range side-effects that their actions may cause. Pleasure and feeling good is part of God’s work in the world, but too much of a good thing can end up hurting us. Consider the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ time. The scribes and Pharisees were basically good people and like most people, they liked the feeling of respect that their office rightly afforded them. But most of them let the feeling dominate their lives. In doing so, they forgot about their roles as religious leaders. As Jesus criticized them, “Their works are performed to be seen.”   The culture in which we live is an interesting study.  It has changed much over the years, even over the past recent years. But one thing should be quite clear to the Christian interested in living a good life. The feeling good that comes as a result of being in that culture is something that we should study carefully. It is one thing to feel good, but it is quite another to give up our values merely to enjoy the feeling.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, you wanted us to be happy, and your gifts in our culture help us to have that feeling. But we know that too much a good thing can hurt us. Help us discern what is right and wrong in our daily interaction with our culture. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Getting what we want is a great feeling, but it is not always good for us. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In your opinion, are there any religious leaders like the scribes and Pharisees in modern day religion? Yes or no and why? 2. Giving good example is important among religious people today. In your opinion, do most Christians give good example? Yes or no and why? 3. Text analysis: the word “fancy.” What does it mean in the song? 4.  Analysis: “getting what I want.” What do people want most of all in today’s world? What should they want? 5. Give your own definition of “culture” in the world of today. 6. Give some modern day examples of people who allow respect for their offices to be too important. 7.What does the song “Fancy” teach young people?