[media presentation below] GospelThink Easter Monday, April 10 MATTHEW 28:8-15 I appear to people telling them not to be afraid.  Prayerthoughts a. The women were overjoyed and ran to the apostles. As I study my life, am I as “joyful” as I should be, given that I am redeemed by the Lord? Do I show it by a “happiness” in the way I live? b. A common phrase that Jesus uses in the Gospels is “Do not be afraid” as he does here. What is most fearful to me and why? c. The chief priests gave money to the soldiers to tell a lie. Do I try to cover up my mistakes or am I honest in admitting them? Do I consider myself a “truthful” person? d. The chief priests promise that they will keep the soldiers out of trouble. Do I participate   in “cover ups” by bringing others into the falsehood with me? e. Have I taken part in covering up something that I know to be false for no reason other than my own selfishness? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  WITNESSES TO THE TRUTH  + The Church celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus for one complete week, and it celebrates the hope that the Resurrection gives for another six weeks after this one          – during this week, every liturgy is like an Easter liturgy, each with its own little nuance                   – today’s first reading is part of the activity of the early Christians after Jesus had risen from the dead                            – in fact all of the Acts of the Apostles which we read during this time of the year reflects people who are true “witnesses” as this reading calls them                   – the Gospel closes off Matthew’s primary statement about the Resurrection of Jesus, by refuting the story that everyone of the early Christians had heard—namely that his disciples stole the body of Jesus  + Perhaps our thinking this morning should center around the idea of witnessing to the truth          – and think a little about both of those ideas: witnessing and witnessing to the truth          – the early Christians and we in our own time can be called witnesses of Jesus                   – what it means, of course, is that we will speak on behalf of Jesus in whatever circumstance we find ourselves                            – this really means something in adverse circumstances where to speak the name of Jesus, for example, would be death                                     – but we don’t live in those times usually                                              – our lives center more around the idea of reminding other people of what Jesus said                                                       – it might mean things like                                                                – not taking part in conversations which go against what Jesus said                                                                – being pro-active in our circumstances to make sure the teachings of Jesus are upheld                                                                – as simple a thing as reminding ourselves by a religious symbol where we work or in our home          – the early Christians were true witnesses, often witnessing by their deaths  + And we are to witness to the truth          – Matthew points out that it was not the truth that the early Christians heard from the authority that Jesus’ body had been stolen                   – I think you and I ought be very aware of the truth in our own worlds                            – and be willing to speak it when necessary or at least not lie in our conversations + Jesus’ Resurrection meant something fundamental for the early Christians          – because Jesus rose from the dead, their lives took on a whole different slant                   – our lives ought to do the same. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Lights Down Low” — MAX featuring gnash AN ISLAND IN THE FLOOD The Gospel JOHN 19:38-42 After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

Gospelthink: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus showed courage in burying Jesus. Am I courageous in my following of Jesus?

“Can I stop the flow of time? Can I swim in your divine? ‘Cause I don’t think I’d ever leave this place. Turn the lights down low. I’m feeling you breathing slow. ‘Cause, we’re just reckless kids trying to find an island in the flood. And I would give you everything. But can you feel this energy? Take it, and you can have the best of me.”

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were disciples of Jesus, but they kept it secret, no doubt because they were afraid of what might happen to them. They were willing to risk a little of themselves, but not completely. But when they witnessed the death of Jesus, they could keep quiet no longer. They openly requested to bury Jesus, thus showing to everyone that they were willing to risk everything because of this person that they had come to love and respect. Their action is an action of searching for the love of someone that they had come to honor. It is an action not unlike the action of people who are discovering romantic love. It is the type of love that MAX and gnash are singing about in their song “Lights Down Low.” The man in the relationship is searching to discover whether the love that he has for the other is strong enough to make a commitment. “I would give you everything,” he says, but he is still searching to find the “island in the flood.” With our human natures the way they are, we cannot simply say that someone is special to us and let it go at that. We must discover how the other feels about a commitment, and whether we are ready to make that type of commitment ourselves. Infatuation is not love, and the only way it will become true love is to allow it to develop, to “feel the energy” as MAX and gnash sing. Love is not only romantic love. It is true that most of the popular songs are in the context of romantic love, but love is a thought that encompasses more than the romantic feelings we have toward others. But no matter what the circumstances, we are called to honestly search our minds and hearts to see if we are ready to give completely to another. Nicodemus and Joseph are good examples for modern love. They teach us to work at discovering the love for another, and once we find it, to “give everything.”

PRAYER Good and gracious God, there are so many examples of true love in Your Scriptures. Give us the grace to search for that love for others and once we find it, to truly make us understand it better. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: In order to love someone, we must be committed to search for that love..  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. The burial customs today are different than they were in the time of Jesus. What part of the burial customs today have made the most impression on you? Why? 2. Joseph and Nicodemus showed courage in their actions as they risked telling the truth of their belief in Jesus . Where have you seen Christian courage in your world? 3. In what way are those discovering love for the first time “reckless”? 4. How long should people in romantic love wait to marry after they have discovered their “love” for each other? 5. One of the ways to discover love might be to date many people. Do you agree with such a suggestion? Yes or no and why? 6. What are the signs of true romantic love? 7. What are the signs of “friendship love”? 8. In your opinion, do most people who have committed themselves to romantic love or love of another truly “give everything”?  9. What does the song “Lights Down Low” teach young people today?