[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, June 6 MARK 12:13-17 The religious leaders are trying to trick me once again, but I point out the necessity to pay attention to the civil authorities. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus’s enemies wanted to trap him in his speech. What about my own speech? Do I try to be honest in everything I do? Does my speech include too many “curse” words? b. The Pharisees and Herodians were giving Jesus false praise in order to catch him in a trap. As I study my talk of others, am I too sarcastic with them or insulting in my speech? c. Jesus’s enemies are trying to trap him with regard to his relationship with the civil   government. We often have difficulties with the civil government. Do I at least pray for those in the government? d. Jesus recognizes their hypocrisy. Studying my behavior, am I being hypocritical toward anyone or anything? e. Jesus says in effect that we should respect those who govern us. Are we at least respectful to those who work in government? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Tobit, chapter 2 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  CONSISTENCY WITH THE TRUTH  + This week in the first reading we will be meditating on one of the most interesting stories of the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of Tobit          – I invite you to fill in the gaps with your own personal reading of that book of the Bible          – chapter 1 of the book deals with Tobit’s early life, his problem with the king, and the results of it                   – very briefly, he is a sincere man, trying to do good things                   – and one of the good things is to bury the dead of his kinsmen, even if it were against the pagan law                            – he is reported, had to flee, all of his goods confiscated, but he got them back when a new king was crowned                   – also important for the story is that he had previously deposited a large sum of money with his cousin Gabael who lived in Media  + Here, in the first reading, he goes blind, probably becoming a little bit cantankerous,          – and his wife tells him to be consistent in his virtue                   – yes, you are charitable most of the time, but be charitable all the time and to everyone, be consistent especially to those close to you  + In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ enemies realize that he is consistent in his seeking of the truth          – and part of the truth, as Jesus sees it, is to give as you have promised to do, both to God and to the State  + For us, by way of application, we are called to be consistent with the truth          – and in the process to give to God what we should, and to the State, what we should          – it involves giving to God the praise that we should—                   – praise for the created world in which we live                   – praise for the fact that we have been redeemed                   – and praise for the graces that we receive through the Holy Spirit          – and to the State, giving what we have legitimately agreed to in our democratic system                   – paying taxes, performing the duties that are necessary  + And the important lesson is that of consistency          – both are full-time jobs                   – giving to God’s what is God’s                            – and to the State’s what is the State’s. 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?