[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, June 19 MATTHEW 5:38-42 I say to you: do not be a person that fosters revenge. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus tells me to offer no resistance to someone who is evil. Looked at on a personal level, that means that I should bear no hostility toward others no matter what the situation may be. Do I find that I am doing that at the present time? That is, do I have a tendency to hold a grudge and/or give into revenge? b. The Lord goes to exaggeration again to bring home his point. He wants us to be people who will not allow the evil of others to make us respond negatively. How do I respond to people who do not like me or completely disagree with me? c. The Lord tells us to “give” to anyone who asks me for anything. Am I generous with my time and energy for others? d. Obviously, our world is not a world that follows what the Lord says with regard to revenge, etc. Have I allowed my thinking to be influenced by the world in a negative way. e. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will read 2 Corinthians, chapter 6 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  WORKING WITH GOD’S GRACE  + Paul in this reading from second Corinthians realizes that a person absolutely must have the grace of God in order to accomplish the things of Christianity           – Paul writes: “We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”           – it is not possible to follow the directives of Jesus without that grace  + We see that fact acted out in a couple of areas, in particular, a couple of areas that the liturgy reminds us of today           – one of the primary places in our lives is in the whole area of revenge                      – the American response to being hurt is to hurt back in some way                                – our legal system, and TV and movie plots have done that to us                                – we respond to most situations with revenge in one way or another  +Jesus talks to us directly, referring to the Hebrew Old Testament law of the talis that called for some type of exact retaliation           – and says:           But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.                      – this Christian law is extremely difficult to follow, because ultimately it may do away with armies or police-type people                                – the Church over the centuries has not taken Jesus’ words that far, but we are required to look at the importance of them in our own spiritual daily lives                                          – what part does revenge play in the way we live and act?  + Another area where we refuse to use the grace of God that is given to us is when we feel as though we are being overwhelmed           – overwhelmed with the difficulties of living—“afflictions, hardships, constraints…” Paul calls them                      – Paul reminds the Corinthians and us that they should suffer with “much endurance”                                – that is, to accept the things that we don’t like, work with the difficulties, “work the problem”  + With Paul, we believe that everyone of us has the message of truth and power of God—           – we have received the grace of God                      – we really have                      – now we must honestly hear his directive not to receive that grace in vain. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Never Be the Same” — Camila Cabello WE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME The Gospel JOHN 14:1-6 Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Gospelthink: As I told my disciples, so I tell you: I will come back for you, and in the meantime, I am the guide for you. Is it clear by my actions that the Lord is present in my life?

“Something must’ve gone wrong in my brain. Got your chemical all in my veins, feeling all the highs, feeling all the pain. Now I’m seeing red, not thinking straight, blurring all the lines, you intoxicate me, just like nicotine, heroin, morphine. Suddenly, I’m a fiend and you’re all I need. Just one hit of you. I’ll never be the same.”

Camila Cabello’s song “Never Be the Same” is a love song and is intended to be a statement on behalf of the one loved. The man in the relationship is all the lady needs, the woman in the song sings, and, from her point of view, if only she and he could be together for the rest of their lives, their lives would be happy, and “never be the same” as it was before their relationship.  He is so important to her that he will affect the rest of her life. This love song can enable us to turn our minds to a world that is in need of help. As we study the feelings of the lovers, we can ask the question, “What is all we need?” The Christian should answer with the thought of  Scripture, “Jesus is all that we need; he is the way, the truth and the life.” For Jesus to be real, the Christian must truly accept him as the way, truth and life with all that the phrase means. It means that we will never be the same as before we knew him. It means that we Christians will deliberately break the addiction to violence that we have; it means that we will control the pleasure that can get out of hand; it means that we will not allow money to be a god for us; it means that Christians will accept the personal responsibility to change some of their sinful behaviors. After the tragedies that have happened in our world, after the terrorism attacks and the killings in schools, after the retaliatory wars that are initiated, we wonder whether we are recognizing that we have a problem. The problem may be simply that we are lost and that we have accepted no direction from anyone besides ourselves. Every Christian must acknowledge that Jesus and what he has given to us is the solution. He really is the way, the truth and the life. He is “all that we need.” Love songs can easily teach us how to look at our world. As lovers realize what each of them mean to each other, they understand that each will have a noticeable affect on how each of them thinks. They are guided by their love. When a Christian looks at the world, and they are guided by the love that they have for the Lord, the world will change and never be the same as before they knew about him.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, as we study the love songs of our day, may we learn that Your Son has shown us Your love and therefore we can never be the same once we know You. Your Son is the truth that we accept. It is His life that we should imitate. Help us see that we must accept Him totally into our lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: When a person is important to us, that person will have an effect on us.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In your opinion, have most Christians honestly chosen Jesus as the way, the truth and the life? Yes or no and why? 2. What do most couples need in a loving relationship? 3. In our past, what are some things that affect the rest of our lives? 4. What does the world need most? 5. How does a Christian bring the teaching of Jesus to the world? 6. In your opinion, will the world ever accept completely the teaching of Jesus? Why or why not? 7. What does the song “Never be the Same”  teach young people?