[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, July 11 MATTHEW 9:32-38 My heart was moved with pity for people even while my enemies spoke against me. Prayerthoughts a. In the Gospels, the devil or evil never controls the situation with Jesus. Evil cannot exist simultaneously with the Lord. Unfortunately, there have been moments of evil in my life. I should take the time right now to ask for forgiveness, especially for some evil of the past. b. The Pharisees were driven by a number of evil desires. One of them was jealousy. I should look at my own jealousy in the situations of my life. Should I study more closely some of my reasons for doing things the way I do? c. Jesus showed compassion toward all of those who were hurting. Are there some people in my acquaintance toward whom I should show more compassion? d. If Jesus’s thought is to spread, more people need to be dedicated to it. Do I show enough initiative in being dedicated to spread the message of Christianity? e. Jesus gives us something to pray for—laborers for Christianity. What are the most important prayers of petition that I should make in my life? f. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will read Genesis, chapter 32, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  CHRISTIANS TRULY CARE ABOUT OTHERS  + One of the overwhelming conclusions of the Gospels is the caring way Jesus felt toward the people                         – here he was moved with pity                         – he continues to recognize the evil that is at play, and he conquers it                         – he cures people when they are brought to him                                     – and often he even searches them out             – the overpowering conclusion: Jesus cared for the people  + In fact, that could be a description of the Bible, taken as a whole             – is there an overall message of the Bible?                         – many themes that run through it, of course,                                     – but there is always evidence of God’s care for us                         – in the mysterious story of Jacob wrestling with “a man”                                     – although we are not sure of what the meaning of all of it is                                     – we do know that in the end the “man” who is generally recognized to be an extension of God rewards Jacob                                                 – giving Jacob the power to be a patriarch                                                             – caring for him, and therefore, caring for his people, caring for the people of the Old Testament  + So, one of the conclusions of our reading of the Bible             – is the care that God has for us             – and then our conclusion from knowing that the Bible is not meant simply to be read                         – that we have to have the care for others the way God has care for us  + The way Jesus had care for people is significant for us, I believe             – because again the Bible, especially the New Testament, is an example of the way we should behave                         – according to Matthew in this passage, the way Jesus had pity on the crowd was to do three things:                                     1 – he taught                                                 – the message was important as it should be for us                                                             – to read the Bible                                                                         – to prepare before we go into our world                                     2 – he proclaimed                                                 – not only knowing the message, but making the message speak to his listeners                                                 – if the kingdom of God is really present among us, it should do something to the way we act, what may be the most common directive concerning what we are called to do as Christians                                     3 – he cured                                                 – he got his hands dirty, he worked among the people who needed him                                                 – we are called to work among the people that we are around, whether at work, in the community, in the family                                                             – curing, that is, caring for them means going out of our way for them  + As if knowing that people will find difficulty with this,             – Jesus reminds us that all of us have to show that same care because we need workers in the kingdom to bring about that care. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Beautiful Mistakes” — Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion FULFILLING THE PAST The Gospel MATTHEW 5:17-18 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Gospelthink: I give you my teaching which fulfills the Law of Moses. Do I consider all the words of Jesus to be the teaching that I must follow?

“It’s beautiful, it’s bittersweet. You’re like a broken home to me; I take a shot of memories and black out like an empty street. I fill my days with the way you walk, and fill my nights with broken dreams. I make up lies inside my head like one day you’ll come back to me. Now I’m not holding on. I’m just depressed that you’re gone. Beautiful mistakes, I wouldn’t take them back. I’m in love with the past.”

When Jesus gave his different teachings to us, he was most aware of the Law of Moses which was the primary law that the Israelites were to follow. So, he was particularly aware of what the Law of Moses taught. He knew however that that Law was not enough. In order to bring about the Kingdom that Jesus was preaching, there had to be more. And so, he uses the word “fulfill” as he explains how his teaching differs from that of Moses. Jesus’s teaching went further than that of Moses, saying that the present law is now much more important than the one of the past. And so in the Sermon, Jesus gives instance after instance in which he says, “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you.” There are a number of songs that reflect on lifestyles that speak of the past. “Beautiful Mistakes” is one of them. In fact, any song that speaks of a breakup will speak of past actions before the breakup, and those actions were usually very good.  In the song, the man in the relationship is remembering how the past was beautiful and the fact that he is in love with those past memories. But of course, what is necessary is to live in the present moment. In the song, the man is unable to do that. He wanted to have those feelings of the past when the relationship was more as he wanted it to be. Right there might be the problem. He does not want to live in the present because it means that he would have to change, to grow. Jesus looked at the past laws of how to live, and said that they were what should have been at that time. But what was important was the present moment. It is a pattern that the person developing romantic love must follow. The past was good, and the present should remember the past good things, but they must build on them because we cannot live in the past. In a sense, the relationship must “fulfill” the past. We can indeed be in “love with the past,” as the man sings in the song, but to try to live there is a mistake because it will destroy the present.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, as I live in this present moment, I must be aware of the good past actions that I have done. But help me understand that I must live in the present, and allow the past to be learning moments so I can live better now. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Our past can teach us many things, but I must live in the present. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What does the song “Beautiful Mistakes” teach young people?   2. In your opinion, what is the most important law that Jesus taught? 3. In your opinion, how does Jesus’s law “fulfill” the Law of Moses? 4. What is the best way to overcome a breakup? 5. Selfishness may be the problem in any breakup. Do you believe that that is a true statement? 6. When is it clear that a person wants to “live in the past”? 7. What are the most important elements of a good relationship?