[media presentation below] GospelThink Sunday, November 12, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time   MATTHEW 25:1-13 With the story, I tell you that you must stay awake and be prepared to meet me at any time. Prayerthoughts a. In what ways do I consider myself “foolish” and “wise”? b. Do I “prepare” myself for a better spiritual life. Perhaps today I should do one extra spiritual practice (time of prayer, fasting, extra kindness toward someone, etc.) c. In what ways do I “meet” the Lord every day? d. We ask people to help us, and sometimes they say “no”. What should be my response back to them; what is my response in general? e. I should listen carefully to the Lord’s words that I never want to hear from our God: “I do not know you.” What should I do as a result? f. The Lord’s counsel at the send of his story: we don’t know when we will die. How do I feel about my death right now? In my obituary which someone will write, will he/she say that I was prepared? g. My prayerthoughts… Today, if I haven’t done so, I will write my own obituary that I hope will be written.   Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  YOU WILL BE WHAT YOU ARE            There was a theme that our youth retreat team used when we sponsored junior high retreats a number of years ago. The theme tried to capture the fact that the way we react to problems and situations right now is a pretty good indication of the way we will act in the future and it fits the liturgy today. That theme is: you will be what you are … unless you change … now.            It is the thought of Jesus’ story in the Gospel as Matthew tells it. The Hebrew wedding practices around Jesus’ time usually involved two processions with rituals. First, there was a procession by the groom and his friends from the groom’s home to the bride’s and then, secondly, a procession taking the bride from her home to where the bride and groom would live.            The Gospel is set around the first procession. The groom would have many people to see in his own home and therefore the groom was often delayed in coming to the bride’s home. Everyone knew that, and Jesus makes use of that fact to bring home a point. The lamps were celebration lamps and also used for light. The Lord says that the person who is into preparation will bring enough oil along so that when the celebration finally does start, that person will be ready. If you are wise, you will prepare; if you are foolish, you will not. And Jesus’ point:           Stay awake for you know neither the day nor the hour. Or the way that we would say it with the theme of our retreat: if you do not prepare for the groom’s coming beforehand, you will not enjoy the moment: you will be what you are…unless you change…now.            A couple of attitudes can destroy this idea of preparing ourselves for the future. One is the “I’m not so bad syndrome.” It says in effect that if I will be what I am, I’m satisfied with what I am right now. People probably will not say this directly, but they think it, and the person who thinks it is usually a person who will refuse to get better. One of the facts of life is that every situation, no matter what, can get better. People who simply accept things the way they are may miss some very important things. They do not see the harm that they could be bringing to their family; they do not see the problems that they could be causing in a marriage; they do not see the troubles that are brought about by a self-serving attitude. You will be what you are, and if you think you are not that bad, you’ll never change for the better.           There is a second attitude that destroys the idea that we must prepare ourselves now. This one we all know, I think—procrastination. We tend to put off until tomorrow what we could do today and tomorrow never comes. We could make our spiritual lives better today if we wanted to by spending extra time in prayer or reading the New Testament, and so forth. But we think: “I’ll do that…tomorrow.” You will be what you are, and we will always be doing good…tomorrow and not today.           The purpose of Jesus’ story was simply that there is no tomorrow. The bridegroom will come and that’s it—it is the Super Bowl of life, and you will be what you are. We should be preparing ourselves better right now so that when the Lord comes, we will be prepared for him and he will not be a stranger. MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: “Shake It Off” — Taylor Swift THE MUSIC OF “IT’S ALRIGHT” The Gospel MATTHEW 5:11-12 [Jesus said:] “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Gospelthink: Even when things do not go right for you, it will be good for you in light of the heaven you desire. Do I withstand well the bad things that happen?

“I stay out too late. Got nothing in my brain, that’s what people say. I go on too many dates, but I can’t make them stay. At least that’s what people say. But I keep cruising, can’t stop, won’t stop moving. It’s like I got this music in my mind, saying ‘It’s gonna be alright.’  ‘Cause the players gonna play, and the haters gonna hate. I’m just gonna shake. I shake it off. Heart breakers gonna break, and the fakers gonna fake. I’m just gonna shake it off.”

It may be that Taylor Swift recalls the words of her Biblical upbringing in her song “Shake It Off.” Jesus said to us that we are “blessed” when we are insulted and every kind of evil is said against us as we bear it in a Christian way. The author of the Letter to the Colossians also pointed out that we should “put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” as we “bear with one another and forgive one another” (Colossians 3:12-13). Taylor Swift says that the lady in the song “shakes off” the insulting words that are spoken to her. She is taking charge of her own life, not worrying about what people say. She hears the music of her mind say that “It’s gonna be alright” because people are going to do what they are going to do anyway. But she will just “shake it off,” and keep on cruising and moving with life. In effect, she is saying that she will not allow anyone else to determine how she is going to feel. It is very good advice but it is not easy to follow. We would much rather fight back, seek a little revenge, do some harm to those who have spoken ill of us, and only then go on with life. We may “shake it off” but we want to get back at those who insult us before we do. Or, and maybe this is the more common result, we will let the words that are said allow us to be depressed or give us a bad attitude toward living. We let insulting words “get to us” and alter our attitudes to become less joyful and thus make our living more difficult. We have all heard the expression that sticks and stones may break our bones, but names and faces will do us no harm. It is only true if we make the effort to “shake off” those names and faces in a Christian way.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, it is not easy to follow your Son’s advice to bear the false insults and evil words that are spoken to or about us. Help us remember the Christian advice to “shake off” the evil, and simply move on in life. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We should never allow others the right to determine how we feel. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. Project: the presenter may want to discuss some of the prophets and their role in Salvation History. 2. In your opinion, what was the principal job of a prophet? 3. What is the greatest insult that one can give to another? Judging from this passage of Scripture, how would a Christian respond to it? Why? 4. In general, why do people “say” unkind things about another? 5. Text analysis: “But I keep cruising, can’t stop, won’t stop moving.” What is the meaning of the statement? 6. Text analysis: the music in the person’s mind. What is the meaning of the phrase? 7. Text analysis: “I’m just gonna shake it off.” What is the best way to “shake off” the insults? 8. In your opinion, do most Christians take insult the way that Jesus wants them to? Yes or no and why? 9. In your opinion, do most people allow others to dictate how they feel? Yes or no and why? 10. How strong is the element of revenge in our world? 11. In your opinion, what is the major cause of depression in our world? 12. What does the song “Shake It Off” teach young people?