TGIMMbailando

August 13

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, August 13

MATTHEW 18:21--19:1

Forgive

Prayerthoughts

a. “Seven” is a perfect number in the Bible, therefore signifying “infinitely many.” Is there anyone that I have not forgiven at the present time?

b. Am I willing to forgive people who “owe” me, as for example money that I have loaned them, etc.?

c. We often lack consistency in our criticism. Often we are doing the very things that we accuse others of. What is an example in my life.

d. Do you believe that the king in Jesus’s parable acted the way he should have? Note that this is not the way our God works with us.

e. The last verse is a “scare tactic” that Jesus often uses in his discourses. God is always kind and merciful. But the evangelist wants those who read the words of Jesus to know that we deserve the punishment that the king gave if we do not forgive others completely.

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Ezekiel 12:1-12 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS

+ The Gospel contains one of the more pointed and striking stories that Jesus told with one of the strongest conclusions concerning God in the whole New Testament

- that conclusion:

So will my heavenly Father do to you [torture] unless each of you forgives … from his heart.

- the key to understanding the statement is the idea of “forgiveness from the heart”

- what does it mean?

- as you study the parable/story of Jesus, “forgiveness from the heart” might mean a couple of things

1 – there must be an inclination to ask for forgiveness

- we have to say the words and mean them: I really am in need of forgiveness

- we are not perfect, even though it is not easy for us to admit it

- we all have a tendency to hide our faults

- and in many cases, we simply will not recognize that we are at fault

- forgiveness from the heart implies that we acknowledge the need we have for forgiveness

2 – there must be a belief that the Lord will forgive

- the Lord will forgive, even if it is a large evil – “huge amount” (10,000 talents literally—meaning maybe something like “100,000 dollars”)

- “forgiveness from the heart” understands that our God is an all-merciful God

3 – consistency

- a difficult thing for human beings

- as I ask forgiveness of God and expect to be forgiven

- I must be consistent and forgive anyone that comes to me or that I discover in my situation that should have forgiveness, even if it is very small—the point of Jesus’s story:

- the second man owed “a much smaller amount”—literally a 100 denarii, a days wages in those days, something like “80 dollars”

- forgiving others includes forgiving everyone and everything, even that which is done against me and my family

- even those situations where people will end up saying: “I can never forgive that”

- this is one of the most difficult things for a human being to do

- it is the root of all the problems of the Middle East right now—people will not forgive one another—they feel that they must retaliate

+ Forgiveness from the heart is a very difficult act for the human being

- because we are in essence rebellious (1^st reading) and many of us have something or someone we will not forgive

- but it is imperative for anyone interested in the spiritual life

- we probably ought to spend some time today on the Lord’s threat about torture—

so will my Heavenly Father do to you unless you forgive from the heart.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Bailando" -- Enrique Iglesias

DANCING AND THE CHOICE OF "FOREVER"

The Gospel

LUKE 19:36-38

As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; and now as [Jesus] was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”

Gospelthink: The crowds praised God as I was in their midst. Do I praise God as often as I should?

"Girl, I like the way you move; come and show me what to do. People tell me that you want me. Girl, you got nothing to lose. I can’t wait no more. I wanna be contigo, and live contigo and dance contigo.”

A person searching the New Testament Scriptures for "dancing" will discover it only in conjunction with other actions. Without describing the action itself, it is almost "understood" in the context of some of the events described. So a wedding feast is an occasion for dancing and one would guess that Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem would lend itself to dancing as the crowds joyously welcomed him as their king. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is much easier since "dancing" was understood to be part of rejoicing in the presence of God. For example, when the ark of the covenant, a symbol of God's presence was brought before King David, "David and all the house of Israel danced before the LORD with all their might, with singing, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals" (2 Samuel 6:5).

Enrique Iglesias' song "Bailando" (in English, "dancing") is a popular song not only because of its happy sound, but because of its excellent dance video. Both the song and the video bring to mind the value of dancing in a romantic setting. Although the romantic situations in s time were totally different from the romantic life of a couple in the twenty-first century, the art of dancing was no doubt part of both. Romantic dancing in both the first and twenty-first century in part had to do with discovery about a future with a partner.

It is obvious from both the song and the video that there is true enjoyment in dancing. In the song, the words imply that the man in the relationship wants the decision to be made right away, saying that there is no more time needed, that now is the time to be contigo, that is, with you. It may be, but the person who is making a decision for life must realize how important it is to take a significant amount of time with such an important matter.

There is little doubt that the single most important decision in life is whether to marry and who to marry, that is to spend one's life with another. Dancing together may help decide, but serious thinking about it must happen as well.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, You have blessed us with the gift of enjoying our time together in a romantic way. As we live and work with your gift, give us the grace to use it well. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Enjoying one another by dancing can help a couple decide whether they should be together forever.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Jesus's triumphal entry in Jerusalem is the official statement that in Jerusalem the salvation of humankind will be accomplished. Project: explain the meaning of salvation. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 599-609.
2. The song describes the emotions connected with romantic dancing. Why should we not trust our emotions much of the time?
3. There are many "sexual overtones" in the song and video. Much of the music of today has these sexual references. What effect, if any, does this have on our younger generation?
4. In your opinion, should there be more control about the music that is produced in today's world? Yes or no and why?
5. In your opinion, do the worship services of the Church resemble a true celebration? Yes or no and why?
6. Obtain a copy of the video to the song. What is most striking to you about it? (Billboard magazine labeled it to be "spectacular.")
7. What is the difference between "romantic dancing" and "celebration dancing"?
8. In general, in your opinion, how much time should a couple spend together before they get married?
9. Young couples sometimes "prepare" for marriage by living together first. What is your opinion of this practice? See Catechism, numbers 2390-2391.
10. In general, do you think that young people do enough serious thinking about marriage before they actually marry? Yes or no and why?
11. Why are there so many divorces in our world?
12. What does the song "Bailando" teach young people?