August 22

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Saturday, August 22

MATTHEW 23:1-12
Religious Leaders

Prayerthoughts

a. The Lord is outspoken and critical about the religious leaders of his time. No doubt there is some criticism that I have of religious and political leaders. Do I argue from facts as Jesus did?

b. In general, I should practice what I preach. Do I say things that people ought to do and not do them myself? Think of your strongest criticisms of others.

c. When I see people who are really hurting, do I try to remedy what I can?

d. Do I expect others to honor me for whatever by wearing something special or a place of honor or a proper name?

e. Am I truly a servant to others? Think of the people you see every day.

f. Am I too prideful wanting others to think of me in some “exalted” way?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Ezekiel 43:1-7ab and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE POSSIBILITY OF HYPOCRISY

+ The close of the weekday liturgy’s presentation of the Book of Ezekiel is a vision that says that only God can be the leader of Israel

- the focus is God whose presence will be among the Israelites forever

+ The focus of Matthew’s chapter 23 of the New Testament are the ones who specifically teach about God, namely, the clergy, the religious of the Hebrew people

- every religious era has leaders whose job it is to remind people of God’s presence

- and unfortunately, many of those leaders fall into hypocrisy

- that is, they know what should be done, they know the way to bring it about and no doubt did at one time

- but they fall into what may be called the fundamental sin of the clergy and those who are in control of others

- they don’t follow what they teach and preach

+ There are no stronger words in Scripture than Matthew 23 and their parallel parts in the other Gospels

- Jesus—here with the evangelist Matthew giving his own nuance to Jesus’s thoughts and words—

- Jesus has the most difficulty in his ministry with people who claim to be religious and they are not

- in Matthew’s Gospel, this is what leads to his execution

- Jesus is willing to die rather than allow religious hypocrisy

- therefore, the greatest sin for Jesus is people who merely toy with religion

+ This section of Matthew’s Gospel has profound significance for me

- being a person to whom the title “Father” has been re-introduced over the years, a tradition contrary to the tradition of the early Church who never wanted a title of reverence to be used, as seen from the Gospel today

- therefore, the source of great personal meditation

- but these words also must mean something to us who claim religion as a significant part of our lives--you

- we claim religion to be a significant part of our lives because we are here, we go to Mass often, that is, we acknowledge God as our King, Jesus as personal Savior--often

- since that is the case, the primary meditation from this first part of Matthew’s chapter 23: do we do what we say as we are here

- and the primary way to show it is by being a servant

The greatest among you must be your servant.

+ It’s a relatively simple meditation

- if we are trying to serve others in some way, we are understanding religion

- if we are not trying to serve in whatever form that comes, then we may be indeed be falling into the hypocrisy that Jesus spoke of.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Peaches" -- Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon

THE "VERY BEST"

The Gospel

LUKE 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Gospelthink: Martha and Mary were friends of mine, and I could speak to them plainly, telling them that Mary was doing well because she listened to me. Do I truly listen to the Lord in the Gospels?

"I got my peaches out in Georgia, I get my light right from the source. The way I breathe you in, it's the texture of your skin, I want to wrap my arms around you and never let you go. There’s nothing like your touch, it's the way you lift me up and I’ll be right here with you until the end of time. You ain’t sure yet, but I’m for you.”

The artist of the song "Peaches," Justin Bieber, is no doubt thinking of the love of his life, his wife, as he sings the song. Part of his life was spent in Georgia, the Peach State, but the feel of the song is one of "love." And in particular, as one considers what Georgia stands for, namely the very best peaches, one can generalize the thinking of the song to the thought of seeking the "very best" in what we do. The man in the relationship is thinking of the very best in love, and that is the love that he has discovered.

As we study our lives, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, the one guide that we have is that we seek the "very best" in carrying it out. Obviously, we do not want to give ourselves to something or someone that is only second best. Therefore our thought is always about seeking the "very best."

So it is with love. "I get my light right from the source" Justin Bieber sings. The source of his love is obviously the lady in the relationship, and it is there that the man seeks his light, that is, his reason to live. She is the "very best" for him.

It is exactly the situation of Mary in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus recognizes that the "very best" way to show a love of another is to pay close attention to what he/she says. To be busy about hospitality is important but it is not the "very best" that one could do. He tells Martha that Mary had chosen the "very best."

Choosing the "very best" love is not easy in our world. It implies not only the person who is choosing the "very best," but it also must mean that the person who is chosen agrees with the other. In the song, it seems as though the lady is not ready yet, as the man sings, "You ain't sure yet." One sees here an important element of choosing the "very best," namely, it will take some time to determine what is the "very best" for everyone involved.

You and I want the "very best" in every situation. To determine it will take time and deep thinking on our parts.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we want the "very best" in everything we do while we are here on earth. Help us to achieve that goal not only with the things of earth, but give us the grace to truly listen to what you say to us, that is, the "very best" for our spiritual lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We should look for the "very best" in everything we do.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Peaches" teach young people?
2. "Listening to the Lord" is obviously the conclusion of the Gospel. In the category of "listening," do most people really listen to the Lord's directives? Yes or no and why?
3. Do most people honestly listen to one another?
4. What elements must a relationship have in order to be the "very best" for each other?
5. What is the most important thing that we do in our lives?
6. The meditation says that choosing the "very best" love in our lives takes time. In general, what is your opinion about how long a couple should know each other before they are married?