January 4

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, January 4, Epiphany of the Lord

MATTHEW 2:1-12
The Magi

Prayerthoughts

a. In Matthew’s Gospel, the first adorers of Jesus are kings or magi, the rich and powerful. Do I take the time to worship the Lord in some silent time during the day?

b. The kings saw the star. Do I take the time to be aware of God’s presence in nature?

c. Herod wanted to know about the other king because he was jealous. Do I get jealous of others in any way?

d. Herod, of course, had no desire to do Jesus homage. Do I find myself being dishonest at times with the way I act or speak?

e. Are there times when I should be more reverent toward God than I am?

f. What is the most precious gift we can offer to God?

g. Who should I honor the most in my life right now? Why? Perhaps I should do it today.

h. My prayerthoughts….

Today, I will read Ephesians:2-3a,5-6 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

FINDING GOD AMIDST THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

+ If one takes the story of the Magi as given by Matthew at face value,

- the Magi probably received some strange looks as they went into Jerusalem

- they were out of place

- their language, their dress, even their animals had to cause wonder

- also they had to be discouraged

- the light which some of their group had called the star had ceased

- they had consulted the local king—Herod—and he had never heard of another king

- and Herod’s council could only come up with an obscure passage in one of their prophetic writings about a town eight miles south of where they were

- but overcoming their discouragement, they set out for Bethlehem, and you are led to believe, they would keep on looking if Bethlehem was not the place

- but the star returned and they finally had the satisfaction of recognizing who Jesus was

+ You might describe what the Magi went through as sheer determination

- they had their mind set on finding Jesus the king

- and through obstacles, disappointments, discouragement and depression

- they never lost sight of that goal, and in the end, finally achieved it

+ That is an excellent example for us

- it translates into trying to find God at all times in every way no matter what the obstacles, disappointments, discouragements and depression that this earthly life gives

- actually, that is part of the understanding of faith

- it was summarized by a statement that a person imprisoned in a concentration camp near Dachau, Germany made, a message written on one of the walls:

- “I believe in the sun even when it isn’t shining”

- the person who wrote it no doubt had looked all around him/her at the death and destruction and evil and yet was able to write the words

+ The fact is, of course, that many people do not see the sun shining

- there are thousands of people who die violently at the hands of others

- there is pain and suffering that surrounds this mortal body of ours

- many people suffer very personal problems around this time of year especially

- we can be overwhelmed by all of it

- but the person of faith will make that statement of faith: I believe in the sun even when it isn’t shining

- that is, I have faith in God and God will only give me good

+ We can make such a statement because it really is the essence of what we believe

- God is in charge

- and therefore, everything is meant to help us in one way or another

- God has created us, redeemed us, and continues to sanctify us—things always point a way to God

- and no matter what happens, ultimately we have the possibility of eternal life with God

- even death is unable to conquer

- we can believe in the sun because we believe that it really is shining

+ Perhaps we should add a footnote about “doubt” when it comes to faith

- many people confess as a sin that they have a “doubt” concerning what they believe

- and so they say that they are having a “crisis of faith”

- that is, when they are doing their serious thinking, hoping that the sun is really shining, believing that it is

- they also wonder whether it is true or not because they really don’t know—they have no proof, and so they feel that they are doubting God

- the point must be made with faith, with belief, that there will always be doubt

- anyone who believes something must realize the fact that faith implies doubt because we don’t know

- if we did, there would be certitude and no need for faith

+ We celebrate Epiphany today

- a feast which celebrates the fact that Jesus is made known to all

- Jesus has been made known to us: we believe in him

- and if that is true, we have begun eternal life right now, and that can only be good no matter what our human feelings are

- the sun is shining—it really is.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Believer" -- Imagine Dragons

MY LIFE CAME FROM PAIN

The Gospel

LUKE 2:33-35

Jesus's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him, and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

Gospelthink: Simeon reminded my mother that she would suffer some pain because I would suffer pain. Do I accept the pain in my life and work with it?

"I was broken from a young age, taking my sulking to the masses, writing my poems for the few. They looked at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me singing from heartache from the pain, take my message from the veins, speaking my lesson from the brain, seeing the beauty through the pain. You made me a believer; pain, you break me down, you build me up. Let the bullets fly, oh let them rain. My life, my love, my drive, it came from pain.”

One of the more difficult realities that people have to work with in life is the fact of pain. Because we are human beings, we will have pain. Sometimes the pain will be extreme, causing people’s lives to take on a different direction, as with a physical accident, a disease or the like. Sometimes the pain is not a physical one, such as the psychological pain of losing a loved one, or the pain of the deliberate mental harm that one causes another. Pain, whether great or slight, always affects us in some way.

It is likewise a reality that people will react differently to pain. Sometimes the pain will make them bitter people, people who carry a grudge their whole lives, people who will be angry about the way life treats them, and so forth. But for some, pain is a teacher, something that can help us become better people in the long run. Such is the thought of Imagine Dragons in their song "Believer" when they sing that "My life, my love, my drive came from pain." Such was the belief of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who heard the holy person Simeon describe to her what her life would be.

The lesson for people of the twenty-first century from both the group Imagine Dragons and Simeon the prophet as he spoke to Mary is the important lesson that pain can be a teacher. We can learn the effect that pain and suffering have on us and how we react to it, but most of all, it can help us understand the direction our future lives should go. It might involve real change in our behavior, moving us in a different direction that will enable us to live better.

With pain as the teacher it can be, we will be convinced that pain will always be temporary, eventually disappearing. Then we move on in life. Or, indeed move into eternal life if the pain leads to death.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son felt pain in his human life, as did his mother Mary. The pain was not a negative reality for them. It taught them about how they were to live. Help us understand the pain and suffering that we have in the present and future, and help us learn from it as well. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Pain must be seen as a teacher from whom we can learn much.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Gospel analysis: "A sign that will be contradicted." What is the meaning of the phrase?
2. Gospel analysis: "A sword will pierce." The reference, of course, is to the pain that Mary will suffer because of her Son. In today's world, who are some people who suffer "because of Jesus"?
3. Song analysis: "Broken from a young age." What is the meaning of the phrase?
4. What is the stronger pain in your opinion, physical or mental?
5. In what ways is pain a teacher?
6. In general, how do people react to pain?
7. In general, how do people "move on" in life after they have suffered pain?
8. What does the song "Believer" teach young people?