January 5

    [media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, January 5, The 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 give a small gift to someone whom I should honor more. 

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy 

HEROD OR THE MAGI 

+ As one studies the stories that are told in the infancy sections of Luke and Matthew in the Gospels which are read at this time of year, and especially from the Gospel of Matthew today

          - the person Herod is a good person for us to study, I believe

                    - he literally could have changed the world for the better if he would have been open to the direction of good instead of evil

                              - but he consistently chose what was evil because of his selfishness

          - in the Gospel here, he does something that we ought to carefully consider:

                    - he “uses” the worship of God to get what he wants

                              - saying to the Magi: when you find this king, tell me so that I may do him homage as well

                                        - and of course he had no such intention

                    - it is the blatant “use” of something sacred for his own desires that were evil 

+ In sharp contrast to Herod are the Magi

          - who showed a sincere desire to worship God by going out of their way, and offering their gifts

                    - giving of themselves, the opposite of selfishness 

+ One can be led to a comparison between Herod and the Magi and do it by looking at two ends of a continuum or long line to consider the thought of how we worship

          - at one end, Herod, using worship or religion for what he wanted

          - at the other, the Magi, making worship or religion a real part of who they were

                    - where would we be on that continuum, that line as we study our own worship of God right now? 

+ We know where we would want to be, but the truth is that we are probably somewhere in the middle on the continuum

          - that is, as we gather to worship God today, we are like the Magi—we come with the idea of real worship—we really do—we are sincere, even wanting to make the effort—we are giving of ourselves, we are here!

          - but at the same time, we are probably a little like Herod

                    - in the sense, that our worship of God is not as pure as it should be

                              - even though we want to worship our God, we maintain some selfish thinking and activity

                                        - we tend to want to get it over with as fast as possible

                                        - we pray only for ourselves or

                                        - we refuse to forgive such and such a person or

                                        - we are not concerned about other people the way we should be or

                                        - we are doing nothing to make our lives a little more Christian

                                                  - that is, we are not following through with the practical conclusions to worship even though we are worshipping the Lord

                                        - many of us worship God in this building, but our actions outside of here are sometimes far from the God we worship 

+ This may very well be called the fundamental problem of Christianity, maybe any religion really, but especially for us gathered here

          - I quote a lot G. K. Chesterton’s statement concerning Christianity and it’s good to listen to it carefully every now and again:

                    - “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting,” he wrote, “it has been found difficult, and left untried.”

          - it is not easy to live the life-style of Jesus Christ

                    - the world of selfishness and pleasure and power and money is too often lined up against it 

+ We read the very simple story of the Magi today

          - they gave of themselves by going out of their way to worship this king

                    - they gave of their gifts to God

                              - giving to God completely, with pure intentions

                                        - it should be the reason why we are here today.









MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Uptown Funk" -- Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

DON'T BELIEVE ME, JUST WATCH



 

The Gospel

MATTHEW 11:2-6

MATTHEW 11:2-6

When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to [Jesus] with the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf here, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” 

Gospelthink: My followers told John that all they had to do was see to understand that I am the Messiah. Do my words and deeds show that I am a Christian?

"Come on, dance, jump on it; if you’re sexy, flaunt it; if you’re freaky then own it. Don’t brag about it, come show me. Don’t believe me, just watch."          

It is true that Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' song "Uptown Funk" is a dance song. A dance song that repeats words over and over often does not have much meaning when it comes to living well. Of course, that is not to say that dancing itself is not a good thing. It is. Often it is the perfect way to relax and just as often, to show a deeper love between two people.

It is also true, however, that a dance song does not usually have many deep thoughts that can direct life. But every once in a while, some of the words--few as they are--of such a song say something from which Christians can learn. Such is Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' song "Uptown Funk." In words spoken to someone who is only observing the dancing, they sing in effect: don't just believe or brag about something, do it! The man basically tells others that they do not have to believe that he can dance, but that they should watch him actually do it. Incidentally, the music video is an excellent dance video.

The idea can be expressed in Scriptural terms by saying that sometimes we have to do more than believe. Sometimes we must look at the facts which will speak for themselves. So, Jesus tells John the Baptist's messengers in Matthew's Gospel to look and listen to what he is doing. The facts are not merely a "belief" that show he is the "one who is to come." His words and actions give him away. Jesus certainly wanted people to have faith, but he also knew that at at times one needed more than faith.

Christians are people rooted in a belief system, a vision that covers everything they say, do and even think. But part of that belief must include action. For example, If all we do is believe that we should "love our neighbor," it will accomplish very little. But if we not only believe it, but show it at the same time in our words and actions and thoughts, then and only then have we honestly captured the message of Jesus. In effect, Jesus is saying to his followers: "Don't just believe me, do it!" Only then will we discover the life Jesus wants.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son wanted us to believe in him, and certainly that is part of our spirituality, but he wanted us to follow him in our lives as well. We must learn from our belief in him, carrying out that belief in actions. Be with us, we pray.

 

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Sometimes we must show our belief and not merely talk about it.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. John the Baptist may have expected Jesus to be a Messiah who would establish an army who was going to punish people who did not believe. Why do you think that Jesus did not use force to bring about his Kingdom?
2. Text analysis: "Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." What is the meaning of the sentence? 
3. Text analysis: "If you're freaky, then own it." What is the meaning of the sentence?
4. Why is "bragging" not a good idea when among friends?
5. Often when a person asks another to "believe" something about themselves, they may not be entirely honest. Do you agree with the statement? Yes or no and why?
6. What is the meaning of the title of the song, "Uptown Funk"?
7. Do most people think that "dancing" is a good thing? Yes or no and why?
8. Do most adults think that the "dancing" that young people do is a good thing? Yes or no and why?
9. What is your opinion about "dancing lessons" for couples?
10. The meditation gives one example showing that action is important. Give another example showing that faith and action are important.
11. If you had to choose the most important action of a Christian, what would it be?
12. What does the song "Uptown Funk" teach young people?    

 

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America