TGIMMtheway

January 6
[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, January 6, Christmas Weekday MATTHEW 4:12-17,23-25 Helping People Prayerthoughts a. Jesus took up the “job” of John the Baptist. Studying my work right now, what are some areas that I can do better than I am? b. What do I consider my hometown? Thinking of my life, what are some good things that I should remember from my hometown? c. Jesus is the light that was predicted by Isaiah. How have I made Jesus the light in my life? d. From the very beginning of the Gospel, Jesus preached repentance. In my own life, what am I most sorry for in the past? What should I work on most of all right now and into the future? e. He went around helping people. Do I help the people in my life as much as I should? f. Jesus had many followers. I am one of them, of course, and has my attitude shown that in the way I live? g. My prayerthoughts…. Today, I will send someone that I haven’t seen for a while a card or email.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy JESUS SAYS, “REPENT” + The author of the first letter of John, whom scholars call the Johannine community, felt that belief in Jesus was the central point of their lives as early Christians + Of course, it is the central point for us later Christians as well - even though there are several things that we stress with our devotions and spiritual activities - Jesus and what he did is central to the way we conduct our lives - and therefore for us Catholic Christians, the imitation of Jesus has always been recognized to be the essential element for our prayer and life + Therefore, it is always important for us to study how Jesus acted and behaved - here in Matthew’s Gospel, at the beginning of his public ministry, he had one theme to his preaching, as Matthew reported— Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. - even when he cured those who were hurting, you are led to believe that he was telling them to repent, reform their lives and get ready for the kingdom of heaven + Specifically, what does Jesus’ theme of repenting mean for us and our spiritual lives? - we have made baptismal promises whereby we have essentially said that we will repent and reform our lives, and that we want to be living out the kingdom of heaven here on earth - it means that I should take the opportunity to look closer at what I have promised and discover whether there are some areas that I could do better than I am doing + This takes introspection, of course, during moments of silence - always questioning what we want and what we do - this is difficult to do in our fast-paced world, but essential if we want to improve our spiritual lives + We must learn to look at ourselves as we listen to Jesus’ statement to repent, and ask the question: - are there some areas where I need to repent?

MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: "The Way" -- Ariana Grande featuring Mac Miller THE JOY OF FEELING GOOD

The Gospel

LUKE 10:17-20

LUKE 10:17-20

The seventy [-two] returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Gospelthink: My disciples were joyful when they come back from their preaching. Do I in general show a joyful attitude?

“I love the way you make me feel,” the woman of the relationship sings, and the man sings, “I’m thinking ‘bout her every second, every hour.” She continues, “You give me that kind of something, want it all the time, need it every day. On a scale of one to ten, I’m at a hundred. If you want it, I got it, I’ll never leave you. I got a bad boy I must admit it, you got my heart. I love the way you make me feel.”

Ariana Grande and Mac Miller’s song "The Way" is a song about a love relationship with strong feelings and a relationship that both feel will last. It is one of those truly joyful moments in a relationship, portrayed very well in the official video of the song. Obviously, the feeling of joy is one that we want often in our lives.

Studying the Gospels, we discover the description of joyful feelings quite often. At one time after Jesus had sent his Apostles out on a mission, they came back "rejoicing" because they felt success in their endeavor. Success in an undertaking is always a time to celebrate. It is important to notice how Jesus reacts with the Apostles in their moment of joy. He first celebrates the same joy, but he then takes the occasion to teach. Even as he celebrates their success, Jesus points out to them what should be the ultimate joy, namely that they will have eternal life.

We should take note of the lesson here. There are occasions to rejoice, but we do not want to lose sight of what is true joy. It brings up the whole discussion of emotions in general. Emotions or feelings will always be part of our lives. We obviously want joyful emotions as in the song and as the Apostles felt in the Gospel story. But there are strong negative emotions in our personal world as well. Feelings of disappointment, rejection, hurt and sorrow can easily dictate negative behavior.

The lesson for joyful feelings as well as negative ones is the same. We must always put them in perspective of what our true feeling should be at every moment of our lives, namely, whether we are on track with God or not.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we are people who have strong feelings about our lives. Sometimes those feelings are quite positive, sometimes just the opposite. Give us the grace to control the feelings that we experience. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We have to "work with" our strong feelings.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In the Gospel. Jesus sent the seventy-two disciples to the towns that he intended to visit in order to prepare for him when he came. In many ways Christians are the "seventy-two" of today. What is the best way to prepare for Jesus' coming in our lives?
2. Analysis: "Satan fall like lightning." The good news of Christianity is that Satan is conquered. In our world today, where do you think that Satan or evil has the most influence?
3. Analysis: "Your names are written in heaven." It is another way of saying that they will have eternal life. Is the thought of "going to heaven" or "eternal life" truly important for the Christian today? Yes or no and why?
4 The song says that we need the good feeling of joyful love every day. We actually do not "need" the feeling, but it makes life better with it. What are the things in life which make us feel most alive?
5. Analysis: "on a scale of 1-10." It is a good scale to talk about the things that should be important for the Christian. The presenter may want to take a number of Christian topics, and ask the question of "On a scale of 1-10," how important is ....."
6. Text analysis: "I will never leave you." These are strong words of commitment. In general, do you think that people who are beginning love promise too much too soon? Yes or no and why?
7. Text analysis: "I got a bad boy." What is the meaning of the phrase?
8. What have been the moments of the greatest joy in your life so far?
9. As you think about "success in an undertaking," what is most necessary in order to bring about success?
10. What are the strongest negative feelings that people experience in the world today?
11. In today's world, what keeps us on track with God most of all? Why?
12. What does the song "The Way" teach young people today?