July 30

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, July 30

MATTHEW 13:44-46

The Kingdom that I want is so important that you must give up everything to purchase it.

Prayerthoughts
a. The Kingdom of heaven is God’s Kingdom on earth. What can I do better to show that I am a member of that Kingdom? (This is the task of the meditation.)

b. What are the treasures in my life right now?

c. In this story, the person searching comes upon the treasure unexpectedly. In my life so far, what “treasure” has come into my life unexpectedly?

d. “Sells all that he has” is central to Jesus’ stories here. Obviously, it cannot be taken literally because I need things to live. But what things in my life should I give up to show my dedication to the Lord better?

e. The finding of the pearls is done after a diligent search. Do I show in my life that I am truly searching for the Lord’s presence?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will carry out letter a.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

SELLING ALL FOR THE KINGDOM

+ The book of Exodus makes a pretty strong statement about God’s presence in our lives and what it does to us

- Moses spends time with God, and it changes him both physically and mentally

- the obvious conclusion is that if one spends time with God, it should do something to us

+ We spend time with God often enough

- maybe not as often as we should, but we are here today, and we place ourselves in God’s presence at times during our day

- it is part of the privilege of being a Christian believer

- we believe that we can speak to God, and we believe that God speaks to us in various ways

- one of those ways is through the Scriptures, and especially the Gospels that we hear, some of us, every day

+ Jesus tells us in the Gospel today in two simple stories that in order to attain true Christianity, that is, the kingdom that he was preaching

- we may have to give up some things:

[The person who wants the field and the pearl] sells all that he has.

- that is, in order to attain the feeling and reality of true Christianity, the person must first make some sacrifices

+ It is the whole point of the stories—if you want the kingdom, if you want Christianity, you have to look at what you are doing and give up some of it

- what is most difficult to give up is our own way of thinking through things, our reasoning, the way we judge others and how they act, the way we feel about things from our particular points of view

- that is extremely difficult to do when we are programmed to think differently

- the fact is: we often don’t know another point of view the way we think we do

- often we are quite prejudiced in our thinking

- and it bears some serious thinking on our parts

+ As Jesus talks of his kingdom today and listens to the stories he tells

- we are given the opportunity to look at what holds us back from totally accepting the plan of action he gives

- what are the things that we are holding on to that block the presence of God in our lives

- Moses felt the presence of God in a unique way, and he changed

- so can we feel the presence of God, and it should move us to look carefully at what we are doing.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Cheap Thrills" -- Sia

I GOT ALL I NEED

The Gospel

LUKE 12:31-34

LUKE 12:31-34

Jesus said: “Seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides. Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

Gospelthink: I tell you to seek the Kingdom that our God gives us. Am I following the laws of the Kingdom in my life?

"Come on, turn the radio on. It’s Friday night and I won’t be long. Gotta do my hair, I put my make-up on. I won’t be long till I hit the dance floor. I got all I need. No, I ain’t got no cash. I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight. I love cheap thrills. I don’t need no money as long as I keep dancing.”

Using Jesus' words, "Sell your belongings and give alms," together with Sia's words, "I got all I need," one produces a pattern for a true Christian. Jesus is exhorting his followers to stay away from too many material things and give them to those in need; Sia is giving the reason to give them up, namely, because we have all we need to have a happy life.

Granted, they are speaking of different things altogether, but the overall message is a good one. Even something as enjoyable as dancing which can be done without too much money, is part of a simple formula for happiness. Material wealth does not play a major role in dancing. As we think of what is truly important in life, material goods and money should play a minor part; our real treasure must lie in the realm of treasure in heaven, that is, a good life. At the same time, celebrating a good life must include a time to relax, and often dancing can supply such a moment.

Dancing, the subject of Sia's song "Cheap Thrills," usually has nothing to do with money, but it is a means of enjoying life. Spiritual happiness interestingly enough has nothing to do with money either. In fact, Jesus knew that too much money could easily block the path to the real treasure that we should be working toward, namely eternal life. Consequently, he tells his followers not to worry about material goods as they seek their treasure--"Sell your belongings." He also gave what might be called the essence of the spiritual life--namely to "give" to others.

If one adopts the attitude of "having all we need" and therefore giving away the things that are "more than we need," we are well on our way to the true treasure in life.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son knew that too many belongings were not good for us, and so he told us to give them away and help those in need. Help us spend our time here on earth always seeking the real treasure of eternal life. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We do not need money to enjoy life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to "seek the kingdom." What is the meaning of his directive?
2. Why is "money" such an important part of life?
3. In your opinion, do people in general seek too much money? Yes or no and why?
4. Why is "dancing" an important part of having fun?
5. Jesus obviously does not mean that we should give away all of our belongings. To live a happy life, what are the things that we really need?
6. In your opinion, what are the principal parts of the treasure that Jesus is referring to?
7. In general, why does "too much money" block the pathway to eternal life?
8. Why is "giving to others" so important as one seeks the spiritual life?
9. What does the song “Cheap Thrills” teach young people?