june 10

June 10

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Tuesday, June 10

MATTHEW 5:13-16

Salt and Light

Prayerthoughts

a. Jesus tells me that I am salt, the means to make others feel good about themselves and giving the ingredient of sincere faith to them. When I study how I interact with others, in general, am I person that wants to help them in some way?

b. He also calls me the light of the world. I am not the light that Jesus was, of course, but what is the principal message that I am giving others by the life that I am leading?

c. I give light to everyone I meet, whether I am thinking of it or not. Do I include in my prayers the people that I only incidentally meet?

d. Jesus calls attention to my deeds, and making sure they are “good.” As I study my actions yesterday, would they be called “good” or “not so good.” (This is the task of the meditation.)

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will outline my actions yesterday and carry out letter d.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

BEING SALT AND LIGHT TO THE WORLD

+ I believe that there are a couple Gospel passages that should be read a couple of times during the year

- the weekday readings give us one of them during the next couple of weeks: Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount

- the collection of Jesus’ teachings as Matthew understood them

- for Matthew, Jesus is the new Moses, and so he has Jesus speak his new law “from the mountain”

+ This Gospel is called the second introduction to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel

- the first introduction was a listing of the “Beatitudes,” a general portrait of life for the believer in Jesus Christ

- here as Matthew has Jesus present his moral doctrine,

- he calls the believer in Jesus a person who is like salt for the earth

- salt is both a spice and a preservative

- that is, the believer is a person who adds the spice of goodness to everything that person does

- and then, he calls the believer in Jesus a person who is like a light for others to see in order to learn to be good

+ A couple of things can be said for our meditation here as we look at our readings:

- 1 – it is the believer who is salt and light

- not just those who might be called “religious” like a priest or religious sister

- no, Matthew and Jesus are talking about everyone here

- as Christians, we are called to be “salt” and “light”

- 2 – and taking a thought from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we are saying “yes” to God, just as Jesus said “yes”

- our Amen says “Yes, I believe” to what Jesus said and taught

- we are saying “Yes” to be salt and light for this earth

+ You and I are called to be salt and light for this earth

- an important question for us must be: will we be able to accomplish that in light of what we are doing with our lives now?

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Stargazing" – Myles Smith

COME ALIVE

The Gospel

vvvvJOHN 1:35-42

Mark 10:5-9

But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation,’ God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

Gospelthink: Marriage is such an important choice because it is a decision that God will always bless.

“Time stood still, just like a photograph; you made me feel like this would last forever. Lookin' in your eyes, I see my whole life. They say you know it when you know it and I know. Promise that you'll hold me close, don't let me go. Take my heart, don't break it; love me to my bones. All this time I've wasted; you were right there all along, you and I stargazin', intertwinin' souls. We were never strangers; I lose my mind when I'm around you; how I come alive. When I'm without you I can't help but feel so lost. I wanna give you all I've got.”

How do we come alive? That is a deep question that can be asked of just about any situation that involves having a good time, certainly the situation of romantic love. Jesus spoke of romantic love leading to marriage, speaking of the two becoming one flesh, being joined together by God. In that case in Jesus’s eyes the two can “come alive” for life.

As we move into modern times, many people say that the only way to come alive is have all the latest gadgetry and technological marvels that make our lives so interesting. Those people become so wrapped up in these material things that they forget about the really important things in life, things like the type of character we are or the type of person we should be.

As Jesus in the first century, many people define that coming alive in light of another whom they love in a romantic way. Such is the song “Stargazing” by Myles Smith. “Time stood still,” he sings, “just like a photograph; you made me feel like this would last forever. Lookin’ in your eyes, I see my whole life. They say you know it when you know it—and I know. You and I stargazin’, intertwinin’ souls—we were never strangers; I lose my mind when I’m around you: how I come alive!”

He says that when you know that you are in love, then you really know and that knowledge will make him come alive. The secret, of course, is “really knowing” that the love is present. It is a secret that can only come out after the two have spent sufficient time and energy on developing the love.

A significant portion of our world live are “married” in one form or another and are looking for the feeling of coming alive to life. The good news is that it can happen and does happen often; the bad news is that not enough couples spend the time and energy necessary to truly know that the love is there.

Perhaps they should spend as much time on their relationships as they spend on the material things that make them come alive.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, in my romantic relationships, I want to “come alive.” Give me the grace to truly know my partner so that the love can be real. Be with me, I pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: When people are in love, they both “come alive” to life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does the song "Stargazing" teach young people?

2. In your opinion, do most people think of marriage the way Jesus thought of it? Yes or no and why?

3. In your opinion, how do most people “come alive” in their lives?

4. Is it true that most people get too wrapped up in material things? Yes or no and why?

5. The song makes the point of saying that when one knows that he/she is in love, then they will know it. What is the meaning and is it true? Yes or no and why?

6. The meditation defines what “really knowing that one is in love” means. Do young people about to be married communicate with each other the way they should? Yes or no and why?