TGIMMMarry

June 21

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, June 21, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

MATTHEW 10:26-33

My Witness

Prayerthoughts

a. Once again Jesus introduces the idea that evil can enter into our lives. What do I consider evil in this world, and does it have any hold on me?

b. The Lord tells us that we need not be afraid of that evil, that we can proclaim the coming of the Kingdom with no fear. In my own way, am I proclaiming the Kingdom by my thoughts, words and actions?

c. What I must fear, Jesus says, are the things that can destroy body and soul. What are the things in this life that can destroy the soul? Am I close to any of them?

d. The Lord tells me that I need to fear nothing because just as sparrows, he will take care of us. Do I believe with all my heart and soul that the Lord has my back?

e. I have acknowledged the Lord by my life, and therefore I have the confidence of having the Lord as my witness.

f. I should take the time to pray for everyone to acknowledge the Lord in some way in their lives.

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Romans 5:12-15 an write an important thought from it.

+++++

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE ENEMY IS US

Here are some interesting facts about the world we live in:

- we live in a world where people die of starvation every day, but we spend billions of dollars on pet food;

- it is estimated that the restaurants of New York throw more food away than what is needed to feed all of the poor of that city each day;

- we live in a society that is quick to distribute condoms, but we cannot put a list of the ten commandments on a public bulletin board;

- we live in a world where administrators of schools have to search for guns and drugs and alcohol before they begin their school day and must hire armed guards to patrol hallways during class breaks;

- we cannot pray in public places, but we sell almost pornographic material to anyone who wants it.

Those contradictions go on and on—you know them as well as I do, and some of them are quite controversial, some of which causes people to continually disagree and have their own opinions. Whether we are talking controversial things or not, the question is: why?—why are these things happening? Perhaps, we may be concerned about the wrong things.

Jesus addresses this problem today:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Gehenna is hell. That is, be aware of God in your life. Jesus says that we must be concerned about the right things while we are here on earth. He talks of his Father being aware of what is happening, and that we do not have to worry about the material things. He says that what we must be concerned about is acknowledging Jesus before others, that is, promoting the Christian way.

One of my favorite quotes and I have the sign in front of me in my room is from the somewhat famous philosopher Pogo. It is what I believe is the foundation in one way or another, of every one of our problems. Pogo says—and most of you have heard it—“We have met the enemy, and he is us!” The way to promote the Christian way is to look carefully at our own way and what we are doing.

Not too long ago, one of the members of organized crime—then in prison—granted an interview to National Public Radio. Toward the end of the interview, the interviewer asked the question: what have you learned from your life so far? His answer was disconcerting for Catholic Church people. He had been a Catholic all of his life, and his answer to the question of what he had learned, referred to the Church. The Church was wrong in its approach to him, he said. The Church should not have stressed law and going to church. They should have forced me to look at myself, and what I was really doing. No one ever did that, he said.

Perhaps that is the question we should think about: what is really happening with your life? What do your actions say about the type of life you are leading?

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Marry Me" -- Train

GETTING THE NERVE

The Gospel

MATTHEW 4:12-17

When Jesus had heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulon and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled. … From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Gospelthink: I began my ministry with the thought of repentance, asking you to change. Have I listened to the Lord and truly repented for my sins?

"Forever can never be long enough for me to feel like I’ve had long enough with you. Forget the world now; we won’t let them see. But there’s one thing left to do: now that the weight has lifted, love has surely shifted my way. Marry me, today and every day. Marry me. If I ever get the nerve to say 'hello' in this café, say you will. Together can never be close enough for me. You wear white and I’ll wear out the words 'I love you.'"

The group Train speaks of marriage and the proposal of marriage in th

eir song "Marry Me." It is an interesting story because the perfect marriage that he sings of is only in his mind: he must first get up enough nerve to talk to her.

When we study the life of the human Jesus, knowing that his incredible task was the redemption of humankind, we have to be interested in how he began the process. What were his feelings? How did he even go about starting it? What would it lead to, and what would it involve? Matthew's Gospel tells us that he went right to the task. It was as if he said, "Now is the time to begin; John prepared for it; it's the perfect time. I will begin it by telling the people to repent." The message was difficult enough; but it may even have been more difficult to begin to do it.

The excellent music video that accompanies Train's song "Marry Me," begins with married couples who talk about their involvement with each other at the beginning of their marriages. In every instance, they talk of the courage to begin the process of discovery of the other person. Train's song contains a double lesson: the one is the essence of marriage that will last "forever," the first word of the song. The second is the nerve it takes to begin the commitment.

Both are important for us. Because most of us get married, we must know what we are getting into, and completely understand that the word we use will be the word "forever." Too often we have not understood what it means.

The thought of "gaining the nerve" to begin the process is also something to consider. It certainly applies to the commitment of marriage, as the song and video show. But it also pertains to life in our world: if we want to accomplish any goal, we must have the courage to begin.

One of the problems of putting ideas into action is procrastination--what our dictionary defines as consistently putting something off. It is a fault that can destroy ideas and even ruin lives. If there is something that we can do for others or for ourselves, something that will help us be better people, we must first begin to carry it out. Once we have begun, then we can refine it, develop it, and put it into practice. But to bring it about, we must begin to bring it about.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we are eternally grateful to you for bringing about our redemption. As we study how Jesus achieved it, we learn the human lesson of how to accomplish our goals in life. Give us the continual grace to learn from him. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: If we want to accomplish anything in life, we must have the courage to begin.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. The message of the meditation centers in on beginning something. In your opinion, what were the thoughts of the human Jesus as he began his public ministry?
2. Jesus begins his ministry in a place different from John the Baptist because of Herod's arrest of John. From the very beginning, Jesus had to be concerned about persecution. Why would Jesus's message be such a problem for secular rulers?
3. Considering Jesus's message, what is your definition of "repentance"?
4. The meditation mentions that the first word of the song is "forever." The word should be said only with a permanent commitment. Give some examples of things that must be done "forever."
5. The song speaks of the permanent commitment of marriage. In your opinion, what is absolutely necessary for a couple before marriage can take place?
6. Text analysis: why is it so difficult to "get the nerve to" talk to a person of the opposite sex?
7. Analysis: why can a married couple never "wear out the words, 'I love you'''?
8. What is your understanding of Jesus's redemption of humankind? (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 599-618.)
9. Obtain a copy of the video of Train's song "Marry Me" and study the beginning dialogue of the couples. What is a common element in each of the stories?
10. In your opinion, do most couples who get married really understand the meaning of "forever"? Yes or no and why?
11. Given all the external preparations that are given to marriage especially in the Western world, do you think that the couple is really thinking about the real meaning of marriage as they prepare? Yes or no and why?
12. What does the song "Marry Me" teach young people?