january14

Song: "I Knew You Were Trouble" --Taylor Swift

OH, TROUBLE

The Gospel

MATTHEW 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

Gospelthink: Nazareth was my home, but the people thought they knew me and really did not. I certainly know the Lord, but is it clear by my actions, words and thoughts?

[spoken in the video: “I think the worst part of it all wasn’t losing him. It was losing me....I don’t know if you know who you are until you lose who you are."] "Once upon a time a few mistakes ago, I was in your sights. You got me alone, you found me. I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that. And when I fell hard you took a step back without me. And he's long gone when he's next to me and I realize the blame is on me 'cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me now. Now, I’m lying on the cold hard ground. Oh, trouble.”

At times in life, we are overwhelmed with the trouble of the moment. In the Gospels, Jesus was rejected by the very people who knew him better than anyone else. They were proud of him at one time, but at another, they "took offense." In itself, that is a great lesson to learn. People may turn on you and possibly you can lose perspective of who you are and what you are called to do.

Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble" is a good song to study because it presents the consequences of complete despair. As the lady who has been hurt explains in the video, there are difficulties that are so devastating that it seems as though we lose sight of who we are. The romantic breakup that she is singing of is such an instance. She finds herself lying on the cold hard ground, and "trouble" seems to have taken on a life of its own.

We can learn from Jesus in these very difficult situations. He usually simply left the situation, as if to say that we must allow the circumstances to work themselves out, and allow ourselves to learn for the future. One is led to believe that when Jesus encountered the opposition in his home town, he learned a lesson of using caution as he dealt with those people later on. The lady in Taylor Swift's song no doubt will learn the lesson from the breakup and be very careful about similar situations in her future.

Anyone in severe depression will usually ask for a solution so that their lives can turn around. In the song and video of "I Knew You Were Trouble," the person does not ask for such help, although one senses that she wants it in the worst way. Generalizing from the situation of the song, the lesson for all of us is probably best expressed by saying that we must learn from the difficult situations in our lives. They are painful to suffer through, but there is always something to learn as we suffer. After those times, we will probably not forget the pain involved. Nor should we since the lesson must stay with us.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son endured painful times in his life. Many of those times, he simply accepted what happened and went on with life, no doubt remembering the pain for the future. Give us the grace to learn from the painful times that happen in our lives. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: There will be really difficult times in life and we must learn from them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Why is it always difficult to impress the people of a person's hometown?
2. The Semitic language use of "brother" and sister" can be understood in the sense of "relatives" of a person. In a sense we are all "related" to Jesus by simply being human. What is the greatest lesson that we should learn from him?
3. Analysis: What does Jesus' proverb mean: "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."
4. What is your understanding of faith? See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 153-165.
5. Analysis: How does a person "lose oneself"?
6. Text analysis: “I don’t know if you know who you are until you lose who you are." What is the meaning of the statement?
7. Text analysis: "I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that." What is the meaning of the statement?
8. What are some "times of trouble" in the lives of young people?
9. What can a person do on behalf of another who is suffering from despair such as sung about in the song?
10. What is the best solution for a "breakup"?
11. Both the lady in the song and Jesus in the Gospel story learn to be cautious in future relationships. What does "being cautious" mean in that instance?
12. What does the song "I Knew You Were Trouble" teach young people?

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike