TGIMMkeep

	YOU'LL TURN OUT FINE

The Gospel

MATTHEW 3:16-17

After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

The Media -- "Keep Your Head Up" (Andy Grammer)

"I’ve been waiting on the sunset, bills on my mindset: I can’t deny they’re getting high, higher than my income. I’ve been trying to survive the glow that the sun gives right around sunset; it helps me realize this is just a journey. Drop your worries, you are gonna turn out fine. But you gotta keep your head up, and let your hair down. I know it’s hard to remember sometimes, but you gotta keep your head up. I'm seeing all the angles, starts to get tangled, I start to compromise my life and the purpose. Is it all worth it, am I gonna turn out fine? Oh, you'll turn out fine."

In Matthew's Gospel, John the Baptist is fairly certain that Jesus was someone special. But, given the circumstances he was under, and in particular, the enemies he was making with the Pharisees, he needed a positive statement that he was doing what God wanted. Likewise, the people that were being baptized by John and who would shortly follow the direction of Jesus needed the assurance that Jesus was someone who could help them as they began their conversion. Jesus himself as a man must have known that his public life which was beginning would have all kinds of ups and downs, positives and negatives. He therefore needed the positive statement from his Father, that this indeed was the path he should take. Therefore, the voice from heaven spoke the positive statement that this Jesus was God.

A parallel can easily be drawn to suggest that given the ups and downs of life, people must have a positive thought to direct them or else they can become depressed. The person in Andy Grammer's song "Keep Your Head Up" understands the thought perfectly. So many things go on in life, so many angles, and many of them unfortunately could cause despair, bringing on worries and concerns. And so, as the person in the song sings, in order to untangle all the angles of life, one has to keep his/her head up. Or in other words, people must go into life with a positive attitude.

Life, of course, is much more than a four minute inspirational song. Life is a long time, and sometimes the time has negatives, really difficult negatives that can dominate anyone's life. There are crippling diseases, debilitating accidents, fractured family relationships, failed personal relationships--all things that can be considered negatives. But, if we take the example of the person in Andy Grammer's song, we can consider all of life from a positive point of view. Life really is not so bad, no matter how bad it seems. Once we have convinced ourselves of that, we become very positive about everything, and as a result, everything will "turn out fine."

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, you acknowledged to the world that Jesus was your Son at his Baptism. Your statement is all we need as we work with the problems that come our way in life. Your Son will always be with us, and therefore we have every reason to be positive in our approach to life. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: There are negatives in life, but we will turn out fine if we live with a positive outlook.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. One of the facts of the Christian religion is that Jesus is both God and man. Project: make a presentation of this fact of our faith from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 464-469.
2. Andy Grammer sings of the bills that are on his mind. Is it true that our lives are dominated by our desire for money? Yes or no and why?
3. Text analysis: the glow of the sun "helps me realize this is just a journey." What is the meaning of the phrase?
4. What are the principal "worries" our world has? What, if anything, can we do about them?
5. Text analysis: Andy Grammer sings of "starting to compromise one's life and purpose." In your opinion, what is his meaning?
6. The meditation speaks of the ups and downs in life. As we study our lives, what are the "highs" and the "lows"?
7. What does it mean to go into life with a positive attitude?
8. In your opinion, do most people in our world have a positive attitude toward life? Yes or no and why?
9. How does one go about convincing oneself to be positive about the negatives of our world?
10. What does the song "Keep Your Head Up" teach young people?

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