TGIMMnever

	GIVING UP TO BUY A PEARL

The Gospel

MATTHEW 13:45-46

Jesus said: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

The Media -- "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" (Maroon 5)

"Wake you up in the middle of the night to say I will never walk away again. I’m never gonna leave this bed. So come here, and never leave this place. Fall down, I need you to trust me. You say 'Go, it isn’t working,' and I say, 'No, it ain't perfect,' so I stay instead. Take all I have; I'd give it all away just to get you back."

One of the principal elements in Jesus' understanding of the Kingdom was how important it was. It was not just a dream that he had to capture the minds of his listeners. His idea was to establish God's reign over all the earth, and to do it by directing people to accept virtues and follow rules that would govern people forever. Therefore it was a priority for Jesus, and being a priority, he told his followers to give up everything in order to make it work. He uses many stories to speak of such importance. One of them was the idea of selling everything in order to finally buy a pearl "of great price."

Giving up everything in order to make a love relationship work is the theme of Maroon 5's song "Never Gonna Leave This Bed." In the song, there are two things that the lover will do for the other, and both are important in any love relationship. The first is to accept the responsibility for something that he did in the past. "I will never walk away again," he sings. And the second is to actually give up what is necessary in order to accomplish the task. "Take all I have," he sings.

Both elements must also be present in any relationship that we establish--whether it be with parents, family members, friends, or even relationships that are not close. If any relationship is to work, all parties involved must in a sense give up everything to make it work. All personal agenda, all past grudges, every unpleasant memory of past involvements must be sacrificed. Otherwise, the end result will always be compromised.

Jesus felt that his Kingdom was extremely important, and wanted people to understand that they had to sacrifice to gain it. His example is exactly how we should act if something is really important to us.

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, your Son preached your Kingdom throughout his time with us. It was extremely important to him, as it should be for us. Help us learn the lesson of giving up everything in order to accomplish the Kingdom, and help us learn the lesson for other important undertakings that we may have. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: In a relationship, one must be willing to sacrifice to make it work.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Project: explain the "Kingdom of heaven." See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2816-2821.
2. A person who does what the story of Jesus expresses is showing great commitment to the Christian life. What is the most important part of the Christian life that every Christian should be committed to bring about? Why?
3.The title to the song implies a sexual connotation. Artists often refer to sexual content in their popular songs. In your opinion, does this affect the listeners in a negative way? Yes or no and why?
4. Text analysis: "I need you to trust me." What are the most important characteristics of trust?
5. The person in the song realizes that the love is not perfect. Is there any time when romantic love can be considered "perfect." Yes or no and why?
6. Text analysis: "Take all I have." When in a relationship should a person give all he/she has? Why?
7. What are the most important rules for behavior that Jesus gave to us?
8. Why is it so necessary to give up everything in order to make a love relationship really work?
9. What are the most important things in life on behalf of which we should sacrifice?
10. What does the song "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" teach young people?

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