Jennifer Lopez - Is she Keeping it Real?
J.
Lo's got a new song out called "Jenny from the Block." Even
though she is not the best example of our faith in action, her new song
can get you thinking about where you came from.
One of the biggest stars in Hollywood has released another hit song, which is creeping up on the charts as a potential #1 hit. This time, the goal of this semi-autobiographical song is to let us know that she remembers her roots.
Don't be fooled by the rocks I got
I'm still, (I'm still) Jenny from the block
Used to have a little, now I have a lot
No matter where I go, I know where I came from (from the Bronx!)
Is Jenny from the Block "keeping it real?"
I wonder if she is really remembering where she came from. What do you think? Do you think she is keeping it real? After all, she has led a crazy life: multiple marriages, exploitative videos and friendships that brush up against the law. She has more popularity and money than she would ever need or know what to do with. So, is J. Lo really just trying to go back to her roots with this song and figure out what it all means?
We have seen many stars who cannot handle fame and all that comes with it. Think about how many stars begin to self-destruct because of fame and fortune. They either begin to believe the hype or they think the money and fame can substitute for good healthy relationships. Maybe this star has learned what is most important in life.
And can't forget to stay real
To me it's like breathin ... yeahhh ...
All of us have a real self. Maybe someone as popular as J. Lo is different than what is portrayed in the movies or on the stage. J. Lo is telling us that she didn't always have money; she wasn't very popular before becoming the star we know today. Back in the day, she was just "Jenny from the block!" She wants us to think that she is just like you and me - and perhaps she is just one of us.
When it comes to money and fortune, one concern is that we do not forget where we come from. We must never forget that we are created and sustained by Someone infinitely greater than ourselves. We must remember that we need to place people in high regard and not things.
Don't hate on me
What you get is what you see, oh
The key is to love people and use things - not vice versa!
We must remember that we need to love people and use things. Sometimes we can get those ideas confused. The problem begins when people are used and things are loved. The problem with having "stuff" (or having a strong desire for stuff) is that we can become so preoccupied with a "got to have it" attitude, that we don't really care what we do to get it. If we end up selling out our beliefs or principles in order to get more stuff, then we have a problem.
We must always remember that good, healthy relationships with other people are much more important than the things that we want. I have met really happy people who live life with very little. To the naked eye, they are very poor. They have just enough things to get by, yet they live very happy lives.
Think about this: Have you ever met someone who was rich - had money and "stuff" - but was very lonely? I know I have. People whose lives are void of good friendships can be the most angry and bitter people in the world. Relationships make us rich - not stuff.
Even J. Lo says that God comes first!
I love my life and I love my public
Put God first . . .
The song tells us that God must come first if we are to stay, as it puts it, "grounded" in who we are and in what is most important. People need to remember that we are part of God's plan. When we are dreaming of things to come, do we ever really consider what God is dreaming for us?
What do God's dreams look like? If you are generous, kind and loving, then I think God doesn't really care how much money you have. If you are a selfish, arrogant and prideful person, then you need to rethink your life. You need to figure out how you have lost yourself in what you do, and you need to discover how you can share the dreams of God.
Life Applications:
1) Are you keeping it real? Are you grounded in reality?
2) Have you ever used people to get what you want?
3) In what way are you called to be generous with the things you have
been blessed with?
4) What are some ways you need to work on your generosity?
From the Catechism:
The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:
"All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. ... It is a homage resulting from a profound faith ... that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. ... Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called 'newspaper fame' - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration." - John Henry Cardinal Newman (CCC 1723)
By Dcn. Jim Corder
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