April 5

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, April 5, Easter

JOHN 20:1-9

The Empty Tomb

Prayerthoughts

a. Mary of Magdala was anxious about Jesus and her desire to be with him. Am I anxious in my desire to have the Lord really be part of my life?

b. Mary senses that something is wrong, and immediately goes to someone she trusts for help. Am I willing to share with trusted others in difficult matters in order to have their help?

c. Peter and the beloved Apostle “ran” to the tomb. Do I place a priority on matters of religion in my life the way I should?

d. The other disciple awaits the arrival of Peter before going into the tomb. He obviously senses that the more important should be the first witness. Sometimes I think that I am more important than I should be. Is my pride a problem in my life?

e. The way the burial cloths are placed illustrates a very deliberate and definitive conquest of death. As I think of my own death, am I clearly accepting that the Lord will be active in my life at that time?

f. It is interesting that even as this time, the disciples did not fully understand the resurrection of Jesus, and they did nothing but “returned home” (John 20:10). Is it clear by the way that I live that Jesus is part of my thinking?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Acts of the Apostles 10:34a,37-43 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

NEGATIVE REALITIES AND HOPE

+ One of the problems that I have as I prepare for a highly positive feast like Easter or Christmas is “knowing too many negatives”

- I know that the people to whom I am preaching as well as in my own life, there are so many negatives that literally overpower the positive thought of the feast that we can lose sight of the tremendous gift that God gives us

- the fact of Jesus’s coming into the world, the fact of Jesus’s redeeming us is the ultimate positive in our lives

- and we have said that we believe it with all our hearts—that is our faith

+ But Jesus’s Resurrection does not change negative realities

- we still have suicides

- we still have tragedies in our own United States, often involving young people

- we still have terrorism, dangerous world situations and war

- we still have deaths and personal heartbreaks that can make many people bitter

- we still have the uncontrollable teenager, a spouse that doesn’t care, parents who are old and difficult to take care of

- we still have families in trouble, people not getting along and kids getting hurt

- we still have people in pain who are hurting physically and psychologically

- negative situations that might be part of our lives right now

+ I call them “messes”

- every family has a mess

- no matter what family we are talking about, there is something that has disrupted the normal process of living

- they are situations that people usually have absolutely no control over

- they make people cry out, “I don’t deserve this”; “why can’t my life be normal like everyone else’s”; “why do these things happen to me?”

- they are real, and not funny in the least

- they are messes, and messes “mess up” everything that is in the immediate area

- no amount of soft talk or Christian celebration will ever be able to take them away

+ To understand these negative realities, I think that it is good to look at our Christian lives as sort of a spiritual battle

- a battle between dwelling in the positive with the hope of eternal life as given to us in the Resurrection that we celebrate today

- or dwelling in the negative, allowing the negative realities to dominate our lives and thinking

+ The way to win the spiritual battle lies not in changing the negative facts because usually we cannot change the facts

- but it lies in changing the person who encounters the facts—namely, us

- one of the great spiritual truths of all times is very simply: we can change

- the message of every Gospel account of the Resurrection: people changed as they understood what Jesus’s Resurrection meant

+ If we manage to allow Jesus’s Resurrection to dominate our thinking, it gives rise to strong positive thinking

- positive thinking that looks at personal tragedies and says

- yes, I can deal with these—they are opportunities to grow, to work with life and make it more positive

- and we will change ourselves

- and the positive will win the battle.…

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Bridge of Spies" -- beginning session

DOING ONE'S DUTY

The Gospel

LUKE 17:7-10

[Jesus said:] "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Gospelthink: Jesus uses the example of a person who does what he should do. Am I a person who does what I should be doing from day to day?

The true story of Attorney James Donovan and his struggle to obtain the release of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is the topic of the movie "Bridge of Spies." It begins with James Donovan's assignment to defend Russian spy Rudolf Abel. The United States government is most interested in making Abel's trial be one that is "just and fair." No one took it seriously--Donovan's family, his law firm, the prosecuting attorney and the judge--because everyone knew he was guilty. Everyone wanted a "show" without serious content. Everyone except James Donovan. Donovan felt that if he was assigned to defend someone in a court of law, then it must be done, correctly and "by the book." Donovan did not win the case, of course, but when Abel was pronounced guilty, Donovan was able to avoid the death penalty for Abel.

When Jesus was speaking about how a disciple ought to conduct him or herself in life, he spoke of merely doing a duty. If we are called to be true followers of Jesus, following him will be expected. It will not be an act or merely something that one talks about; it will be real. For example, if people say that they are servants, they will be the very best servants they can be. A servant will do what a servant does, and no gratitude or praise is in order.

Attorney Jim Donovan was no doubt a Christian man, and he therefore knew what Jesus said about a servant being called to be exactly that--a servant. He was aware of his duty. He was asked to defend a man that everyone knew was a spy. It was an unenviable task, but since he said "yes" to the request, it was one that he would keep until the end. His duty, Donovan felt, was to defend a man, and therefore, no matter what it took, no matter what others thought, he would do his duty, even pursuing it to the highest court of our country.

We all have "duties" that we are assigned. Sometimes those duties are imposed on us for whatever reason; sometimes we choose to do them at the request of someone else. However they happen, they are duties. Jesus’s words about discipleship can easily be applied to the situation even if one is not speaking directly of discipleship. If we say that we will do something, then we must do our very best to do it. Our word must be our guide, and we do not expect any special accolade or award simply because we are doing what we said we would do.

If we have said that we will do something, people should be able to consider it as done.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son gave us guidelines for living even as He taught us how to live as His disciples. Give us the grace to always learn from him in everything that He did and said. Be with us, we pray.

+++++……….

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Any assignment in the line of duty should be taken seriously.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 65 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds his Apostles that they have no "claim" on God's graciousness. A true disciple of Jesus will be a servant all the time. In what ways should a Christian be a "servant" in today's world?
3. In what ways should the leaders of a Church be "servant leaders"?
4. In what ways should the leaders of a country be "servant leaders"?
5. What is the primary "duty" of a true follower of Jesus in today's world?
6. Analysis: In general, do most people of this world keep their commitments?
7. Analysis: In today's world, in what area should people be more committed than they are?
8. Analysis: Should Donovan have been more concerned about his family? Yes or no and why?
9. Analysis: What is your feeling about "spying" on another country?
10. Scene analysis: The CIA expects Donovan to tell them what Abel is saying. Do you believe that our country would force a lawyer to reveal what a client would say "to help our country"? Yes or no and why?
11. Scene analysis: Jim's son reacts to a possible nuclear explosion. In general, what is your feeling about our country's reaction to possible nuclear war in the 1950's and 1960's?
12. Scene analysis: What would you have done for Donovan's family after someone fired gunshots at Donovan's house?
13. Scene analysis: In your opinion, did Donovan do "too much" for Abel? Yes or no and why?