April 9

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, April 9, Easter Thursday

LUKE 24:35-48

I am here for you.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus’s greeting of peace is an honest wish that his disciples have peace. In general, do I bring “peace” to the situations in my life?

b. Jesus’s questions are referring to the feelings of the disciples, but they are good questions for us as well. What is it that troubles me the most? Why?

c. Jesus proves that he is indeed alive and present by telling his disciples to touch him and asking for something to eat. How is it evident that Jesus is part of my life?

d. Jesus opened their minds to make them understand the Scriptures about him. Have I made the Scriptures, especially the Gospels, as much a part of my spiritual life as they should be? What should I do about it?

e. Jesus calls the disciples witnesses of his Resurrection. Studying my week so far, have I witnessed that Jesus has redeemed me?

f. My prayerthoughts….

Today, I will read the Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26, and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

REPENTANCE FOR SINS

+ In the Gospel Jesus closes off his teaching to the disciples who were on the way to the town of Emmaus and then came back / by calling them witnesses

- specifically witnesses for repentance

- what it means is that disciples of Jesus should be people who remind themselves and others of how important repentance is

+ There was an annual meeting of athletic directors and coaches in Estes Park, CO in the early 70’s

- the speaker for the event was billed “to be announced”

- and when it came time for him to speak, a short film was shown

- it was a film of Washington University athlete Brian Sternberg executing a pole vault in 1963 that turned out to be the world record at that time together with a commentary by one of the network sports people

- as a result of that, he was recognized at that moment to be the world’s greatest pole vaulter

- that’s all that was shown; took less than a minute

- then a spotlight came on center stage

- and a man carried an obviously handicapped human being and placed him on a chair in the spotlight

- and he began to speak in a raspy voice:

- I’m Brian Sternberg, he said, and he told his story

- he called himself a selfish person

- didn’t have much use for others, didn’t need to

- natural athlete, worked out alone away from the rest of the people in the gym

- one day was doing a double somersault twist on the trampoline and came down off center, his head hitting the center of the trampoline in an awkward position

- paralyzed him immediately, making him crippled for the rest of his life

- and while on his back in the hospital gradually he came to understand some things

- and one of them was the importance of God in his life

- as he talked about himself, he told the athletic directors and coaches that he prayed to God that what had happened to him would never happen to them

- he didn’t want anyone to feel the pain that he lived with daily,

- but, he said,

- “If that was the only way I could have what I have right now in my heart, I would take that jump all over again.”

- Brian Sternberg went on to explain how he had neglected the important things in life

- and after his accident had only understood the importance of the Lord

- he continued to speak around the United States with that one theme of finally recognizing the importance of God in his life

- in terms of this Gospel, he had become a witness to repentance for sins

- Brian Sternberg died on May 23, 2013

+ In his spiritual book The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck reminds us that we have all chosen some invisible map which guides the way we live, act and think

- and the most important thing about that map of reality—as he calls it—is that it has to be revised from time to time

- a major part of that revision is to see that our maps up to this time may have allowed sinfulness to creep into our lives

- sinfulness that we may not even be aware of—in the way that we talk or act or even more to the point, the way that we think

- Jesus calls us today to be a witness for repentance of sins

- to recognize our possible sinfulness and do something about it

+ Brian Sternberg became great not on the day he broke the world pole vault record

- but on the day he finally recognized his selfishness and sinfulness

- you and I are probably not called to give any great speeches or do any gigantic feats as witnesses

- but, as Christians, we are called to live as people who understand that there may be evil or sinfulness in our lives

- and to discover it, recognize the need for repentance and do something about it.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Sully" -- beginning session

THE REALITY OF MENTAL PAIN

The Gospel

MARK 6:47-51

When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and Jesus was alone on the shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded.

Gospelthink: I purposely set it up so that the Apostles cry out, and I answer extremely important words: "Do not be afraid." In my troubles, do I place my hope completely in the Lord?

The heroic action of Captain Chesley Sullenberger better known as "Sully" is the topic of the movie named after him. He had to make a split second decision to save a plane full of passengers and eventually land the plane in the Hudson River. Everyone managed to be pulled to safety. Sully's problem was what could have happened; his mind kept reminding him over and over again of the possibilities of destruction and death. The National Transportation Safety Board did not help matters since they initially thought that he should have done something else rather than risk the loss of the plane and the possible loss of lives. He had to work with the mental pain and nightmares in order to bring his life back into proper focus.

Mental pain has been judged to be even worse than physical pain. Most of the time physical pain will dissipate after some recuperation, but mental pain has a tendency to remain with us. We tend to dwell on it, think of what could have happened, and so forth. It seems the Apostles in Mark's Gospel account of Jesus walking on water were that way. They were going through an immense amount of mental pain wondering exactly what would happen to them especially at the moment of possible death. "They were terrified," Mark comments.

Likewise Captain Sullenberger was terrified by what happened to the plane he was in charge of and the split second it took for him to react. He knew about the possibilities of the plane hitting something and both jet engines malfunctioning. He understood the ramifications of an action that he had to initiate. It affected his mental thoughts, perhaps for life, but certainly for the immediate time after his decision was made. He knew that he had to accept what happened, and finally understand that he really did the best that he could have.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a real disease. It has a tendency to affect anyone who has undergone some difficult moment in life. As we study the example of the Apostles and the example of Captain Sullenberger, perhaps two things become apparent. First, there will be an effect on our lives. We must be ready to accept the fact that highly charged moments will have highly charged effects. We simply must make the decision to do something about it. Secondly, following through on the first effect, we must always be willing to reach out to someone who has the means to help us. The Apostles turned to Jesus; Captain Sullenberger turned to his friends and wife.

Our lives are immensely complicated for one reason or another. When we have a tendency to feel it intensely, it will cause an effect that we must be aware of, and willing to deal with it in some way with the help of others.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we human beings have many feelings about the different things that happen to us, especially those things that are very disturbing. Give us the grace to cope with the mental pain, and turn to you and friends to help us through it. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Someone who has lived through a difficult experience will often suffer mental pain.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 45 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In your opinion, given the description in Mark's Gospel, why did Jesus walk on the water?
3. Project: The teacher may want to present the actual account of the incident described in the movie found in Wikipedia.
4. Most people undergo some type of traumatic stress in their lives. In general, what is the best way to work with such a problem?
5. In general, who are the best people in our lives that we can turn to for help?
6. What makes our lives complicated?
7. Analysis: Captain Sullenberger says that he does not feel like a hero. In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a hero?
8. What do you think would be your first reaction if you had been one of the passengers on the plane?
9. Do you think that the National Transportation Safety Board treated the pilots with respect? Yes or no and why? .