miracle1

August 14

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, August 14

MATTHEW 18:21--19:1

Forgive

Prayerthoughts

a. “Seven” is a perfect number in the Bible, therefore signifying “infinitely many.” Is there anyone that I have not forgiven at the present time?

b. Am I willing to forgive people who “owe” me, as for example money that I have loaned them, etc.?

c. We often lack consistency in our criticism. Often we are doing the very things that we accuse others of. What is an example in my life.

d. Do you believe that the king in Jesus’ parable acted the way he should have? Note that this is not the way our God works with us.

e. The last verse is a “scare tactic” that Jesus often uses in his discourses. God is always kind and merciful. But the evangelist wants those who read the words of Jesus to know that we deserve the punishment that the king gave if we do not forgive others completely.

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will determine a person I have not forgiven completely, and make an action of reconciliation (either by prayer or direct words) with that person.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

FORGIVENESS FROM THE HEART

+ In the first reading, Joshua says to listen to the words of the Lord, and when they did amazing things happened

+ That idea of listening to the Lord is absolutely necessary if we are to accomplish anything in the spiritual life, especially listening to what the Lord says in the Gospels

- the Gospel today is one of those that must be listened to

- it contains one of the more pointed and striking stories that Jesus told in the whole New Testament

- that conclusion:

So will my heavenly Father do to you [torture] unless each of you forgives … from his heart.

- the key to understanding the statement is the idea of “forgiveness from the heart”

- what does it mean?

- perhaps a couple of things

1 – we know that the Lord will forgive

- the Lord will forgive, even if it is a large evil – “huge amount” in the Gospel (10,000 talents literally—meaning maybe something like “100,000 dollars”)

- “forgiveness from the heart” understands that our God is an all-merciful God who really will forgive us

2 – there must be consistency in our forgiveness

- a difficult thing for human beings

- as I ask forgiveness of God and have faith that I will be forgiven

- I must be consistent and forgive anyone in my life who is in need of my forgiveness, even if it is very small

- the second man owed “a much smaller amount”—literally a 100 denarii, a days wages in those days, something like “80 dollars”

- forgiving others includes forgiving everyone and everything, even that which is done against me and my family

- even those situations where people will end up saying: “I can never forgive that”

+ Forgiveness from the heart is a very difficult act for the human being

- but it is imperative for anyone interested in the spiritual life

- we probably ought to spend some time today on the Lord’s threat about torture—

…so will my Heavenly Father do to you unless you forgive from the heart.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "The Miracle Season" -- beginning session

THE TRAGEDIES IN LIFE

The Gospel

LUKE 13:1-5

LUKE 13:1-5

Some people who were present there told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did."

Gospelthink: Accidents happen; it is not a sign of punishment. It is a sign to be aware that you need to repent, and there is still time. How much time do I spend on improving my life?

Based on a true account, the movie "The Miracle Season" is the story of how a group of young people withstood a tragedy in order to do something close to impossible. The victorious volleyball team at West High School in Iowa City, Iowa had their sights set on winning a second straight State tournament and were likely to do it. But an accident took the life of their captain, Caroline "Line" Found, and the team was thrown into mourning. Also Ellyn, her mother, was very close to death because of cancer. Dr. Ernie Found, her husband found himself struggling with the two-fold loss, his daughter and his wife. It was a devastating loss for the team, and even more devastating for Ernie.

In the Gospels, Jesus was often confronted with evil and the accidents of life. His attitude was one of acceptance by trying to change what he could. But mainly Jesus was interested in what could be learned as he showed with deaths brought about by Pilate and the accident at Siloam. When he studied some evil or an accident, he taught his followers that such things will happen in life. The important thing is that we learn from it, and be willing to change as a result.

Evil and tragedy are often the subject of the media of our world because they are an important part of our human existence. Everyone of us either has suffered or will suffer through some situation that can be thought of as "tragedy" or "evil." Life is that way. Such is the setting for the movie "The Miracle Season." There are no words that can describe the loss of a friend as Kelly Fliehler felt in the loss of Caroline Found. Likewise the double loss that Dr. Ernie Found experienced with the loss of his daughter and later his wife. The inevitable questions of "why" and 'what if" are part of the grieving process. The horrible feeling of despair penetrates every fiber of one's being, leading all who experience the pain to the desire to simply give up.

There is no solution to take away the pain, of course, but there are ways to begin to find a solution. One of them is activity. Coach Kathy Bresnahan sensed that the activity which fit the painful situation was to continue Caroline's passion, namely volleyball. Line's, as they called her, desire more than anything was to win a second State volleyball championship. Coach Bresnahan set out to continue Line's wish.

In the process, Bresnahan was able to motivate Line's teammates to accomplish what many considered an impossibility and a true "miracle." The young ladies of West Volleyball were able to achieve what Line wanted, but more than that, they learned how to act in the face of tragedy.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, there are moments of severe pain that we experience in life. Be with us as we learn to work with that pain, and then move on in our lives to accomplish what You want of us. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: There will always be tragedies in life, but we must learn to work with them and live on.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 46 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. What is the greatest evil in our world right now, and what can we learn from it?
3. The pain of loss of a teenager is especially felt by other teens. What can one teenager do to help another who is feeling the pain of loss of a friend?
4. What can a young person do to console an adult who suffers loss as did Ernie in the movie?
5. What good change can be brought about by the death of a friend?
6. The fact that pain will happen in our lives could bring about fear. What can a person do about it?
7. The meditation suggests activity to overcome the pain of loss. What are some other ways to overcome the pains in our lives?