August 21

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, August 21

MATTHEW 22:1-14
The Wedding Feast

Prayerthoughts

a. I obviously desire to dine in the Kingdom, that is, go to heaven. Do I think of eternal life as often as I should?

b. According to Scripture scholars, these are all legitimate excuses since the wedding feast could last a couple of days. Do I make excuses so that I do not spend enough time to pursue my spiritual life?

c. Does the thought that the Lord has chosen other people “less than I am (in my selfish opinion)” upset me? Why?

d. Our God is the type of God who “makes” people come to enjoy the Kingdom. Do I think of our God to be a compassionate God?

e. Everyone is invited to the wedding feast. Is there anyone that I exclude in thinking of the people I pray for? Perhaps I should think of the people that I have a difficult time with right now praying that God will be part of their lives.

f. The wedding garment was given to the people as they enter the feast. There is no excuse for the man not to have it on. Putting it on implies a complete change of heart. What is holding me back from a complete turning to God?

g. The master condemns those who are without the proper disposition to change. Notice that it is the person’s own fault. He/she chooses not to change.

h. “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” I am among the “chosen” simply because I am thinking about what I can do to change. I should not become scrupulous about having eternal life. I simply must keep doing my best to change for the better.

i. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Judges 11:29-39a and write an important thought from it.

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Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE INVITATION TO CHANGE

+ The meaning of Jesus’ story in the Gospel today is that his invitation to come to his Kingdom should change people’s lives

- the invitation was given to the Hebrew people of Jesus’ time, and because they did not accept it, they did not change their lives

- now in our own day, the invitation is given to us

- and it should change us

+ If we study Jesus’ story with that in mind, namely what it should do for us,

- we see that we might have to alter our way of thinking about some things in our lives

- it may be that we are thinking according to our own way of thinking only

- that we are not as open to the Lord as we should be

- it may be that the Lord is insisting that we come to his way of thinking, as he did with the Hebrew people of his day

- in fact, we are called to it in such a way that we may have to make a radical change

- that fact is symbolized in the wedding garment of the Gospel story which was probably given at the door of the celebration, and so there was no excuse not to put it on

- it means that we have to deliberately place upon ourselves the characteristics of the Kingdom of Jesus

- and in the process, change radically

+ The problem is, of course, that we don’t like to change, and we find all kinds of ways to stay away from it, no matter what area we are talking about

- but if our desire is real, it means that we have to study our behavior—really study it—and see what needs changed, and then set out to do it

- actually set a pattern to accomplish it

- looking at it as a promise that is made, as strong as the promise that was part of the first reading when Jephthah was willing to sacrifice his own daughter because of his promise

+ Jesus has given us the invitation to his Kingdom

- in a sense, we have formally accepted the invitation: we are here

- we have put on the wedding garment

- now, we have to make it real

- and probably change some things

- it is not easy, and ultimately, why Jesus closed his story with the ominous words:

Many are invited; but few are chosen.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Heaven is for Real" -- beginning session

RECOGNIZING GOD'S PRESENCE

The Gospel

LUKE 13:20-21

LUKE 13:20-21

Again [Jesus] said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed [in] with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

Gospelthink: I use the image of leaven to tell you that the Kingdom that I taught should be part of everything. Do I put the message of Jesus into everything I do?

Based on a true story and on a book by the same name, "Heaven is For Real" is the story of four-year old Colton Burpo who during emergency surgery had an out of body experience of heaven. Colton's father, Todd, the local Methodist minister, and mother Sonja discovered that Colton knew things that he could not have known before. He claimed he knew them by his interaction with Jesus and heaven. The first part of the movie describes the joys and travails of a growing family living in a small town with hardly any money. Then, they were further challenged with circumstances that caused even this religious family with wonder about what God had planned for them. When Colton began to talk of his experience, something that Todd and his wife could not understand, and what happened became known around the area, most did not believe what Colton believed. Even Todd's livelihood of being a pastor was jeopardized.

Jesus used the image of yeast a couple of times in his discourses. He used it in a positive and a negative way. Here, he uses it in a positive way, giving his thought as to what the Kingdom should do for humankind. In terms of day to day living, and the Kingdom that he was preaching, the image carries the idea that the life of the Kingdom should permeate everything that happens in a believer's life.

Thinking of the image in terms of the early life of the Burpo family in rural Nebraska in the movie "Heaven is For Real," the father Todd, a Christian minister was well aware that everything had to be defined with the thought of the Kingdom. Therefore everything--his own sickness, his lack of money, his wonder whether he was doing a good job and the like--all fit into the pattern. He could accept that, but when it came to his son's illness and possibility of death, he was not sure that he understood, and he began to waiver in his faith.

It is the age-old question of bad things happening to good people, or to be more honest, bad things happening at all. The Christian readily accepts the answer that God allows those things to happen because of the free will of humankind and the "normal" reaction of our earth to the environment, but it is a different matter to live out. Christians can talk with relative ease about the difficult things that happen in life, but when they happen to them and their families, then the doctrines often do not make any sense.

God is in charge of our world. The yeast of God's Kingdom is part of everything that happens, no matter how difficult it is to comprehend. The Christian must approach life from such a perspective, recognizing how the love of God is always present no matter what.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we believe with all of our hearts that you are involved in the things that happen in our individual lives. Give us the grace to understand Your will especially with those things that we do not totally understand. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme:The Christian believer accepts the fact that God is involved in our lives, even those moments when we do not like the consequences.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 46 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why?
2. According to Scripture scholars, "three measures" is an enormous amount of flour, and therefore the parable is a slight exaggeration pointing to the greatness of the Lord's Kingdom. In your opinion, why did Jesus use exaggeration?
3. Project: explain how yeast works, and apply it to the understanding of Jesus' Kingdom.
4. What is your understanding of the Kingdom of Jesus? [See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2816-2821.]
5. In general, do you believe the literature produced about "near death experiences"? Yes or no and why?
6. What are some images of "yeast" used in a negative way?
7. It is extremely difficult to accept what we consider to be bad for people to be God's Will. How would you explain to another that God works with things that are bad?
8. What would you do if a friend of yours suddenly stopped "believing" because of some evil that came into his/her life?
9. Project: the presenter may want to refer to the young girl in Lithuania (Akiane Kramarik) and her story. See www.akiane.com.
10. Analysis: Todd is obviously a very Christian man, giving to others, even though he himself needs money. In general, do you believe that Christians behave this well in our world? Yes or no and why?
11. Analysis: in your opinion, do "miracles" happen in our world? Yes or no and why?
12. Analysis: how would you react if you had a four-year old son who told you of his "visit to Heaven"? Why?
13. Analysis: do you think what Colton heard about nothing to fear on earth is correct? Yes or no and why?
14. Dialogue analysis: the psychologist asks of Todd: "Are you wondering about your own faith?" Analyze her question and how you think Todd would have answered it..