TGIMMheaven1

August 21

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, August 21

MATTHEW 20:1-16
I tell you a story of a person who is very generous.

Prayerthoughts
a. I am involved with some work right now. Am I working as best I can, that is, following what I should be doing according to the guidelines that have been given me?

b. What is just and fair is a guide for the landowner. In my dealings with people, am I always at least just and fair?

c. The landowner was obviously generous in giving more than just wages to those who worked less. In what I do, am I generous in giving more than I can?

d. The English translation of “they thought” is important. The judgment of others begins in our thinking. In my thinking, am I too harsh on others? Perhaps I should make a practice of praying for those that I think ill of for whatever reason.

e. They grumbled, that is, they complained about something that they thought was right. Do I complain too much?

f. Sometimes I have the right to complain. Have I always checked the facts before I complain? When I have the right to complain, do I complain to the proper authorities?

g. When the landowner was generous, it upset others. As I work with everyone in my group, do I try to be aware of how everyone feels and adjust as best I can?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will determine a situation in which I can do

more than is required, and carry it out.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE VIRTUE OF GENEROSITY

+ Over the past couple of days in the Gospel, we have heard about the importance of giving of what you have

- sell, give and follow, the Lord told the rich official

- Peter and the Apostles are praised by Jesus for “giving up”

- closely connected with the idea of giving is the thought of generosity

- which is even more than giving

- giving can be a matter of justice

- in fact, I think a point can be made that says that it is a matter of justice that we give back to God by giving to the poor and giving of ourselves

- in the first reading’s thought, it was a matter of justice that the shepherds of Israel should have given to the people and did not

+ Generosity is not a matter of justice

- it is a matter of love, going beyond what is necessary, doing more than expected

- Jesus tells us today that this must be a virtue of the spiritual life

- we must learn to be generous people

- that is, one of the marks of a spiritual person is that we are doing something for someone for which we are not paid

- so this goes beyond working on behalf of others when it is our job

- yes, we should be kind and loving and generous at our job, etc., but we are paid to do it

- generosity goes beyond what we are called, or paid, to do

- involving doing more than expected at the job, in the home, in the community

+ Generosity is not always a big thing

- in fact, most of the time it is a small thing:

- the offering to help and really meaning it, actually going out of our way to do something for someone who doesn’t expect it

+ Generosity also implies that we want nothing in return

- not even a “thank you”, although that may be the courteous thing to do

- the idea is that we give—period

- that remains one of the most difficult things for us human beings

- we expect recognition

- but if that is the case, it is often nothing more than showing off

+ Giving to others is difficult; generosity which is giving more than expected is even more difficult.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

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

RECOGNIZING GOD'S PRESENCE

The Gospel

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.

+++++

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..