MATTHEW 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.” 

Gospelthink: I lived in very difficult times with very evil people. Do I pray for the evil people in my world now?

Jackson Briggs, a US Army Ranger suffering from PTSD was denied his wish to renter the Rangers because of his brain injury. Hoping for reinstatement, he was told by by his commanding officer to escort a military dog, Lulu, to the funeral of the dog's owner and afterwards take him to a place where the dog would be euthanized. On the road the true personality of Briggs became apparent as he interacted with Lulu. He tried to satisfy his selfish desires, but he had to continually take care of Lulu as the dog kept escaping from her cage or tore up Briggs's car, pr ran away. On their way to Arizona for the funeral, Briggs is rejected by his estranged wife who has his daughter, but meets up with a former Ranger who rehabilitated Lulu's dog brother and who taught Briggs to have a deeper connection with Lulu.

The little family that we have come to call “holy” discovered early on that the intentions of people in power may be evil. In the story dealing with the magi from the East, the evangelist Matthew tells us that Herod became furious once he found out that the wise men had tricked him. So, under the guise of wanting to pay homage to the new king, his real intention was guided by pure selfishness. The consequence of that selfishness is what we have come to call the "slaughter of the Holy Innocents."

It is probably true that our selfishness will not cause such a great evil as killing innocent people, but it is also true that selfishness can rule people's lives. Christians must study the intentions behind their actions. And it must become personal: Why do I do and say and think the things that I do, say and think? Many times the answer lies in the realm of what I want, and not in the realm of love of God and neighbor as Jesus wanted.

It is not difficult to identify selfishness in movies. In the movie "Dog," for example, Jackson Briggs wanted to be a Ranger in the United States Army. If he would have studied the "why" he wanted that position, he would understand that it had to do with "personal prestige." The thought of caring for others was not part of his intentions. It took a dog who had served in that Army to teach him that.

A significant fact of the free will that God gave every human being is that if given free reign, that free will ends in carrying out what that person wants, and only that. Herod is the perfect example of what free will can lead to; Jackson Briggs likewise could only see what he wanted.

The king that Herod wanted to kill would have taught him about his selfishness. That king teaches us about our selfishness as well. In the movie "Dog," God worked through a dog to teach a man who he really was.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, thank you for your gift of free will. It is a tremendous gift, but I know firsthand that it can be misused. We human beings want what we want. Give us the grace to truly understand that our free will must be guided by you. Be with us, we pray. 

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Young people always struggle with selfishness.
      
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 46 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking and why?
2. Perhaps you might do a presentation on PTSD.
3. Do you think that it is true that ALL power leads to selfishness? Yes or no and why?
4. In what ways does selfishness ruin people's lives?
5. In general, when do people begin to curb their selfishness? Why?
6. What would it be like if God had not created free will for us?
7. What is your personal definition of selfishness?

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America