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August 31

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, August 31, Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

LUKE 14:1,7-14

Humility

Prayerthoughts

a. They were watching Jesus carefully. Have I made Jesus and what he did and said the pattern for my life?

b. As I study Jesus’s story, do I find myself thinking that I am “important” among my acquaintances, and acting accordingly?

c. What is my own definition of “humility”?

d. Do I find myself expecting some type of “repayment” for the good things that I do for others? Perhaps, I should simply be satisfied for doing something good for others.

e. Of course, when it comes to “livelihood,” I must expect to be paid. Do I always find myself wanting more?

f. In Luke’s Gospel especially, Jesus is always interested in the “poor, crippled, the lame and the blind”, that is, the people I consider “the people who are hurting” in some way. Do I show enough support for the people that I can help?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24a and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

HUMILITY—TRUTH—AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERYONE

As we near the month of September, there is little doubt that one of the things that occupies our time in one way or another, even if we do not like it, is football. Some of you may have heard of Jeff Kemp, former NFL quarterback in the 80’s, son of Jack Kemp also a quarterback who turned politician and who died in 2009. In a speech dealing with “Sports and the American Dream,” Jeff Kemp gave some rules to live by on and off the playing field. His first rule was one that I found incredible for a sports professional. His first rule: humility.

He tells a story on himself. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams (in those days) in 1981, designated fifth-string quarterback. Actually he became a rather successful quarterback in the NFL, but he did not think he would survive training camp. The rookies were called in first and after about two days, a young boy came to him, and asked if he could carry his helmet to the locker room. Jeff felt rather honored, and liked being an idol for the ten year old. During that first week of practice and survival, the young man carried his helmet to the locker room every day. A couple of days before the practice actually started for everyone, the young boy said to him: “Jeff, can I ask you a question?” Jeff thought: this is my first fan; he’s going to ask me for my autograph. He felt good, pleased that he had impressed someone, even if it was a ten year old. “Absolutely,” he said. The ten year old said: “When do the good football players come to camp?”

“Humility,” Jeff Kemp goes on to say, “was a good thing. It helped me appreciate what I had and avoid dwelling on what I did not have. It prevented complaining, which drains the spirit and unity of any group. It also led me to persevere and be ready whenever opportunity presented itself.”

One might not expect humility to be a quality that a former professional player would espouse, but it is one that you might expect from a religious leader. Jesus did exactly that, here in Luke’s Gospel, echoing the first reading from the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Book of Sirach (Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29).

Most of us realize that humility is defined to be nothing more or less than the truth, that is, looking at something from an objective point of view. It is very difficult, because we have a tendency to look at everything through our own eyes, with our own agenda, and our own agenda “colors” everything that we see or consider.

In the Gospel, the Pharisees felt that they had the truth, a truth that made them feel more important than anyone else, that they were worthy of respect and admiration. Jesus knew what they were thinking. He explained it to them with his story, saying that they must learn humility, that is, the truth, and the truth when it concerns others is that everyone is important.

The application for us is that we are called to be humble people, people who are dedicated to the truth, and when it concerns others, to realize that they are all equally important. We have a tendency to judge that we are better than others for whatever reason. Maybe we think we have more knowledge, more talent, more age, more money, more maturity, more whatever, and consequently, we place ourselves above others in some sense. We do it in a subtle way, of course. We will never say, “I am more important than you,” but we do it in our thoughts, or in our passing conversations. The objective truth is that everyone is important and we may be distorting that truth by our own jealousy or our own selfishness.

Jesus teaches us a very practical lesson today: we must be humble people, that is, we must honor the truth at all times. The Christian will be humble in his/her approach to others not only because he/she is modest and respectful, but because he/she seeks the truth of who they are.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Ford v Ferrari" -- final session

CONQUERING ONE'S FEELINGS

The Gospel

LUKE 22:49-53

[After Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss], Jesus’ disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?” And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, “Stop, no more of this!” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards and elders who had come for him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness."

Gospelthink: I correct my Apostles when they think that they must defend me. Do I tend toward violence when I feel that I am right?

Because of an attitude problem, at Henry Ford II's request, Carroll Shelby asked Ken Miles, the irascible driver of the "Shelby American" race car to leave. He carried out Ford's request, but after losing some races and Shelby's insistence, Ford finally allowed Miles to be the driver of Shelby's car in the Le Mans race. He would win the race, but at the insistence of Ford, told Miles through Shelby to allow all three of the Ford race cars including his own to cross the finish line together. Shelby had told Miles that it was up to him whether he should do it or not. After a struggle with what to do, Miles finally allowed it, and further, was not declared a winner because of a technicality. Conquering his feelings, Miles told Shelby that Shelby had only promised him the drive, not the win. Miles died weeks later in a crash with a new race car. He was inducted posthumously in the Racing Hall of Fame.

Jesus calls the desire to pursue our natural feelings the "power of darkness." Put into the context of the apostles' feelings concerning their friend and leader Jesus when he was arrested as a common criminal, it meant for them to be violent. The arrest was not a just action, and when justice is not served, we want to fight, we want justice served, even if we must become violent in serving it. It is the whole idea of a "just cause" for violence. And it has merit at times: there is such a thing as a "just war." For that very reason, Jesus' doctrine is so difficult. Jesus' reaction to the way his apostles' showed their loyalty to him was immediate and without question: "No more of this!" He even healed one of the men who perpetrated the actions against him.

Ken Miles, the driver of Carroll Shelby's race car, had a temper. He showed it early in the movie "Ford v Ferrari" by throwing a wrench at Shelby. The wrench was to become a symbol of his temper. When Shelby asked him to come back after he proved to Henry Ford II that Miles was the best driver, Miles had to physically fight Shelby to get his point across. So, it is entirely out of character, it would seem, for Miles to accept willingly his "defeat" at Le Mans after he had clearly won. Perhaps, Ken Miles was learning to conquer his feelings as he matured.

We all have personal feelings, and many times those feelings become "violent" as we try to achieve what we think is right. Jesus could see it in his Apostles' defense of him. The mature person can study his own immature actions and see in them what is nothing more than selfishness as we think in terms of what we do and think.

And so, the mature man or woman will study carefully his desires or actions of "violence" in his/her life. Often he/she will find that even though the actions look like defense of justice, they are nothing more than self-serving, and thus in a Christian way of looking at things, must change.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, so often in our lives we think that we are right in the way that we behave. Help us study ourselves carefully so that we will not be selfish as we pursue what we think is right. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Perhaps the most important part of being a good person is to control our actions in the face of adversity.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 71 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. What does the movie "Ford v Ferrari" teach young people?
3. What fact would best show the "power of darkness" in our world today?
4. What is the best way to control your own anger?
5. What is your understanding of a "just war"? [See Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2309]
6. In your opinion, is it possible to learn to control our temper?
7. Define selfishness and the way to conquer it.
8. In what area of our world right now do you see the most violence?