TGIMMtheadjust2

December 24
[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, December 24, Special Advent LUKE 1:67-79 A True Prophet Prayerthoughts a. We know that we have redemption because of Jesus’s action. Do I thank the Lord enough for the fact that I have the gift of eternal life? b. The “horn of our salvation” is a symbol of how strong the gift of our salvation is. Do I acknowledge that the Lord is stronger than any of the problems that I may have? c. Those who hate us are our spiritual enemies, the evil tendencies in our lives such as our selfishness. Where have I seen those tendencies most recently in my life? What am I doing about them? d. The Lord has given us the chance to live in “holiness and righteousness.” In what ways can I be more “holy” in my life right now? e. The prayer speaks of John the Baptist as being the prophet to prepare for Lord. In many ways I am called to be a prophet to those around me. How should I be a better prophet for the Lord? f. I should show the mercy of our God toward those who need it among the people with whom I work. In my life right now, who needs any mercy than I can give, and what can I do for them? g. What does it mean for me to be a “person of peace.” h My prayerthoughts… Today, I will list the people who have been “true prophets” in my life and why.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy REMAINING HOLY IN THE LORD’S SIGHT + A couple of days ago, - our Gospel reading was the statement of Mary concerning her relationship with God - what we call the Magnificat, a prayer that people who pray the Divine Office will pray every day in evening prayer - today, our Gospel is the statement of Zechariah concerning his son John the Baptist - a prayer that people who pray the Divine Office will pray every day in morning prayer, a prayer called the Benedictus, coming again from the first Latin word of the canticle - it is a statement of what the Lord does for us, and from Zechariah’s point of view, what the Lord has done for Israel + The prayer has a phrase in it that is worth dwelling on, especially as we prepare for Christmas this evening and tomorrow - that phrase: the fact that we have to remain “holy…in his sight” - what does that mean for us as we try to improve our spiritual lives daily? - it means a number of things, to be sure, but as one studies the liturgy today and the feast tomorrow, perhaps there are a couple of things to concentrate on: + A person will be holy in the Lord’s sight if he trusts in the Lord - that promise spoken in the second book of Samuel by Nathan in the first reading—if we trust in the Lord, the Lord will be with us forever - it is a statement that we hear often in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament - we have to rely on the Lord, and allow that to be a dominating factor in our lives - one of the problems of an affluent society—ours—is that we have a tendency to rely more on ourselves than on the Lord + Secondly, the person who wants to remain holy in the sight of the Lord will serve God, and remembering what Jesus said, we will therefore serve others - Zechariah understands that the Lord has served us in bringing about our salvation - it is a natural conclusion that we have to serve God therefore and others as well - and every time this comes up in the Scriptures - we always have to realize that we really don’t serve others the way that we should, especially the people we don’t like, or the people we don’t understand + Another thought about remaining holy in the Lord’s sight that comes from this canticle of Zechariah is the statement that he makes concerning his son, calling him a prophet - we truly must listen to the prophets among us - not only the obvious ones—Pope John Paul, Mother Teresa, the holy people of all religions - but the people who are not so obvious prophets around us—the people who say difficult things to us that we should listen to, and really don’t want to + Still another thought about remaining holy comes from this season of Christmas— Christmas is the season that celebrates God’s presence in our world - you and I believe that God came into our world to redeem it - and that process began not with a triumphant entry - but with a very simple, very human beginning - as we celebrate these days with family and friends and giving and receiving presents, we don’t want to lose sight of why we celebrate - and wherever we are anyway, try to keep the thought of God’s presence as part of what we do + We are called to remain holy in the sight of God - we really try to do that, we will enjoy the eternal life that Nathan promises in the first reading.

MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: "The Adjustment Bureau" -- final session THE GUIDE FOR FREE WILL

The Gospel

LUKE 1:67-75

LUKE 1:67-75

Then Zechariah filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people. He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days."

Gospelthink: I have given you the free will to worship God always. Do I take the time to worship the Lord in my life every day?

In the movie "The Adjustment Bureau," David Norris and Elise Sellas had a true romantic love for each other, a love that would last no matter what. It seemed as though the Bureau had other plans, however. The Bureau was a group of people who controlled the future by manipulating the free will of people. For them, free will consisted of chance happenings which they controlled in order to bring about good results in people's lives. The problem is that when free will is controlled, it is no longer free will. David and Elise proved that they had free will by denying the control that the Bureau wanted over them. Their free will was guided by a committed love that they knew they possessed, no matter what the Bureau decided.

From the first chapter of the book of Genesis in the Bible, God made it clear that we had a free will. God said that we were created in God's image, that is, after God who had the free will to create us or not. Further, after we had sinned, God chose to redeem us through the Son, as spoken by Zechariah in Luke's Gospel. God made it possible to worship God if we wanted. But we were free not to worship our God as well, and unfortunately, many people freely chose to follow such a course of action.

Free will has been the subject of much philosophical thought throughout the ages of our existence. It is also the theme behind the movie "The Adjustment Bureau." Are we truly free, or, as suggested in the movie, has the "Chairman" of our lives dictated that certain things will happen by "chance" so that it only looks like we are using a free will? Are we conditioned in such a way that it does not matter what we do or try to do? In fact, some religious leaders have asserted that we are predestined to go to heaven or hell, and we cannot do a thing about it. Our faith does not accept that. The fact is that we are free, and we determine our eternal destiny.

For the Christian, therefore, whether we have free will or not is not the question. The question is how we control the free will that we have. You and I have the ability to choose what our final destiny is. We can choose to have eternal life or not, and the choice totally depends on us; we cannot "blame" others or any circumstance in our life.

One of the documents of the Catholic Church reminds us: "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths."

Our free wills must have a guide. Our conscience guides us to good. Our task as God's created people is to freely choose what God wants for us so that our futures will always be with God.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you have created us with a free will. We are choosing what kind of lives we lead. Give us the grace to see the wisdom of following your Son so that we will always choose the good. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Free will is a gift that we all possess, but it must always be guided by truly moral thinking.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 49 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. The evangelist says that Zechariah was "filled with the holy Spirit." In particular, what people in our world right now are filled with the Spirit? Why?
3. The Gospel reading better known as the beginning of Zechariah's canticle is described as a "prophecy," that is a divinely enlightened proclamation of the meaning of certain events. In what ways do you see God at work in our world today?
4. As used in the context of this meditation, Jesus' redemption is portrayed as granting us "freedom," that is freedom from sin. What are the worst sins that people commit in our world? What can we do about them? Can you do anything about them in your present circumstances? Yes or no and why?
5. Describe your understanding of "free will."
6. Why have people chosen not to worship God?
7. Project: make a classroom presentation on "Predestination." See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, number 600, and Catholic Encyclopedia: "Predestination."
8. The document quoted in the meditation is from the Second Vatican Council's document Gaudium et Spes, number 16 as quoted in the Catechism, number 1776. Project: make a classroom presentation on "Conscience" as contained in the Catechism, numbers 1776-1794.
9. In your opinion, what is the most important way to form our conscience?
10. Would it be good or bad to know the future? Why?
11. Scene analysis: David makes the decision to leave Elise when he discovers that he could jeopardize her future. In your opinion, was it a good decision? Yes or no and why?
12. Scene analysis: Elise chooses to follow David through the door on Liberty Island. It was a decision of real love. What are the demands of real love?
13. Scene analysis: As David and Elise feel that the worst is going to happen at the end of the chase by Thompson and his associates, they embrace each other, saying that their love for each other is the only thing that matters in their lives. Does such a love exist in most marriages? Yes or no and why?
14. Scene analysis: Thompson is released from his duties, showing that the "Chairman" can change his/her mind. What conclusion about free will can be made as a result of this scene?
15. Dialogue analysis: Harry says at the end of the movie: "Most people live life on the path we set for them, too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like you come along who knock down all the obstacles we put in your way, people who realize free will is a gift that you'll never know how to use until you fight for it. I think that's the Chairman's real plan. And maybe one day, we won't write the plan. You will." What is most significant about the statement? Why?
16. What does the movie "The Adjustment Bureau" teach young people?

REMAINING HOLY IN THE LORD’S SIGHT