coco2

February 25

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, February 25, Lent I

LUKE 11:29-32

I remind you about Jonah and the Queen of Sheba because I want you to reform.

Prayerthoughts
a. People wanted a sign from Jesus that he was God even though he did so many things that proved it. Am I a sign that Jesus is God by the way I act, think and my words?

b. Jesus points out the story of Jonah, the part where he finally did do what God wanted him to do, and the people turned to repentance. Do I frequently ask for forgiveness of my sins and faults and want to do something about them?

c. Jesus also refers to the Queen of Sheba in first book of Kings. She found the wisdom of Solomon amazing. Do I seek the wisdom of Jesus’s teachings in everything that I do?

d. Jesus points out that he is greater than Jonah or Solomon. As I consider the people and things that are influential in my life, do I place Jesus as my principal influence?

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Jonah 3:1-10 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE FOUR STEPS OF REFORM

+ The story of Jonah is an interesting one:

- running away from God / fish / finally does what God asks (1^st reading) / complains afterwards and the book ends with us not knowing whether he became good or bad

- Jesus picks out the good part—where Jonah preaches and Ninevites change their ways, reform after listening to Jonah

- Jesus also picks out a story from 1 Kings (chapter 10)—the queen of Sheba listening to the wisdom of Solomon (and presumably changing her ways)

+ The obvious conclusion from what Jesus said

- because you have a greater than Solomon and Jonah here, you ought to be listening to what Jesus says

- and change your ways, reform

+ That thought of reform is an important one to dwell on for anyone wishing to develop a deeper spiritual life

- it means four things, I believe, as one analyzes it

- it involves:

1 – admitting that we are already formed by something

- that something may not be completely right, probably having something to do with our selfishness

2 – admitting that we need a change

- once the Ninevites and the queen of Sheba knew what was going on, they had to admit that they needed something

- to admit the problem exists is half the battle, so to speak

- because we are saying: this is true, I really do need a change in my life

3 – truly listening to Jesus, he who forms

- again the importance of reading Scripture is stressed

- the person interested in the spiritual life must know what Jesus is saying

4 – re-forming

- doing the actions that are necessary to do the reforming

- actually carrying through personally within the context of the world we live in what we know must be reformed

+ Those four steps and everything they mean is good meditation for us during Lent as we try to improve our spiritual lives.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Coco" -- final session

THE LOVE OF A FAMILY

The Gospel

LUKE 1:26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Upon arriving, the angel said to her: “Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” She was deeply troubled by his words, and wondered what his greeting meant. The angel went on to say to her: “Do not fear, Mary, You have found favor with God. You shall conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus.”… Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I do not know man?” The angel answered her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you; … the holy offspring to be born will be called Son of God.”… Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.”

Gospelthink: The Holy Spirit prepared my mother and her response as yours to your life, "Let it be." Have I allowed the Lord to completely influence my life?

Miguel discovered that Hector, his skeletal friend in the Land of the Dead was actually Coco's father. Through a series of discoveries, Miguel unites Hector and Imelda in the Land of the Dead, giving Miguel a pass to go back to the Land of the Living. When he returned, he announced to the world that it was really Hector who wrote the songs that Ernesto sang. Ernesto had killed Hector and stolen the songs. Hector and Imelda and Coco are all together in the Land of the Dead, and in the Land of the Living, their memories live on with Miguel. With the family united again, they live happily ever after both in the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living.

No matter how we study the beginning of the family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, it is a study of love. Even when circumstances were not the best, love was no doubt the glue that kept the family together. At the very beginning of their family, Mary and Joseph had no idea of the way things would work, and no idea of what was happening to them. One can only imagine the problems that surrounded the loving family, and one can easily surmise that the only way the family could remain together was through their love for each other.

The fantasy movie "Coco" takes the viewer through what the movie calls the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living, showing the Rivera family in both lands. The one guiding factor is the love that they have for each other. It is a love which is shown even though Miguel is choosing another way of life at the very beginning, and a love that Imelda and Hector have at the very end. Love is the glue that keeps the family together.

The most important factor of a sound daily life is the family. Our families determine our future, so to speak, at least in the way they set a tone for what type of people the members of the families will be later on in life. Unfortunately, it has been proven true time and again that families who were torn apart early on have generated scarred people who were unable to negotiate the world as they grew.

Jesus's family and the way Joseph and Mary interacted with him determined in many ways the type of person that Jesus turned out to be. He could be the caring and loving person that he was to so many people because he could look back to a family that truly loved him every moment of his life. It is a lesson that every family in our world should learn.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, You give us a true example of family love in the love Joseph, Mary and Jesus. May we truly learn such a love and always be close to our immediate families as much as we can. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Family love is necessary for a healthy life-style.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 48 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking to you and why?
2. Mary's statement to the angel is basically saying "yes" to what God wants. In what ways have we said "yes:" to God in our lives?
3. The movie obviously believes in some sort of a "heaven" as it speaks of the Land of the Dead. Although the Scriptures offer no facts about heaven, how do you view "heaven"?
4. What is the best way a young mother and father can show love to their very young children?
5. What is the best way a mother and father can show love to their teenagers?
6. What is the best way a mother and father can show love to the children who have left the home to pursue their own life?
7. What can you do to help a family that has been torn apart because of some unfortunate circumstance?
8. What does the movie "Coco" teach young people?