Jesus said: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

Gospelthink: I speak in exaggeration about those who harm the very young.

Based on a true story, "Sound of Freedom" is a story of Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard and his fight against child sex trafficking. In this first session, a father, Roberto Aguilar, is tricked into giving his children, Rocio and Miguel, to be used as sex slaves. Tim heard from another agent that Homeland Security had arrested many child predators, but they had failed to save a single child from being exploited because most of them are outside the United States. Tim is able to rescue Miguel and asks him for information that would help him find other children. Learning that Miguel's sister Rocio is still missing, Tim promises Miguel that he will do his best to find her. His search took him to Cartegena, Columbia where he met with Vampiro, a former cartel accountant who now works to save children from sex trafficking. After studying the situation, he came upon an operation in Thailand in which he could free some children, and perhaps Rocio was one of them.

In the Gospel discourses, Jesus often speaks with exaggeration. When he does, he is saying that the point he is making is extremely important. Jesus's statements about children then should be studied carefully.

Jesus worked with children when he wanted to teach the importance of honesty and the quality of being "child-like," that is, innocence, trustfulness and wonder. And he also understood how vulnerable children were. They do not have the capacity to understand completely and can be taken advantage of easily. Therefore, he was strong in his condemnation of those who hurt children either physically or mentally.

Jesus may or may not have seen child sex trafficking in his human lifetime, since we have no way of knowing.  But if he did, he could see the horror of it. Not only were the children torn away from their families, but their future lives would be completely ruined, even if they did escape from their enslavement. 

One of the characteristics of a person interested in a good spiritual life is the ability to treat other people with the respect they deserve. Into that category is the way such a person treats those who are very young, those who cannot help themselves without the assistance of another.

Children have a special place in the Christian scheme to things. The Christian will always recognize their importance.

PRAYER
Good and gracious God, Your Son showed us the importance of children in our world, both by using them as an example and giving his feeling about those who harmed them in any way. Give us the grace to recognize your special love for them, and thus lead us to treat them with the utmost respect, especially those close to us. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: The sin of child sex trafficking is one of the worst sins human beings give into.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(session: approximately 61 minutes)
1. What does this session of the movie teach young people?
2. In your opinion, what is the fundamental reason  that causes child abuse?
3. As you think of the words of Jesus in the Gospels, in your opinion, what are the "strongest"?
4. What is your own definition of "child-like"?
5. In your opinion, why does an abused person feel the effects of child abuse in the later years of adulthood?
6. In your opinion, do most people show respect to all people?  Why or why not?