TGIMMtrue2

January 19

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Monday, January 19

MARK 2:18-22

New Wine

Prayerthoughts

a. Spiritual practice includes some type of fasting, whether from food or things (such as television, Facebook, etc.). Do I spend too much time with created things?

b. Jesus gives a new meaning to fasting. It involves not the old idea of restraint, but the new idea of love of God. When I am asked to fast (by Church law), do I spend the time when I am fasting to turn to God in prayer?

c. The bridegroom, Jesus, is never taken away from us in the sense that the Lord is always with us. Do I acknowledge the Lord’s presence during the day as often as I should?

d. Jesus’s approach to life is something new. How do I best describe the Lord’s law?

e. New wine is poured into fresh wineskins. I must adjust my life to what the Lord wants. At this time in my life, what should I change the most?

f. My prayerthoughts….

Today, I will read 1 Samuel 15:16-23 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE NEW WINE

+ One of the problems that Saul had as king was that of obedience

- here, he is not following the Lord’s command through Samuel

- and so the Lord rejects his leadership

- Saul repents, and begs Samuel to appeal to God to give him another chance

- but this is the beginning of the choice of David to be the king of the Israelites

+ Of course, we believe, that the culmination of the Israelite history was Jesus

- during his days on earth, Jesus was responsible for major shifts of understanding religion

- in the Gospel, Jesus setting up something new that in many ways does not fit in with the older ways of understanding things

+ That, of course, was one of the major problems with the Pharisees and even John the Baptist’s disciples as seen here in the Gospel

- Jesus changed perspectives on many of the older traditions

- here, fasting

- Jesus’s new approach simply did not agree with the old

+ What does this change of perspective mean for the spiritual person, for you and me?

1 – specifically, from today’s Gospel, there is value to fasting

- since although the bridegroom is still with us in the Eucharist, he is not present in human physical form

- fasting sets up a remembrance of what God has done for us

- and a practice that Jesus seems to sanction here

- but always with moderation

2 – we must accept the new wine of Jesus

- that is, allowing Jesus and his thoughts to be a guide for our living

- primarily his new thinking is in the area of

a) – love of neighbor

- and especially the idea of love of enemies

- bringing about true peace and complete absence of prejudice (Martin Luther King Jr celebration)

b) – our understanding of God

- not a God to be feared, but a God who wants to be part of us and will always be present to us if we ask

+You and I have accepted Jesus and his new wine

- we have to carefully study whether we have put it into practice or not.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "True Grit" -- final session

TRUE GRIT

The Gospel

JOHN 21:25

There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Gospelthink: The Gospels describe what I did and said, but everything good can be traced back to me in some way. Do I believe and live the Lord's good words?

Every person has faults. Such is the outcome of fallen human nature. Mattie Ross realized that fact as she looked for a person who could help her in her quest of finding her father's killer in the movie "True Grit." Faults did not matter to her; what she wanted was someone with "true grit" as she explained. Our dictionary defines "grit" as determination or strength of character. That was what Mattie wanted in a person who would be her guide to achieve her goal. The person of Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn fit her desire. He had problems with his life in the past and his life in the present, but he was a person with "grit." He was a person who was able to know right from wrong, and above all, he was able to care for the people who were right and not wrong. Mattie Ross was one of them in his mind, and so he knew that he had to help her.

Some people are very difficult to describe. John the evangelist summarized the person of Jesus Christ, for example, by saying that there were not enough books that could be written which would capture what he did and what he meant to the world. The unwritten words in that portrayal are that his character would never be matched. Studying Jesus from such an exalted point of view would lead a person to say that in John's opinion anyway, no one would ever be able to define his character. Studying Jesus from what he said and did in the world, one would have to say that no one loved people and cared for people the way he did.

Any person can be studied from the point of view of character, what Mattie Ross called "grit" in the movie "True Grit." In Mattie's eyes, character would have to be defined in terms of some type of honesty and a person with such a character would be a person who ultimately cared for other people. Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn was someone who possessed the desire to help her and thus was able to understand why she cared so much about her father's reputation. As Mattie studied the man, she knew that he had his problems, but she also knew that he cared about her.

Christians are obviously called to follow the path of Jesus Christ, and just as obviously then, we are called to be people who manage to love and care for others. Study of the character of "Rooster" Cogburn means that to such a love and care for others, we must add the fact that we all have personal problems. But as "Rooster" Cogburn did, we are encouraged to transcend those problems as we live out the honesty and love that is necessary for a good life. Cogburn indeed had "grit" in the midst of a caring life; so too should the modern Christian.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son was the greatest human being that ever lived. Help us understand him a little more so that even with the personal drawbacks that we all have because of our humanity, we may still turn out to be people who truly love the way we should. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: A person who has true character will be a person who although hampered by personal problems, nevertheless cares for others.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 52 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking and why?
2. John the evangelist obviously is speaking in exaggeration of Jesus' contribution to humankind. In your opinion, what is Jesus' greatest achievement?
3. Project: Outline the character of Jesus as presented by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 430-451.
4. The meditation mentions that there are some people who are difficult to describe. Give some examples of other people of history who are difficult to describe.
5. Define "character" in a person's makeup.
6. The meditation describes character in a person to be a virtue that makes one honest and able to care for another. What is your definition of "honesty" and "care"?
7. Drinking is obviously one of "Rooster" Cogburn's problems. Is it true that a person can have a drinking problem and still show care and concern about another? Yes or no and why?
8. In your opinion, do most Christians follow the path of Jesus? Yes or no and why?
9. When is a problem so severe that the person must have professional help?
10. Scene analysis: Mattie shoots Chaney. Do you think that you personally could shoot to kill another person? As far as you can tell, what would be the circumstances?
11. Mattie moves the grave of Cogburn to her family plot of graves, thus showing her own care for Cogburn. Why is it important to honor the graves of those who have died?
12. Dialogue analysis: The older Mattie knows that people "talk about" her. People will always "talk about" other people. What is the best way to behave in these situations?
13. Dialogue analysis: The older Mattie says: "Time just gets away from us." What is the meaning of the phrase?
14. What does the movie "True Grit" teach young people?