June 27
[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, June 27, Sacred Heart of Jesus LUKE 15:3-7 Rejoicing in the Lord Prayerthoughts a. Are there some people in my acquaintances that I have deliberately shunned? If so, what should I do to welcome them again? b. What are the things that give me “great joy”? Should there be more “spiritual” things for which I am joyful? What are some ways to be more spiritually joyful? c. What are some things for which I must be more sorrowful? What can I do to show more repentance? d. Do I consider myself “self-righteous” (in no need of repentance)? What can I do about it? e. This is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a time to think of the love that God has for us as we celebrate the redemption that Jesus has accomplished for us. Are there some areas of my life in which I should show more love? f. My prayerthoughts…. Today I will read Romans, chapter 5 and write an important thought from it.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy LOVING THE LOST + The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a feast dedicated to the thought that Jesus our God has loved us in every way - there are different aspects of that love, of course - and the liturgy of this cycle concentrates on the idea of love which can be phrased: - if someone loves us—as Jesus does—that someone will seek out and help those who are lost + From the prophet Ezechiel: with the Lord talking: “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back.” - from Psalm 23, even though we walk in the dark valley, that is, lost, we need not fear - from Paul’s letter to the Romans: Paul, explaining that while we were still helpless, that is, lost, Jesus sought us out - and the Gospel parable—Jesus saying that he will seek out those who are lost: he will “go after the lost one until he finds it” + The problem that we might have with this though is that we don’t think that we are lost - in fact, because of all the things that have been given to us by God, we may feel that we do not need God - we go through life without thinking of God’s presence and the fact that we have to have God in order to even breathe another breath - in many ways, we have become complacent about the fact that God is necessary for our lives, and we don’t even think of God - we have become the “righteous” of the Gospel and feel that we do not need repentance + Therefore, perhaps the thought that should guide us today on this feast - is the fact that we are indeed lost - that is, we need God’s help in order to live - we need God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit to recognize that there are some areas in our lives that definitely need to change - we need the words and actions of Jesus to guide us along the path that will bring us from the area of “being lost” to “being found” + It is true that we are not lost completely - we know who the Lord is and what the Lord is all about - or else we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t spend our time in prayer - but in many respects, we are not quite what we should be, and to that extent, we are lost + The Lord always gives us the love that we need, and because we realize it, we will make use of His help.
MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: "Top Gun Maverick" -- final session LOVE EVEN WHEN IT IS MOST DIFFICULT

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell was a cocky test pilot who was his own boss even though he belonged to a Navy that was built on obedience to superiors. In one of his "disobedient" moments, Maverick proved that an excellent top gun pilot could carry out a very difficult mission that required the bombing of an enemy building. Even though his superiors did not want to do it, reluctantly, they decided to offer the mission to Maverick and his top gun students. One of them was a son of a friend of Maverick's, namely Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw. Having known the family well, Rooster's mother had requested that Rooster be kept away from a career which would enable him to become a test pilot. Maverick had honored that request, and Rooster obviously did not like it. Counseled by his own mentor, however, Marverick gave Rooster the chance, making him his wingman in the mission. As happens so often in difficult missions, things do not go as planned, and both Maverick and Rooster must learn to love each other in such a way that they become close friends just as Maverick and Rooster's father were.

Simon of Cyrene no doubt knew that condemned people had to carry their own cross to their execution. Therefore being forced to take the cross could have been a problem for him. But he had no choice. He had to force himself to realize that no matter how he felt, he had to adjust to the situation at hand. The evangelist Mark mentions Simon's family who were probably people that the early Christians knew. Later on, no doubt Simon accepted what he did to be something that he was quite proud of. It perhaps was an instance of a man who was forced into understanding love of another human being.

In the movie "Top Gun Maverick," Maverick and Rooster, an old friend's son, were both top test pilots, but because of circumstances were not friendly to each other to begin with. As those circumstances advanced into real situations, eventually Maverick and Rooster, like Simon Cyrene with Jesus, were forced into association with each other. And in the end, it became a true respect and love of each other.

There are two lessons in particular to learn as we study both Simon of Cyrene with his circumstances and Maverick and Rooster's relationship. One, with a Christian foundation as a guiding thought: no matter what the circumstances, the Christian is called to honestly "love" one another. Circumstances are always quite different as we struggle to live out Jesus's directive to love. And many times, those circumstances involve hatred and sometimes, justifiable anger. Even in those exceptional circumstances, "love" is called for, and the Christian must work at bringing it about.

Secondly, even when those involved in the relationship--Simon with Jesus, and in the movie, Maverick with Rooster--are not "Christian," that is, their individual lives are not guided by Christian principles, a good relationship should be s guiding principle. This implies that every relationship, whether it is done because of Christian principles or not, can be improved if people are truly trying to get along. It is the way to true peace in our world involving every or no religion.

"Love of others" is not only a Christian directive; it is the way to a better world.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, there are people in our lives who are "easy" to love, and others who are not so "easy" because of the circumstances of the situation. Help us truly understand your directive to us to love everyone as You want.  Be with us, we pray. 

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Jesus's directive to love one another is a way to live in peace in the world.
      
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 60 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking and why?
2. What can a Christian learn from the Gospel incident of Simon of Cyrene and Jesus?
3. In the movie and the incident of Rooster's mother asking Maverick not to let her son become a test pilot, should Maverick have honored such a request? Yes or no and why?
4. In the Christian understanding of things, we should pray for those who disagree with us or hurt us. In your opinion, do most Christians actually do that?
5. When we are "forced" into a situation where we must associate with someone we dislike, what should be our guiding principles?
6. Do most Christians actually carry out the directive to "love" even those who are most difficult to "love"? Yes or no and why?
7. In general, do people actually try to get along with others? For example, is it a guiding principle in political situations? Yes or no and why? 
8. What does the movie "Top Gun Maverick" teach young people?

2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America