March 10

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Monday, March 10, Lent I

MATTHEW 25:31-46

I give you a story concerning the judgment at the end of the world.

Prayerthoughts
a. Is the end of the world something that I fear? Why or why not?

b. Truthfully with no thought of feeling pride in what I may or may not have done, what is the principal reason that I should be placed with the sheep?

c. What is my own personal understanding of the kingdom of heaven?

d. Take time to go through each of Jesus’ phrases asking what I am doing in the areas mentioned: giving to the hungry and thirsty, welcoming people amiably, clothing needy people, visiting the sick, and visiting those who are incarcerated?

e. I may not be inclined to visit those in prison, but perhaps I should take the time right now to pray for them.

f. Jesus words: whatever I did to the least of the people, you did to me. Who do I consider the least in my life right now, again without judging anyone? Do I look at them as if they were the Lord?

g. My prayerthoughts…
 

Today, I will read Leviticus, chapter 19 write an important thought from it.





Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

LOVING OTHERS: NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE


+ The readings today both have the same conclusion: that we have to truly love people

- that love implies two things, a negative approach, and a positive approach:


+ 1 – we see the negative approach from the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Leviticus

- it implies that we do not do some things

- a whole list of things

- steal, lie, bad speech, injustice

- saying that part of love of others means that we deliberately refrain from doing harmful things to them


+ 2 – from Jesus, we have the positive approach to loving others, telling us that there is a way to behave, and telling us by means of a story

- implying that we must do some things if we indeed are to love our neighbor

- I consider it to be one of the most significant statements of the teaching of Jesus, one of the top 10 Scripture passages

- when it comes to our final judgment before God, Jesus does not mention the Law, he does not mention God; he does not mention tradition, he does not refer to the prophets, the patriarchs, religious practices and prayers, synagogue, church, none of these

- instead, when it comes down to the final analysis of a person

-when judgment has to be made concerning what a person has done in his life

- at that moment, the most sacred of all moments in a person’s whole life...

- Jesus says everything—our whole after-life—depends on how much the person has given to others

- that is an absolutely incredible statement for a Hebrew religious leader to make

- and further, as if that wasn’t enough to shock people, Jesus not only talks about the brothers and sisters of the world—he talks about the least brothers and sisters

- that is, those who criticize us, those who refuse to understand us, those who are evil, those who do bad things, those who are unable to understand the evil of their actions


+ If we really want to love people, we have to refrain from doing some things and at the same time, we have to do some things for them.                
                 







 

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Wonder Woman" -- final session

ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE THE WORLD



 

The Gospel

JOHN 15:11-17

JOHN 15:11-17

Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."    

Gospelthink: I chose you to learn to love. Am I showing true love to everyone I meet?

Princess Diana and Steve Trevor were both convinced that they had to stop World War I, and proceeded to help the Allied forces on the Western front of the war. They realized that they had to stop General Ludendorff and Isabel Maru from releasing the poisonous mustard gas. Steve with the help of some of his friends managed to capture the plane with most of the gas, and gave up his life as he destroyed the plane and gas. Diana killed Ludendorff and discovered that the god of war was really Sir Patrick Morgan a supposed ally. She finally conquered him, but realized that there was more to life that winning a war. She acknowledged that what she had to do in the future was to understand the evil that men can cause, and that love is the only answer for the world. 

If we have truly committed ourselves to following Jesus Christ in our lives, we will listen closely when he says that some law is "his" commandment. Those are his words as he explains to his disciples and eventually to all of us that his commandment is to love one another. It is interesting to think of what is not "his" commandment. He does not say that loving his Father is "his" commandment, although it is quite obvious that Jesus considers love of his Father to be an "automatic" commandment. But the point here--at no place in Scripture does Jesus call any law "his" commandment other than this place in the Gospels. And "his" commandment is love of others.

After Diana had lived a while on earth along side of Steve Trevor in the movie "Wonder Woman," she gradually came to understand how important love was and she was committed to remind humankind exactly that. She says at the end of the movie: "I have seen the terrible things men do to each other in the name of hatred, and the lengths they'll go for love. Now, I know. Only love can save the world." Diana understood humankind, and wanted to help as much as she could to lead them to love others.

Her understanding was how important "his"--Jesus'--commandment was. We absolutely must have love of others as part of our lives if we are to live well. We know full well what Diana discovered--there is evil and love in all of us. Our job consists of empowering the "love" part of our thought and personality to conquer the evil part, to understand how important Jesus' commandment is every moment of our lives. It is not an easy task.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son called love of others to be "His" commandment. Help us be more aware of how our behavior should change in order to follow through with a true love of others. Be with us, we pray. 

 

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT


Theme: Only love can save the world.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. Obviously a "friend" of Jesus will be someone who accepts what he says. In your opinion, do most Christians truly follow what Jesus taught? Yes or no and why?
3. Steve Trevor gave up his life to save the Allied forces. In fact, there were many people who died for the cause of their beliefs on both sides of the war. What is your opinion about war?
4. The meditation makes an argument concerning Jesus calling on one commandment to be "his" commandment,.namely loving others.  Do most Christians truly love all "others"? Yes or no and why?
5. If we lived the fact that "only love can save the world," what is the first thing that would happen in the world?
6. Name two evils that are part of our world. What can be done about them? What can you do about them?
7.  What does the movie "Wonder Woman" teach young people?

 

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