March 13

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Thursday, March 13, Lent I

MATTHEW 7:7-12

Prayer of Petition

Prayerthoughts

a. Every prayer that I say to the Lord will be answered. Do I pray with that thought in mind or do I think that the Lord answers some prayers and not others? A prayer of thanksgiving to God for listening to my every prayer would be in order here.

b. Again God answers every prayer. Jesus reiterates it twice here. It is very important then that I know this because there are times in my life when I doubted it. What were some of those times, and how have they been resolved? (This is the task of the meditation.)

c. God knows more than I do. In my prayer of petition, I may be asking for things that would have been harmful to me. What are some examples of the past when I prayed for something, but God saw that it should not be given to me?

d. The Lord knows what is best for me, and so my prayer of petition for whatever I desire must close with “...but You know better than I.” Do I remember to do that?

e. It is fitting that as the Lord talks about petitionary prayer that he reiterates the Golden Rule. It says to us that as we pray for things that we need, we remember that we must truly love others. Is there anyone in my circle of people that I am not loving the way I should?

g. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will carry out letter b.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE PRAYER OF PETITION

+ The readings today want us to consider the subject of the prayer of petition

- Queen Esther fervently prays for help and courage as she honors God in a foreign land

- Jesus’ words are from the Sermon on the Mount

- giving a treatise, almost, on the prayer of petition

- just as Esther does, Jesus says you have to pray—ask, seek, knock

+ A couple of things about that prayer of petition:

1 – we must remember what Jesus says earlier in the Sermon on the Mount

- we pray because we need it, not God

- therefore we pray knowing that God already knows what we need

- we simply are putting God into our consciousness knowing that God is with us as we ask

2 – when we pray, it may not seem like we receive, find or have the door opened, but it really happens

- it must all be understood with Jesus’ statements about what is good

- God will give us only good

- and only God knows what is really good

- stone/loaf; snake/fish

- we know good for our children; God knows good for us

- the prayer of petition will always be answered

- and part of the prayer of petition is that we understand that God’s answer will be good for us

3 – there is another element that is not part of the prayer of petition, but part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount

- and I think that Matthew placing it here in the Sermon on the Mount is an important statement

- and that is the closing phrase

- even as we ask for what is necessary in our lives, we have to work on charity toward others

- too many people pray to God, expecting God to answer—and God will—

- but do not make God part of the rest of their lives

- in particular, how we treat others

+ The prayer of petition is an important part of our spirituality

- it should be part of what we do every day, but we have to understand it well.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Contagion" -- beginning session

DEDICATED TO TRUTH

The Gospel

MARK 4:10-11

When [Jesus] was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables."

Gospelthink: I wanted my disciples to know the meaning of the stories I told. Do I look for the deeper meaning of the words of Scripture?

Truth is often difficult to determine. The medical experts who tried to define the virus that was killing people in the movie "Contagion" were at a loss at first as to what it was. They had to try to discover its origin even as a panic began to build in the world around them. They had to fight not only the panic but also the selfish ignorance of people who claimed to have knowledge of what was happening. Discerning the truth is even more of a problem when there are so many factors that cloud the issue. The movie shows that people dedicated to obtaining the truth will pursue it while remaining realistic and without panic, even though personal harm may result.

In the movie "Contagion," Dr. Erin Mears was a professional who knew firsthand what was involved in the containment of a virus. She wanted to pursue that truth even though her decision would later end in her submitting to the disease. Dr. Leonora Orantes likewise was a professional who recognized that the only way to pursue the truth was to study it in the confines of the area where it started even though there was strong hostility that led to her own capture as a hostage. Dr. Ally Hextall knew that injecting herself with an antidote that may not work could mean her death. They all knew that the truth had to be the driving force even over personal safety.

The driving force in the Apostles' lives had to be knowledge of the Kingdom of God. They were to preach it, act with it, and finally most of them would die because of their belief in it. In Mark's Gospel, they had heard Jesus preach to the crowd in stories about the Kingdom, but they could not be satisfied with stories. They had to know the truth about that Kingdom. And so, they had to find out that truth by paying closer attention to the one who was preaching that Kingdom.

Perhaps the most important part of reasoning for an undertaking of any kind is the truth behind what we are doing. Why are we doing what we are doing? What is the intention behind our action? What is the truth that we are trying to develop? The truth should "drive" us. As the doctors in the movie "Contagion" were driven by obtaining the truth, so must anyone dedicated to a good life.

Those of us who are following Jesus must be dedicated to the truth that he taught just as the Apostles pursued the truth with him. It must guide our actions, even though at times such guidance may bring about a personal risk.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we must be people dedicated to the truth. You gave us the truth through your Son, calling us to follow him in pursuit of your Kingdom. May we always be dedicated to what is true in whatever we are pursuing. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must always determine the truth before we act.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 49 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In the Gospel, Jesus used the parables to make people think about how they could understand life a little better, and in particular how it applied to his teaching about the Kingdom. What is your understanding of the Kingdom that Jesus was preaching? (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2816-2821).
3. Of all the truths that Jesus taught, what do you consider to be the most important?
4. What are some of the parables of Jesus that you remember, and what are their meanings?
5. In your opinion, is "pursuit of the truth" a driving force in today's world? Yes or no and why?
6. In general, why do you think Jesus often used parables or stories rather than just teach direct doctrine?
7. In general, what do you think it means to have "the truth" be a driving force? Give an example.
8. Do you think that most Christians truly follow Jesus' truth? Yes or no and why?
9. Analysis: the blogger journalist Alan Krumwiede. He continually distorts the truth, making conclusions that are not truthful and the like. Why do people behave this way?
10. Scene analysis: Mitch Emhoff receives word within minutes of his wife's death and his son's death. What is the best way to "manage" such pressures in life? Why?
11. Analysis: Jory, Mitch's teenage daughter, feels somewhat responsible for her brother's death. Why do teenagers often feel responsible for things that they could not have caused?
12. Analysis: Homeland Security suggest the possibility of terrorist action in the handing on of the disease. Do you think that such a possibility is realistic? Yes or no and why?
13. Analysis: Mitch discovers that his wife had been cheating on him. If one person in a relationship is cheating on the other, and the other discovers it, what should the couple do?
14. Analysis: If you have lived in one of the infected towns in the movie, how would you have reacted?
15. Dialogue analysis: Alan Krumwiede claims that drug companies use tragedies to turn a profit. Do you believe this to be true? Why or why not?
16. Analysis: Dr. Sussman who discovered the virus could have turned it for his own profit, but did not. Do you think that most people would have behaved this way? Yes or no and why?
17. Analysis: Dr. Cheever is concerned about Dr. Mears. Do you think that most people in charge have this much concern for their employees? Yes or no and why?
18. Analysis: Dr. Orantes is kidnapped. What would be your principal concern if you were taken as a hostage?