TGIMMconta1

March 13

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, March 13, Lent III

LUKE 11:14-23

I tell the religious leaders and you that the Kingdom of God is upon you.

Prayerthoughts
a. The Lord was in control of the evil. I too am in control of the evil in my life if I call upon the Lord to help. Do I continually call on the Lord to be present in my life?

b. Some people misunderstood Jesus whether deliberately or not. Am I patient with the people who do not understand what I am trying to accomplish?

c. Jesus realized the fact that nothing can be accomplished if a group is divided. In general, do I try to bring about unity in the places where I am?

d. Other people were exorcists in Jesus time. Jesus controls evil by the hand of God. Is it evident by my life that I call on God in what I do?

e. As I study the good and evil in my life, can I show evidence, say yesterday, that I have chosen the good?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Hosea 14:2-10 and write
an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

UNDERSTANDING JESUS’S LAW

+ Jesus saw that the scribe answered with understanding

- one of the virtues of this Lenten season that should be part of our prayer of petition when we pray for ourselves is the virtue of “understanding”

- Hosea says in today’s first reading: “Let him who is wise understand these things.”

- “these things” refer to different things of religion that Hosea wanted the Israelites to understand

+ Our readings today can be studied with the idea of what should we understand:

- 1 – the idea of asking for forgiveness comes up again, as it does so often in Sacred Scripture

- we must understand that we really have sinned

- those are not words that we just say—we really have sinned in thought, word and deed, and we should be doing something about it

- the Sacrament of Reconciliation, doing extra penance, making God more available in our daily living, making the stations, extra prayer, etc. should be part of our Lenten considerations

2 – we should not be saying “our god” to the work of our hands

- we have to truly recognize that the first commandment is and must be: our God is God in heaven and not our modern life

- we say in one form or another “our god” to our modern technology and entertainment

- but we can’t “adore” them, that is, attach more to them than to the really important things in life

3 – the insight of the answer of the scribe in Mark’s Gospel is that even more important that burnt offerings and sacrifices is the love of God and neighbor

- that is, translated to 21^st century religious thought, bringing God into daily life and honestly loving other human beings is more important than going to church

- obviously “church” is something that should enhance the love of God and love of neighbor

- but if for some reason we have to choose between going to church and loving God in our neighbor, we ought to choose to love neighbor

- such was the insight that Jesus praised

+ We shouldn’t pass the thought that this Gospel passage basically changes the whole thrust of the law of God for the Christian

- our guide is no longer the ten commandments given to Moses, as good as they might have been

- our guide now is the two-fold directive of Jesus that covers every situation imaginable, and is significantly more difficult than Moses’ laws

- love of God implies love of neighbor and both constitute true worship

+ Our spiritual lives will grow if we learn understanding

- it is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and one of the gifts that should guide our lives.

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's 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?