March 6

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, March 6, Lent II

MATTHEW 21:33-43,45-46

You should look at the possibility of your rejecting my teaching.

Prayerthoughts
a. God has “leased” us the body we have. Do I take care of my body the way I should?

b. God demands that we repay some of what we have produced in the form of money or the like. Have I given a significant amount of my income, say 10% to God, in the form of a Church or some charity or the poor?

c. An important part of Jesus’s parable are the servants that God sends. Spoken to the religious leaders of the times, Jesus was referring to how they treated God’s messengers. How well do I listen to the directives of God as spoken by the religious leaders in my life?

d. In allegorical language, Jesus refers to what will happen to him at the end of his life. Do I spend time in meditation on how Jesus was treated, and how I treat him in the person of others?

e. Jesus refers to hell as the outcome of those who disregard God. Without judging myself too much, have I asked for forgiveness for the times I have disregarded God’s directives?

f. There are “other people” in the world who are truly following God’s Will who are not part of my religious beliefs. Do I treat all religions with the respect that is their due?

g. The chief priests and Pharisees realized that Jesus was speaking about them. Do I understand that Jesus’s words are directed to me as well as others?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Genesis 3:3-4,12-13a, 17b-28a, and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

SELFISHNESS AND REJECTION

+ There are two stories to consider in the readings today

- the story of Joseph and the story of Jesus concerning the vineyard

- both stories portray selfishness on the part of the perpetrators of crime

- the perpetrators wanted revenge and money—their own way

- in both, the important person—Joseph and the son—are almost killed or killed outright

- Jesus applies the story that he tells (and therefore Joseph’s story in a way)—to the Hebrew nation

- saying to the Hebrew religious leaders that they are the ones who are rejecting what God has in mind

- and in Matthew’s Gospel, the reason why he is condemned and executed

+ There are a couple of things to consider here:

1 – the selfishness of Joseph’s brothers and the selfishness of the tenant farmers of Jesus’ story

- selfishness continues to be the problem with the evil of our world

- clear on an international level with the way people sacrifice principles for profit

- clear on the national level with the same thing and the whole corporate American commercialism and consumerism- but especially on the personal level—our concern for our spiritual life- it brings out the necessity of time for personal reflection- it is good spiritual practice to automatically assume that there is selfishness in our lives and set out to do something about it, to find it, and work on it

2 – the Kingdom is taken away from the people who were the chosen people

- in many ways, we are the new chosen people

- we believe that Jesus redeemed us

- and therefore Christians now are chosen to enjoy God’s Presence forever

- good for us to listen to Jesus as he tells the original chosen people that they are no longer chosen

- because they have rejected him—Jesus, just as Joseph and the son of Jesus’ story were rejected

- you and I could be rejecting Jesus in a small way by jealousy and other judgments and the like

+ Therefore, two areas of our concern today:

- the selfishness we all have

- and the possibility that we are actually turning away from God even as we profess that we are staying close to God.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Jurassic World" -- final session

ALL OF GOD'S CREATURES

The Gospel

LUKE 12:22-24

Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!"

Gospelthink: God takes care of you in every way. Do I always acknowledge the good that God has done for me?

The new Jurassic World theme park in the movie named after it had been open to the public for a number of years. One of the primary thoughts running through the movie is the respect for and/or disrespect for the animals that had been created or manufactured by the inventors of the Park. In fact, Owen Grady, a veteran of the United States Navy had been employed to care for the different dinosaurs that were in the park. He managed to have a rapport with the animals under his care. He was even able to train (as much as they could be trained) Velocirapters to follow his directions. One can sense his respect for the creatures, even though they remained extremely dangerous. Likewise he was able to sense exactly what would happen if a dinosaur known as Indominus Rex, even bigger than the T Rex, was invented.

Respect for animals does not specifically appear in the Gospels, although Jesus evidently had to be around animals during his time with us on earth. He took part in Temple services, prayed the Hebrew Scriptures which are full of animal references, he rode donkeys, and he used animals in his stories. In one place, as he was speaking about the care that God has for us, Jesus considers the birds and ravens that were part of his culture. He obviously had a respect for animals since he worked with them much of his time on earth.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to respect of animals with the straightforward statement that "Animals are God's creatures." God surrounds them with providential care. By their mere existence they bless God and give God glory. Thus men owe them kindness (number 2416).

The fact is that animals are a bridge of sorts to human beings. If we are kind to animals, we should generally speaking be kind to people. As Jesus mentions when he speaks of birds and ravens, God cares for them, but we are so much more important than birds. As a result of God's care for animals we should be learning that God also cares for us, and in turn we should be caring for others--animals and humans.

Owen Grady cared for the animals under his care, even the very dangerous ones, treating them with the respect they deserved. As a result, he could understand the respect that he had to have for human beings as well. We are all God's creatures; we must give our respect to every living creation of God.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, You have given us the directive to honor and respect all creatures, even animals who do not have reasoning power. Give us the grace to show the deepest respect for every creature that You have made. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: One of the virtues that a Christian must show is a respect for all creatures, even animals.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 60 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In the Gospel passage, Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs. He is warning that they should not be the product of too much anxious care or becoming their slave. In general, do you think that we worry too much about our lives? Yes or no and why?
3. "Worry" is truly a human problem, and may be one of the strongest emotions that we have. What can be done to lessen our worries?
4. In your opinion, what is the greatest worry of human beings?
5. Do you agree with the meditation that Jesus had to have a respect for animals? Yes or no and why?
6. How do animals "bless God" and "give God glory"?
7. Do you agree that most of the time kindness to animals leads to kindness of people? Yes or no and why?
8. In what way does God care for us?
9. Sometimes, we must kill animals, as in the movie. Is this showing disrespect for them? Yes or no and why? (See Catechism, number 2415.)
10. Scene analysis: Owen is forced to use Hoskins' plan and send the Velocirapters after Indominus Rex. In your opinion, should Owen have agreed to do it? Yes or no and why?
11. Scene analysis: the dinosaurs communicate with each other. In your opinion, can animals communicate with each other? With human beings? Why or why not?
12. Scene analysis: the dinosaurs fight with each other. Do you think that generally speaking it is wrong to force animals to fight one another? Why or why not?
13. Analysis: What effect would the events of the movie have on the people who were visiting at the Park?
14. What does the movie "Jurassic World" teach young people?