http://www.frmikescully.com/TGIMMOctober1.htm October 1 Gospelthink Wednesday, October 1 LUKE 9:57-62 The Follower of Jesus. Prayerthoughts a. “I will follow you wherever you go.” The statement was presumably sincere. What about my following of the Lord? Is it clear by my words, thoughts and actions that I have followed the Lord? Go through my day yesterday to see how true my intentions are to follow the Lord. b. Jesus speaks of the itinerant nature of discipleship. If we follow the Lord as a disciple, it is all-embracing. There will never be a moment in which we are not a disciple. As I study my life, have there been moments when I was not a true disciple of Jesus? c. Those around him knew of the obligation to bury the dead which was an obligation of the highest importance, but being a follower of Jesus is even more important than that. As I study the different “obligations” that I have, do I place “following the precepts of Jesus” as high as it should be? d. Those around him knew the obligation of family presence, but preaching the Kingdom is even more important than that. But the obligation to family still exists. Are there some people of my immediate families that I should pay more attention to? e. What are the principal characteristics of a “follower of Jesus” in today’s world? f. My prayerthoughts… Today I will read Nehemiah 2:1-8 and write an important thought from it. +++++ Some Thoughts on the Liturgy A TRUE FOLLOWER OF GOD + One of the challenges we all have is to live in the world - and at the same time live as a true follower of God - the readings today can be viewed as what a true follower of God must do while remaining in the world
+ From the first reading - the true follower of God will risk for the sake of God - Nehemiah risked the king’s wrath to get what he wanted - which was really what God wanted - to work on rebuilding Jerusalem - the follower of God in today’s world will risk some things in order to follow God - that is, for the good of others, for the good of our own little world, that is, to make it a better place
+ From the Gospel - the follower of Jesus will have some difficult times - no where to lay his head, that is, interpreted in twenty-first century thought, putting up with difficulties - letting the dead bury their own dead, that is, sacrificing some things for the sake of proclaiming the Kingdom - sometimes it is a difficult thing to be a true Christian in our world, to proclaim the Kingdom, to preach his Word whether by word or action - being a true follower of Jesus will involve effort on our parts - putting your hand to the plow and not looking back on what could have been - we like easy living - and the person who really wants to be a Christian must be one who spends some effort at it - that is, praying, reading Scripture, helping others
+ The follower of God or Jesus - must live in the world, make his/her living in the world - but at the same time really work at doing the work of God while they are here. |
MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" -- beginning session HAVING THE POWER
JOHN 19:9-16
Pilate went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, Where are you from? Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you? Jesus answered him, You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin. Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; He said to the Jews, Behold, your King! They cried out, Take him away, take him away! Crucify him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
Gospelthink: Pilate would not use the power he had to release Jesus. Do I use any power I have for the good of others?
The movie begins with a show of power that an advanced AI named The Entity can cause, and the reason why different groups of people desire it. It is activated by a two-piece cruciform key, and different groups throughout the movie are trying their best to obtain the key or at least one part of the key. The heroes of the IMF team, Ethan Hunt, Luther Stikell, and Benji Dunn were following the desires of their Agency. They invested the help of Ilsa Faust, a disavowed MI6 agent and eventually Grace, a professional thief. Together they fought off the different world powers who wanted control of the Entity. They end up in Rome, and then Venice as they battle Gabriel, a sadistic Entity liaison.
As one studies the Romans throughout their time in early history, and especially around the time of Jesus, we have to be struck by their desire for power. They wanted control of every situation, and they killed in order to get it. Pilate was that way, even though the Scriptures are more inclined to be easier on him than they are for the religious leaders who had the greater sin. Understanding his power, Pilate tells Jesus that he Pilate has the power to control life. Significantly, Jesus reminds Pilate and all of us that any power we have comes ultimately from above, that is God.
One of the common themes of adventure movies, and certainly the theme of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is the desire for more power. It is clear that the Entity with its AI component can easily destroy, and a group of people who wants control, would dearly love to have it. Hence, the search for its key in the movie.
It is relatively easy to see the desire for power present in the movie and all the so-called adventure movies. But because we are so close to our own situation, it is difficult to see our own desire for power. In practically every situation that is more or less harmful to ourselves and to others, desire for power comes into play. There is little doubt that most evil is the result of selfishness, perhaps the premier sin, but closely connected with it is the idea of power. We want control because it will satisfy us, and the way to maintain control is by power over the situation.
The person interested in the spiritual life must study her/his motivation when it comes to pursuing their own desires and likes. There is a direct proportion between say, failed marriages or failure of any good pursuit and the desire on behalf of the parties involved for power. We like to be in control, no matter what the situation may be.
We may not be as evil as Gabriel in the movie, but if we continually try to be in control, we may discover how much we enjoy the power.
PRAYER Good and gracious God, in many ways we are selfish people. It is so true that we like to be in control. Help us recognize our own desire for power, and any decision we may make to control it more. Be with us, we pray.
+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
2. In the different parts of the world, where do you see the most desire for power? 3. What is the best control for weapons like the Entity ? 4. Do you agree with the meditation that selfishness is the premier sin ? Yes or no and why? 5. Do you agree that most failures in any pursuit are the result of desire for control? Yes or no and why? 6. Why does the desire for control of a situation always end up poorly?
Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike
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Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
