TGIMMlimit1

October 12

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, October 12, Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LUKE 17:11-19

“Realize” and Thankfulness

Prayerthoughts

a. In Jesus’s day, leprosy was a disease for which there was no cure. There are a number of instances like leprosy in our world. How do I treat those who are handicapped in some way?

b. One of my prayers should be the idea of my own sinfulness, saying “Have pity on me.” Do I reflect on my sinfulness enough (but not too much)?

c. Jesus instructs the lepers to show themselves to the priests, which was the law of the Israelites. Do I show sufficient respect for the law of our country and our Church?

d. Maybe the most important word in this story is the word “realize.” Have I made an effort to continually realize the importance of what the Lord has done for me?

e. The central thought for the passage is the thought of thankfulness. Do I spend enough time thanking the Lord for those things that I realize?

f. In the passage, it is a Samaritan, another “religion” who gives thanks. Do I think of other religions as men and women seeking their salvation through their understanding of God?

g. The leper’s faith led him to salvation. Do I show my faith often enough to others?

h. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read 2 Timothy 2:8-13 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

BEING THANKFUL

+ The first reading is the closing part of the story of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army and enemy of the Israelite nation

- the complete story is in chapter 5 of the second book of Kings

- great soldier, suffered from a dreaded skin disease, probably leprosy

- he heard about Elisha the prophet from a Israelite slave of his wife

- he got permission from his king to go seek out this Elisha

- he did, and all Elisha did was tell him to wash in the Jordan river

- but Naaman was a proud man, and wanted to follow what he thought was right—and he did not think that the Jordan river was any better than his own rivers

- so he at first refused, but was finally convinced by his servants

- and did as the first reading says

- and then a most important point for us—Naaman recognized what happened and went back to Elisha after the cure and said “thank you”

- he even took two loads of dirt from Israel so that he could always thank the God of Israel on Israel’s own soil even while he was in his own land

+ The Gospel contains a similar idea: Jesus cures 10 lepers, and one comes back to thank Jesus

- all ten were cured

- but that is not the point of the story

- the point was that only one was cured AND received salvation

- and that was because of the person’s faith

- that is, that the person recognized what happened, came back to say “thank you”

- his thankfulness led to his salvation

+ The Gospel story and first reading may very well be a symbol of what is happening with us in our world

- God indeed is at work

- grace is always present in every situation

- even with things that seem bad and evil, good comes out of them

- God is alive and well, even in the most despairing of circumstances

- but that which brings salvation is that we recognize it

- and the way we recognize it is by saying “thank you”

+ The obvious application to today’s readings is that we have to say “thank you” to someone

- and who is that “someone” that we should thank?

- first, we must say “thank you” to God

- I believe that there is really only one kind of prayer

- and that is the prayer of thanksgiving

- here is the reasoning: we begin with the thought that God only gives good and therefore, everything is a gift from God:

- no matter what happens, it is a good

- whether we ask for it or not, whether you are a believer or not, no matter what the circumstance, God only gives good

- in fact, no matter what has happened in our lives, if we are observant, we can see how God has brought good out of it

- that is difficult for us to believe because our problem is that we can’t see the overall picture, while God does

- it means that we must thank God

- one of the drawbacks of our favorite memorized prayers—the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be—is that there is no direct statement of “thank you” to God in them

- granted the idea of gratitude is implied, but it is not stated directly

- and I believe that we should say it directly—I suggest that you add it to your daily formal prayers

- I add it to the “Glory be” when I pray it privately by beginning the prayer “Glory and thanksgiving be…”

+ Not only must we say “thank you” to God

- we also must say “thank you” to others for what they do for us or for others

- Naaman went back to Elisha to say it

- the one leper went back to Jesus to say it

- there are probably some people in our lives right now that we should thank

- one of our Christian tasks is to discover who they are, and send them a card, or a phone call, or a gift

+ There is an old Irish saying that goes “Thankful people need not look for God, because God has already found them.”

- our liturgy today talks of recognizing what God has done for us

- and the way we recognize it is by being thankful

- it leads to our salvation, which is what we all want.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Limitless" -- beginning session

OUR DESIRE TO BE LIMITLESS

The Gospel

LUKE 12:1

Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. [Jesus] began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees."

Gospelthink: I warned my disciples to stay away from hypocrisy. Am I honest in the way I lead my life?

Being "limitless" in what we can do is the obvious thought of the movie "Limitless." At some time in Eddie Morra's life, he realized that he was very limited in what he was doing. He wanted to become a writer, but it seemed that nothing was happening in his brain. In the course of his wanderings, his ex-brother-in-law gave him an amazing pill. It was not a narcotic or anything that was usually considered a "drug," but it did amazing things to his mind. He finished his novel at break-neck speed, he won at poker, outsmarted the investment market, becoming a Wall Street expert, made loads of money, won over a woman who had rejected him, and in general, he knew how to handle every situation well. He was indeed "limitless," but like any drug, the pill known as NZT-48 was addictive in its own way. Gradually, Eddie experienced the other effects of the pill.

The dictionary defines "leaven" to be "a substance used to make dough rise." Jesus understood it to be something that took over a person's life in a complete way. Hypocrisy in Jesus's mind was the leaven that controlled the Pharisees. In terms of modern culture, it might be called a "drug," a substance that altered the thinking and actions of the people who took it.

NZT-48, the drug that Eddie Morra took was like leaven. It completely altered his life, and made him aware of things that he had never been aware of before. But he also found that after he took it, he needed to have it. He needed to have it not because it was something his body craved, but because he liked the power and the pleasure it gave him. Like leaven the desire for power and pleasure spread throughout his very being, becoming more important to him than anything else in his world. He loved the feeling of being limitless, and would do anything to keep it.

Such a feeling is the desire of human nature. In one way or another, our human natures desire to be limitless--we want the power and pleasure that will give us what we want. It is the reason why people take illegal drugs; it is the reason why people disregard the direction of their consciences. Basically, we want the feeling, and we will often sacrifice anything to get the feeling.

Jesus realized what direction our human natures might lead. He could easily see how hypocrisy and desire for power controlled the religious leaders of his time. And so he warned his followers, telling them in essence to study their desires closely. Like leaven, those desires can completely overtake us, and so we must accept the guidance that Jesus gives to keep everything in proper perspective.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we continue to struggle with our desires and feelings. They lead us in a direction that can often be harmful. Help us recognize the importance of choosing the guidance of your Son in all that we do. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We all have a desire to be limitless with our lives, and we must also take into account how much we are willing to sacrifice to achieve it.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 49 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. Luke the evangelist contrasts the great size of the crowd with "small" attitude of the religious leaders. From your knowledge of Scripture, what should have been the principal characteristics of the religious leaders of Jesus's time?
3. Hypocrisy might be defined to be "surface respectability." Give your own definition of "hypocrisy."
4. In your opinion, is hypocrisy a problem in today's world? Yes or no and why?
5. In our world, what evils "take over" people's lives?
6. Our modern culture in many ways is a "drug culture." What are the principal illegal drugs that are used in our society? In your opinion, which one is the most evil?
7. How should a Christian view the drugs that are used in our society? (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, number 2291)
8. Speaking in a general way, in your opinion, what would people want most if they could do or have anything they wanted?
9. Eddie Morra wanted power and pleasure more than anything else. In today's world, how do people attain more power and pleasure in a legal way?
10. Christian doctrine would say that attaining power and pleasure even legally could be wrong. Why?
11. What do you think is the "proper perspective" that the meditation refers to? What is the principal guideline that Jesus gives in order to "keep everything in proper perspective"?
12. Scene analysis: The movie opens with Eddie Morra contemplating suicide. What are the causes of suicide in our society, and what can the person who is contemplating it do about it?
13. Scene analysis: "Having sex" outside of marriage is presented in the movie and other movies as something that happens a lot. Do you believe that it happens often in real life? Yes or no and why? Do you believe that this has an affect on the young people who watch the movies? Yes or no and why?
14. Dialogue analysis: As Eddie reflects on his taking the NZT-48, he asks the question: "Was it worth the risk? What would you do?" What would you do if you were in Eddie's position?
15. Scene analysis: Eddie borrows money from someone. When should a person borrow money from the bank or others?