TGIMMjurassic2

October 14

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Monday, October 14

LUKE 11:29-32
The Scribes and Pharisees would not read the signs, especially the sign to repent.

Prayerthoughts
a. People wanted a sign from Jesus that he was God even though he did so many things that proved it. Am I a sign that Jesus is God by the way I act, think and my words?

b. Jesus points out the story of Jonah, the part where he finally did do what God wanted him to do, and the people turned to repentance. Do I frequently ask for forgiveness of my sins and faults and want to do something about them?

c. Jesus also refers to the Queen of Sheba in first book of Kings. She found the wisdom of Solomon amazing. Do I seek the wisdom of Jesus’s teachings in everything that I do?

d. Jesus points out that he is greater than Jonah or Solomon. As I consider the people and things that are influential in my life, do I place Jesus as my principal influence?

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read the letter to the Galatians, chapter 4

and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

JESUS IS GREATER

+ Both readings give us the conclusion of the importance of Jesus in our spiritual lives

- 1^streading from Galatians: Jesus is different from and more important than even the Mosaic law

- 2^nd, the Gospel: Jesus. greater than even the patriarchs of the Hebrew Scriptures, who calls us to repentance and wisdom

+ There are a number of applications for the spiritual person in the readings, I believe:

1 – from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul was very much worried about people extolling the Jewish law too much

- and his point is that Jesus is the law now

- Jesus who in John’s Gospel is described as way, truth and life

- Jesus Christ should be that for us

2 – from the Gospel, Jesus calls our attention to the Jonah story

- in particular, that part of it that deals with repentance

- that, after fighting with God about it, Jonah finally goes to Nineveh, calling for repentance, and the Ninevites do it

- Jesus is greater than Jonah

- if Jonah got the Ninevites to repent, then we are called to repentance by Jesus himself

- we must see the fact that we sin and really desire to do something about it

3 – from the Gospel again, Jesus is also greater than Solomon

- Solomon, whom the Queen of the South praised for his wisdom

- wisdom which he asked for more than anything else

- we must read the New Testament to discover that wisdom of Jesus and try to put it into our lives

4 – one more thing from the Gospel

- both the Queen of the South and the Ninevites were non-Jews

- Jesus is saying to the Jewish people: learn something from the non-Jews

- and translated to us right now—we can learn from all sources, not just Christian

+ In the liturgy today, Jesus is once again presented as central to our faith and acceptance of what he did and said is absolutely necessary.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Jurassic World" -- beginning session

MORE TEETH

The Gospel

MATTHEW 22:24-26

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?”

Gospelthink: I want you to follow what I tell you and not follow the ways of the world. How well am I following the Lord's directions?

The inventors of the Jurassic World theme park were in it for the business, of course. As the Park continued to attract visitors, the company responsible for its continued existence, Masrani Global Corporation who owned the genetic company InGens, knew that the Park was losing attraction. As Claire the Operations Manager of the Park tells the potential advertisers, the Park needed "more teeth." In light of that, the geneticists who created the dinosaurs chose to create Indominus Rex, a dinosaur even larger and more ferocious than T Rex.

When those who worked in the theme part Jurassic World noticed that they were losing business, they set their hearts on doing something about it. They knew the makeup of human nature; they knew that the public wanted more of everything, more attractions, more dinosaurs, more excitement, more relevance, more frightening things, bigger dinosaurs, or as Claire, the operations manager said, "more teeth."

Jesus knew that human desires resolved around the idea of having more. Human beings often believe that having more will make them more important, make them better in the world, not only richer, but more powerful. Therefore he told us quite plainly what we should be searching for in life--not more of anything, actually "less." Whoever loses his life, he tells us, will find it. That is, the less proud we are, the less we think about our selves and our wants, the better off we will be.

It is not the way of the world. The world has convinced our human natures that more is better. Our economy depends on it. The world wants us to want "more teeth." The world has told us that if we do not have more than someone else, the latest of everything, the best of everything, indeed more of everything, our lives will be less important than they are now. We will be left behind, not popular, not "with it" or the like.

Jesus is not saying that we cannot have any material goods as we strive to grow in the spiritual life. He is saying that material goods have a tendency to dominate any growth at all, and therefore we must be very careful about our desires to have "more." In life, he tells us, "more" is not only not better; "more" may actually be the worst of all.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, it is almost a "given" that we will always want more of everything in our material world. Give us the grace to listen to Your Son and eventually realize what it is that really helps us be better people. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We often hurt ourselves and others because our human natures tend to want more of everything.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 60 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2.As we study the Gospel, denying oneself means disowning ourselves as the center of existence. Why is this so difficult for the human being?
3. In your opinion, do most Christians truly follow Jesus Christ? Yes or no and why?
4. What are some examples of human beings wanting more of everything?
5. In your opinion, what would happen to our world if we would follow what Jesus said with regard to "losing our life"?
6. What is your definition of the spiritual life?
7. Scene analysis: In general is it good to send the kids "away" as the parents are working toward a divorce? Yes or no and why?
8. Analysis: why did Claire evacuate only a part of the park when Indominus Rex escaped, and not the whole park?
9. Analysis: in your opinion could dangerous animals like the Velocirapters and Indominus Rex be used in military operations? Yes or no and why?
10. Are the action scenes in the movie too explicit for younger audiences? Yes or no and why?