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October 7

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Wednesday, October 7

LUKE 11:1-4

I teach you a very important prayer.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus once again is in prayer as he is so often in the Gospels. In my prayer life, am I spending enough time thinking directly of the Lord and what he has done for me?

b. We want to know “how to pray” as the Apostles asked Jesus. Jesus gives an “informal prayer,” that is one un-memorized, a prayer from the heart. Studying prayer might be helpful, perhaps the Catechism's presentation, numbers 2558 ff.

c. The first part of Jesus’s prayer is praise of God. Do I praise the Lord enough for all the good things of the world and my life?

d. The second part is a prayer of petition. In my prayer of petition, do I spend too much time on myself rather than others?

e. The Lord calls us to pray for ourselves, in which we should ask for our “daily bread,” that is, the Lord’s help as we live our day today. As I look at my day today or tomorrow, when can I seek the Lord’s presence more?

f. In the prayer for ourselves, the Lord tells us to forgive. First of all, we must ask for forgiveness, that is, we must recognize our sinfulness. What especially should I show sorrow for in my life?

g. Part of the forgiveness is forgiving others. Do I criticize other’s imperfections too much in my thoughts or words?

h. Finally, the Lord says that we should pray for protection from the evil around us. Have I allowed the love of material things take over too much of my thinking?

i. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read Galatians 2:1-2,7-14 and write an important thought from it.

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Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE OUR FATHER

+ In the letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, today’s reading, Paul is referring to the so-called “Council of Jerusalem” found described in Acts 15

- here it is told from Paul’s point of view as he is justifying himself to the Galatians

- an indication of how the early church had to struggle with Jewish laws

- even Peter was wrong, and even Paul later on

- all of this indicating the growing pains of the new church

+ One thing that the new church had to do was pray

- Luke recalls his own rendition of what we have come to call the “Our Father”

- as we go about our daily lives, the “concepts” of the prayer are extremely important, since they are Jesus’s thoughts on the way we should pray

- praise of God

- acknowledgment that God is much more important than we are

- and that we want to follow the thoughts of the Kingdom that Jesus taught

- therefore, the importance of formal prayer—as we are doing here

- petitioning God, but at the same time working toward that end

- praying that the virtues of the Kingdom will be ours

- praying for sustenance even as we work for sustenance

- praying against temptation/sin even as we make efforts to stay away from sin

- petitioning God especially for forgiveness even as we work toward it

- acknowledging the fact that we sin before God

- we really do make mistakes

- and we know that others do too, and so we are willing to forgive them

+ This shorter form of the prayer is probably closer to Jesus’s words (than Matthew’s in the Sermon on the Mount)

- and the prayer itself is a significant prayer close to Jesus’s exact words, and therefore a prayer that should never be said without thought, although it is so well-known that we do just that

- make it a practice to recite it with thought

+ Paul recalls the struggles of the early church which was to struggle even more

- if only prayer were more of a guiding force throughout the centuries, the church would have fared better than it did.

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Jumanji: The Next Level" -- final session

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH LOVE OF ENEMIES

The Gospel

MATTHEW 5:43-45

Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust."

Gospelthink: I desire that you get along with everyone, even those you do not like. Am I doing it?

The friends of Spencer finally found him in the avatar of a female cat burglar in the game of Jumanji. Discovering a way to change avatars, the original players each discovered what they could do. But Spencer's grandfather Eddie and former partner Milo had been brought into the game with the original players. They got into an argument about their work in the restaurant business in real life that ended violently. Then after the group was joined by two other players who were friends of theirs in real life, Eddie and Milo finally reconcile. Milo explained to Eddie that he was terminally ill and wished to make amends with Eddie before he died. The group change avatars again, and eventually Spencer rekindled his relationship with Martha. The seven eventually must go through a number of situations in order to obtain the jewel which that finally did. Once they were free to go home, Milo decided to stay in the game, while Eddie thanked him for his friendship.

If there is one doctrine that sets Christianity apart from other major religions, it would probably be "love of enemies." Jesus makes it clear that we must not only tolerate or put up with those who dislike us, but we must love them. No other religious leader has ever said that; it is a totally unique doctrine. And it is likewise well documented in history and even in the present day that most Christians have not followed this doctrine as well as they should have.

In any given situation among human beings, almost always there will be an instance of disagreement and hatred among them. It is almost inevitable that someone somehow will upset another. In a sense, they become enemies, and in general, will avoid one another. Such was the case between Eddie and Milo in the movie "Jumanji: The Next Level." Like so many people who had worked together at one time, they grew to hate one another because of some reason, and they became irreconcilable.

It is significant how the two made up their differences. Together with the other people who were trapped in the game with them, they had to undergo all kinds of difficulties as they "played" the game. That could have caused them to see how petty their dislike of each other was. But that did not do it. They made up by talking, plain old communication. They both explained what had happened between them when Milo finally made up his mind to do something about his dislike of Eddie.

Given any disagreement, the situation can be "made better" simply by talking with one another. Perhaps there must be further action after the initial communication, but any reconciliation must begin with the desire to talk it out.

It is an important fact to learn for the Christian. Jesus makes it clear that his doctrine includes love of enemies, love of people that we do not like or those who do not like us. Love is what he counsels. It begins with a true understanding of how each feels, something that can only be attained by communication.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son told me that I must love those that I do not like for whatever reason. Help me hear Him a little better than I am doing at the present time. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Even a deep hatred between people who were friends at one time can be resolved.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 57 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. What does the movie "Jumanji: The Next Level" teach young people?
3. In what areas of our world do we see a true love of enemies?
4. In your opinion, are there any other doctrines besides love of enemies that other religions do not share?
5. In your opinion, what is the principal reason for hatred of others?
6. Why is it so difficult to communicate with another, especially one that we know well?