athew2

September 22

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Tuesday, September 22

LUKE 8:19-21

My Word should be important in your life.

Prayerthoughts
a. Jesus was obviously close to his family. Go through your close family members right now and determine whether you are as good to them as you should be. What can you do to better your relationship?

b. Is there some family relationship, either close or otherwise, that I should improve?

c. Two things are necessary concerning the Word of God. First, I must listen to it. Have I worked out a pattern to listen to the Word of God daily?

d. Then, of course, I must act on that Word. What areas of my life right now could I improve?

e. The essential thought for today's reading is that we often place other things to be more important than the Word of God. What are the important things in my life right now, and does the Word of God compare in importance to them?

f. My prayerthoughts...

Today, I will read Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE WORD OF GOD: A PRIORITY

+ The Gospel is sometimes looked at as an insult of sorts directed at his mother and close relatives

- but it is rather a statement about what should be a priority in our Christian lives

- listening to the word of God and acting on it is the important thing in life

- even more important than family and friends

+ It is not an easy directive to follow in today’s world

- we look at a number of things as really important

- and family and friends would be close to the top of our importance list

- and the point that should be made is that usually our Christian activity is no where near the top of our lists of important things

- if you were asked about the most important thing that you do today, will it be attending Mass this morning, listening to the word of God, and trying to put it into practice throughout the day?

- probably, for most people, it wouldn’t be

+ The book of Proverbs is full of things that we should consider a priority, and today’s reading is no exception

- listen to these statements and let it be a meditation for us:

- the king’s heart is like a stream in the hand of the Lord; have we placed our hearts in the hand of the Lord?

- would all of our actions be approved by the Lord?

- sacrifice is acceptable to the Lord, but doing what is right and just is more acceptable: are we striving to do that?

- are we haughty in the way we conduct ourselves?

- are we as diligent as we should be?

- lies come back to hurt those who tell them: are we into lies?

- a wicked man desires evil; is there evil in our lives that we should take care of?

- there is a difference between arrogance and wisdom: is there a touch of arrogance in our lives as we strive to be wise?

- the just brings the wicked to ruin; are we trying to understand what is wicked and what is good?

- have we shut our ears to the cry of the poor of the world?

+ There are many things that we give a high importance to in our living and acting

- the question for us: is understanding what the word of God should mean for us that high in importance?

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "The Woman King" -- final session
A GOOD YOUNG ADULT

The Gospel

LUKE 2:39-40

When Mary and Joseph had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Gospelthink: My early life was a normal earthly life, growing and learning.

In the fight with the Oyo after Nawi was captured, Nanisca, Nawi's mother and the leader of the Agojie made the decision to rescue her. In the meantime, Nawi befriended one of the slave traders, the half-Dahomean Malik who managed to give Nawi her freedom from the slave traders. Going directly against the orders of King Ghezo, Nanisca with a group of like-minded warriors set out to rescue Nawi. With the help of Malik, they managed to do so and the triumphant Agojie return to Dahomey, where Ghezo privately admonished Nanisca before crowing her the "Woman King." Nanisca and Nawi privately acknowledged their familial relationship.

How would Jesus have lived in his earlier years? The Scriptures do not tell us very much about his time when he was growing up early in his life. No doubt his living was the same as the other young people of his time--learning to love and obey, how to pray in the Synagogue, how to act, why to act a particular way, and what he could do in the future. According to Luke the Evangelist, Jesus prepared in a special way because as he tells us, Jesus was "filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him." Jesus was no doubt studying what kind of future he might have and realizing what was needed.

Nawi in the movie "The Woman King" did not have that type of preparation. She did not know her real father and mother; she grew up to be such an independent child that her foster father could not control her, eventually giving her to be trained by the Agojie because she would not marry. Only later in the movie do we discover that Nawi was the actual daughter of the Woman King Nanisca.

We do not know of their relationship after the discovery save for Nanisca's rescue of Nawi from the slave traders. But from the last scenes we are led to believe that it was a good relationship, one in which Nawi could grow into a special daughter and good young adult.

It is of immense importance that the young people of our world grow up in a wholesome family situation. Just about every song and movie that describes "evil" later in life traces back the evil person's origin to a poor family life. Why is that?

It is a relatively easy answer to find. The developing young mind must have a certain amount of stability in order to grow. As a delicate flower must have the proper environment, so the young person must have the necessary atmosphere to learn about life and love, freedom and responsibility. If the young people do not experience a stable basis for their growth, they will enter adulthood wounded.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, our lives are often difficult lives because of how we react to the circumstances of life. Give us the grace to understand how to prepare ourselves for a good future life. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Growing up with a loving family is the best preparation for a happy life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 63 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. What does the movie "The Woman King" teach young people?
3. Most Scripture scholars contend that Jesus did nothing "miraculous" when he was young. Do you agree with that assessment? Why or why not?
4. Give your own definition of an "independent child."
5. Give an example from the media of someone "evil" who had a very poor upbringing.
6. What virtues should a Christian young person develop as he/she matures?