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[Jesus
said,] "When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed;
such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. Nation will
rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These are
the beginnings of the labor pains. Watch out for yourselves. They will
hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in
synagogues. You will be arraigned before
governors and kings because of me, as a witness before them. But the gospel must first be preached to all
nations. When they lead you away and
hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at that
hour. For it will not be you who are
speaking but the holy Spirit."
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Before
he was caught in the act of espionage, Robert Hannsen, the subject of
the movie "Breach" realized that something was not right.
Unfortunately,
he did not consider his deviant behavior or betraying his country to be
"not right"; he was still intent on achieving what he
wanted, namely,
to continue his espionage activity and his role as a double agent. That
which was not right in his mind was a lack of trust that he sensed from
his employers. The
only way to bring him down, FBI agent Eric O'Neill realized, was to
allow "trust" to build. Consequently, he built up the trust that Robert
Hannsen had in him, so much so that in the end, he could be captured
because he had finally placed his total trust in Eric. Trust was
important to
Robert Hannsen. Even though it was not what he should have been
concentrating on in his life, the importance of trust is portrayed even
among the most hardened of criminals.
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"I
need to know if I can trust you," Robert Hannsen tells undercover agent
Eric O'Neill in
the movie "Breach," a movie based on a true story. He needed to know
because every human being must
have "trust" in someone or something. Ultimately, it was what led to
Robert Hannsen's capture, and transcending from the circumstances of
the movie, "trust in someone" is one of the basic desires of human
nature.
Chapter 13 of Mark's Gospel is called by Scripture scholars "apocalyptic Scripture," that is, literature which uses the vehicle of visions to present a view of history. It contains symbolism showing that, despite appearances to the contrary, God is in charge, and not the forces of evil. Since God is in charge, Jesus urges his disciples to trust in the Spirit, to trust in what God will inspire at the moment of persecution. When a follower of Jesus trusts in God, there is no need to fear. As one studies the desire of Robert Hannsen to be trusted (even though he did not deserve it), and as one studies the vision that Jesus presents at the end of the world, it is clear that "trust" is one of the characteristics that human nature craves. The conclusion for believers in Jesus is first that they must become people who can be trusted by another human being, and secondly, that they turn to God in their lives, truly believing that God will give them the Holy Spirit to guide them. |
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THOUGHT
What
is your definition of the idea of "trust of another"?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, we desire to be people who can be trusted. Likewise,
we want to trust others, and in particular, we want to trust you.
As
you promise to be present to us in the circumstances of life,
give us the grace to put our trust in you completely as we learn to be
people others can trust. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |