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[John the Baptist's] disciples came and took away the body and
buried him; and they went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he
withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
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| Gospelthink: I mourned the death of my friend John, knowing that he was a good man who deserved better. Do I pray often for those close to me who have died? | ||||
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The setting
for the movie is one of the days that United States citizens will
remember forever, New York City on September 11, 2001. The destruction
of the World Trade Center affected people throughout the world, of
course, but especially the people of the city itself. Thomas Schnell was killed in the collapse of the buildings;
he was the father of eleven year
old Oskar, and husband of Linda. The movie centers in
on the pain of the gifted son Oskar who had an intelligence
greater than a person his age, but whose social skills needed
development. His father, having realized what Oskar needed, had become
close
to him, and, at the time of his death, was directing his development
with programs designed to help him in life. When Oskar lost him, the
pain was overwhelming, and he took any possibility to keep his memory
alive.
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How
do you mourn the loss of someone close to you? In his lifetime, no
doubt
Jesus felt the loss of some people more than others, as every human
being does. He had a friendship with John the Baptist not only because
they were relatives, but because they had the same passion. They wanted
to help the world in which they lived. When John was killed because of
the treachery of others, Jesus mourned him by going off by himself,
spending time in prayer.
In the movie "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," Oskar Schnell lost his father, someone that he loved with all of his heart. We see how he handled the pain. He was not an adult and therefore could not think as an adult. But he knew that he had to cope somehow with the pain of his loss. He had temper tantrums, said words to his mother that he should never have said, tried to hide from the pain, and hurt himself physically. Finally, in his own simple way, he thought that he found a way to keep his father alive for him by looking for the owner of a key that he found in his father's personal effects. The question remains for us--how should we mourn the loss of someone close to us? Unfortunately, given the fact that we are human beings, we know that there will be the pain of loss sometime in our lives. Someone close to us will die or leave, and we will be left to cope with the pain. We could give into the immaturity of feeling sorry for ourselves, or we could do what Jesus did with the pain of loss of a friend. He talked to his Father in solitude, understanding that human beings must deal with loss with a knowledge of how God looks at it. Perhaps the solution to all pain is the ability to talk about it--with God in prayer, and with others who can help us. Oskar was finally able to discover that he could talk with his mother. We know that we will have the pain; we should know that we have a solution to it as well. |
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PRAYER
Good
and gracious
God, there will always be pain in our lives in some way. But we also
believe that you will continue to be with us, giving us the help and
direction we need in order to overcome every pain.
Be with us, we
pray.
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+++++
GUIDE
FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: We must deal with the pain of the loss of someone close to us. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: 60 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. The meditation interprets Jesus' leaving the territory in the Gospel to be a searching for a time for prayer. Another interpretation can be that he temporarily was hiding from Herod who may have wanted to kill him as he had killed John the Baptist. In your opinion, did Jesus fear martyrdom? Yes or no and why? 3. In your opinion, do Christians follow the example of Jesus, and give a significant amount of time to prayer? Yes or no and why? 4. Give your own definition of prayer. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2558-2564. 5. How does prayer help ease the pain of loss? 6. What is the best way to explain to a child about the loss of someone close to the child? 7. What are the principal effects of the pain of loss for an adult? 8. Given the fact that we will lose someone close to us, what effect should it have on our lives at this time before the death happens? 9. The meditation says that Jesus discovered how to deal with loss by considering God's thought. What is God's thought on how to deal with the loss of someone close? The presenter might want to consider a presentation on the Christian meaning of death. See Catechism, numbers 1010-1014. 10. In general, who are the best people to talk to about the loss of someone close to us? 11. The presenter may want to review the events of September 11, 2001, asking for appropriate questions, etc. 12. In general, what is the best way to talk about funerals to very young people? 13. What is the best way to help young people overcome their fears? 14. Scene analysis: Oskar replaces the answering machine. What overall effect did the action have on Oskar? 15. Scene/dialogue analysis: After a tantrum, Oskar tells his mother that he wishes it had been her in the building rather than his father, and she responds, "So do I." What strikes you about the scene? 16. Scene analysis: Is there a better way that Oskar's mother could have treated Oskar in the scene described in number 6? Yes or no and why? 17. In general, should Oskar's mother have treated Oskar differently? Yes or no and why? 18. Scene analysis: What do you think was the relationship of "The Renter" and Oskar's grandmother? 19. Scene analysis: Oskar visits Abby Black during the time that her husband is leaving anticipating the divorce. What is most significant about the scene? |
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