TGIMMextreme2

Movie: "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" -- final session

TRUE LOVE OF A PARENT

The Gospel

JOHN 2:4-11

Jesus said to [his mother], “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an interior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

Gospelthink: At my mother's request, I perform the miracle to help people enjoy themselves. Do I try to make every situation I am in a good one?

Oskar Schnell missed his father when his father was one of the over 2500 killed as a result of the World Trade Center tragedy. In his young mind, he thought he could find him in some way when he discovered a key that in his mind fit some lock with a message to him from his father. Literally traveling all over New York City, he discovered that people were for the most part very open and loving to him as he asked them about his father. As he commented later, perhaps all of them were looking for something themselves. Thinking that his mother was oblivious and somewhat removed from what he was doing, he finally discovered in the end that his mother had been with him all along. He discovered that she had loved him just as much as his father had.

If Jesus would have had a "campaign manager," he would have wanted Jesus’ first sign to be something special, perhaps one of maximum exposure, something for thousands of people. Such a manager would have wanted the miracle to present Jesus' major doctrine to get it "out front" so that everyone would know. Perhaps, it would be a miracle extolling the Kingdom he was going to promote or giving the people his command to love. But instead, as his first sign recorded in John’s Gospel, the first sign that he was the Son of God, he chooses to do something that only a couple people realize. And he did it, it seems, because his mother wanted him to. Such was the importance of Mary the mother of Jesus and the love that they had for each other.

Perhaps the most important part of a mother's love for a son or daughter in today's world is giving the child time so that love can grow. Linda, Oskar's mother in the movie "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" is a great example of such love. She knew that Oskar was having a difficult time with his father's death, she knew that he was not going to open up to her just yet, and she knew what he was doing to cope with the pain. So, she give him time. She worked with him, discovered what he was doing, and unknown to Oskar, helped him with his quest and made it easier. One is led to believe from the movie that Oskar found that he could live without his father because he had the sincere love of his mother.

Two conclusions come as a result of the consideration of the tragedy that enveloped the life of the Schnell family. One is the obvious one--we need loving parents in our world. Every young person who will eventually choose marriage and bring forth children must be aware of the best way to love as husband and wife and the best way to be parents of their children. Secondly, we are all called to understand the love that our own parents gave to us, and the need we have to take the time to thank them. At times, to be sure, such love was not as it should have been, but we can spend some time to honor our parents, at least in prayer, at least, for what they should have been.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you set up the family as the fundamental place for your love to come into our world. Give us the grace to be good members in our families, and help us always understand the need to be loving whatever we choose in life. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: The sincere love of a parent is perhaps the greatest example of love there is in our modern day.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 60 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. The Gospel scene of "The Wedding at Cana" is a profound theological event that John the evangelist uses to explain Jesus' beginning in public life.
a. The water (the Old Testament) was changed into wine of the highest quality and surprising quantity (the new messianic age). In your opinion, what was the most important doctrine that Jesus taught in his time?
b. John the evangelist introduces his theology of "glory" that is, God's manifested presence in the world through Jesus. In our world today, what is the best proof of God's presence?
[Jesus uses the word "Woman," a relatively "cold" way of referring to Mary, and it seems that he will not respond to her request. Theologians suggest that the sentence means the more important fact of the event was the theological meaning of the event.]
3. Text analysis: "Do whatever he tells you." If Jesus would address the world today, what would he say to us in general?
4. The meditation assigns the love of his mother Mary to be the reason why Jesus performs the miracle. Why is Mary important for the Church today? See Catechism of the Church, second edition, numbers 963-975.
5. The meditation says that perhaps the most important part of a mother's love is giving the child the time to grow. What are some other important parts of a mother's love?
6. What is most difficult for a mother in today's world?
7. In your opinion, should a young mother who has lost her husband for some reason re-marry? Yes or no and why?
8. What is the most important thing that grown adults can do for their aging parents?
9. Scene analysis: Oskar plays the answering machine for the person he believes is his grandfather. Some things are too painful to re-visit. What is the best way to deal with this much pain?
10. Dialogue analysis: William: "The most amazing thing." Do you believe that there is such a thing as "luck" or that God is directing everything?
11. Dialogue analysis: William was hoping his Dad would say "I love you." Why is it so necessary to actually say "I love you" to people that we love?
12. Scene analysis: Oskar discovers what his mother has been doing as he went about his quest. This is the subject of this session of the movie. In your opinion, could Oskar's mother have treated the situation better than she did? Yes or no and why?
13. Analysis: Oskar talking to his mother says that so many people that they visited had lost something. What are most people in the world searching for today?
14. Analysis: the story/tragedy told in the movie ends with reconciliation--Oskar and his mother, Oskar's "grandfather" and grandmother, the note in the swing. Is it true that most tragedies end with some type of reconciliation? Yes or no and why?
15. What does the movie "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" teach young people?

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike