| Movie: "First Man" -- final session
THE DISCOVERIES OF GOD'S CREATION
|
| The Gospel | JOHN 14:11-14 |
Jesus said: "Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is
in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I
say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and
will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And
whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do
it."
Apolllo
11 successfully launched and arrived at the Moon four days later. Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin undocked in the Lunar Module and began the
landing attempt. They had to make adjustments and Armstrong took
command of the Module, finally arriving at the Moon surface, making his
now famous statement:
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Together
with the whole NASA team, he had accomplished what no one had ever done
before.
What
words in Scripture, especially the words of Jesus, can lead us to the
thought that we were created to discover and use the technology that we
have and will develop? In our world, there are many who condemn certain
developments of technology, and rightly so when it is destructive to
human beings. But could it not be true that the human Jesus implied
that different discoveries of technology would be part of
the "greater things" that his disciples would realize?
Of course, Jesus was speaking of the spread of belief in Him and His Father when he referred to the "greater things" that his disciples would accomplish. But, there is little doubt that if God created everything there is and we were given the ability to use our free wills, we should be able to use God's creation to develop ourselves for the better.
Part of that technology was the space program which the human being was able to accomplish. Arguments can be made that some of it was destructive to human life, but the people involved in space technology were in no way desirous of giving up human life in order to accomplish the knowledge that we have.
What do the accomplishments of the discovery of certain parts of the universe mean for those of us who merely use it? The secret is what Jesus said to us as He told us that we would accomplish "greater things." They must be done "in His name." If we forget that part of Jesus' directive, then our use of technology can easily be destructive.
Of course, Jesus was speaking of the spread of belief in Him and His Father when he referred to the "greater things" that his disciples would accomplish. But, there is little doubt that if God created everything there is and we were given the ability to use our free wills, we should be able to use God's creation to develop ourselves for the better.
Part of that technology was the space program which the human being was able to accomplish. Arguments can be made that some of it was destructive to human life, but the people involved in space technology were in no way desirous of giving up human life in order to accomplish the knowledge that we have.
What do the accomplishments of the discovery of certain parts of the universe mean for those of us who merely use it? The secret is what Jesus said to us as He told us that we would accomplish "greater things." They must be done "in His name." If we forget that part of Jesus' directive, then our use of technology can easily be destructive.
PRAYER
Good
and gracious God, You created our universe and Your Son reminded us to
achieve "greater things" in His name. Those "greater things" can
include the technology that we have developed. Help us always to
understand how you want us to use the technology that we possess. Be
with us, we pray.
+++++
GUIDE
FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: Great achievements in our world are the result of using God's creation to better ourselves.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 66 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking and why?
2. What does the movie "First Man" teach young people?
3. Do you agree with the meditation's thought that "greater things" includes the wonders of technology? Yes or no and why?
4. Do you believe that the space program is important for us? Yes or no and why?
5. In what areas do you see that our technology has caused destructive behavior?
6. Should we involve ourselves in some technologies that will probably take human lives? Yes or no and why?
7. In what way are we accomplishing something "in Jesus' name" when the developers do not believe in Jesus or God?
Theme: Great achievements in our world are the result of using God's creation to better ourselves.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 66 minutes)
1. What scene during this session is most striking and why?
2. What does the movie "First Man" teach young people?
3. Do you agree with the meditation's thought that "greater things" includes the wonders of technology? Yes or no and why?
4. Do you believe that the space program is important for us? Yes or no and why?
5. In what areas do you see that our technology has caused destructive behavior?
6. Should we involve ourselves in some technologies that will probably take human lives? Yes or no and why?
7. In what way are we accomplishing something "in Jesus' name" when the developers do not believe in Jesus or God?
©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America