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[After
the temptation in the
desert], Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news
of him
spread throughout the whole region. He
taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
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The
controversial movie “Million Dollar Baby” is not a boxing
movie although boxing
is the setting for it. It is the story
of three people in particular who interact with each other, each with
their own
particular gifts. The movie begins with
Maggie Fitzgerald’s desire, a desire that the movie describes as
a dream to do something,
a dream that a person will give everything to, even though no one sees
it but
the person risking. Throughout the beginning
session, we experience Maggie’s intense desire to be the boxer
she dreams
of—her begging Frankie Dunn to be her trainer, her working out
for endless hours, her
becoming a waitress to give her the money she needed in order give more
time to
training. She knew what she wanted, and
was willing to spend her life achieving it.
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While
Jesus was here on earth, he had a dream, a passion, something
that he gave himself to, something that no one else really understood
like he
did. He had a real desire to help the
world toward a fulfilled life, the life of eternal salvation, and at
the time
he came to earth, that desire led him to preaching. Luke comments
that he had the power of the
Spirit as he began his ministry, and he began by preaching in the
synagogues,
the churches of the area. He knew what
he wanted to do, and was willing to spend his life achieving it, not
unlike
Maggie Fitzgerald in the movie “Million Dollar Baby.”
Jesus wanted to lead us to a fulfilled life. Because of his desire and the accomplishment of that desire, we have the opportunity to have a life on earth that is the beginning of life eternal. But too often we do not want to understand or follow his words. We have the opportunity to have such a fulfilled life, but we give ourselves to the pursuit of happiness that moves us more toward a life that reveres the pursuit of money, immoral sexual unions, and selfish solutions to the problems that we encounter. We must take the opportunities that are given to us, and define our passion, our desire, in terms of a law of life that Jesus gave us. |
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THOUGHT
What are the principal
means that
we have as Christians that can lead us to a truly fulfilled life here
on earth?
PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son
led us to a fulfilled life on earth, a life that will end in the
eternal life
of heaven. Help us develop a genuine
desire to follow the way that Jesus suggested so that our lives on
earth will
be the entrance way to the eternal life that you have given us through
your
Son. 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 |