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The
Lord appointed seventy (-two) others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended
to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers
are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his
harvest."
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| Gospelthink: In many ways, I am like the disciples whom Jesus chose. Am I laboring for the Lord in what I do? | ||||
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In the movie "Paul Apostle of
Christ," Luke, Paul's friend
knew that Paul was imprisoned in Rome and was awaiting
his execution. In spite of the danger of being a Christian in Rome with
Nero's decree that Christians were to be eliminated, Luke found Aquila
and Priscilla's home where many of the Christians had come. He then set
out to find his friend in prison and after locating him, convinced him
that he should document his own story and the birth of what would come
to
be known as the Church. Detailing the beginnings of "The Way," Luke and
Paul managed to accomplish their task, giving to the Church the message
of how Christianity began in our world in the book "Act of the
Apostles."
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There
is much debate among scholars concerning the makeup of the seventy-two
disciples in Luke's Gospel, but no matter who the people were, it is
clear from Luke's point of view that Jesus sent some of his followers
out to spread Jesus' message. Chances are also that Luke was one of
that
number. If he was, he certainly had a first-hand view of Jesus'
feelings about the Kingdom.
He had those feelings as he wrote his document that we have come to know as the Gospel of Luke. Those feelings are also clearly part of the sequel to his Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles. Such is the setting of the movie "Paul, Apostle of Christ." There are a number of liberties that the makers of the film took concerning how and in what manner Luke wrote the document, but we know from the real Acts of the Apostles that Luke was a friend of Paul, and in some instances they were together as Paul preached. The lesson for the Christian who watches the film is twofold. First, the Christians of the first century were true believers because they were constantly in danger for their lives. Nero may have had mental problems as most historians contend, but his actions were very real. He was responsible for killing Christians, not the least of which according to most scholars was Paul himself. We do not have the same danger, of course, but we have the challenge of believing in someone whom many people do not accept as a guide. If we profess our Christianity openly, we may be persecuted in some way. Secondly, as Luke was writing his book, he was recognized as a true missionary, one of the followers of Paul who wanted to spread the word of God so that it would lead others to the truth of Christianity. He did so not only with courage, but with conviction. There was little doubt that Jesus Christ was central to Luke's understanding. He was the force behind his words, a force that he together with his mentor Paul, would lead their audience to acceptance of a belief that would save the souls of humankind. |
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PRAYER
Good
and gracious
God, we have the example and the writings of your servant Luke who gave
us one of the descriptions of Your Son as well as the story of the
early Church.
Increase our dedication to Your Son as Luke showed us.
Be with us, we
pray.
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GUIDE
FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: The evangelist Luke braved many difficulties as he wrote the book called the Acts of the Apostles. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 50 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. Analysis: We are all laborers to spread the Christian message on our earth. Do Christians realize this at all? Yes or no and why? 3. In today's world, what is the best way to show that we are Christians? 4. How would you describe "the Kingdom" to a non-believer? 5. Study: it might be helpful to study the makeup of the Acts of the Apostles. See a good introduction to the book e.g., in the New American Bible. 6. In today's world, how should we profess Christianity in an open way? 7. Some people accuse Christians of not showing the Jesus is important to their lives? Do you agree or disagree? Why? 8. What does the movie "Paul, Apostle of Christ" teach a young person? |
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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