TGIMMbourne1

	"COVERING UP" AN EVIL

The Gospel

MATTHEW 28:11-15

[After they saw the Resurrection of Jesus,] some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.

The Media -- "The Bourne Legacy" (beginning session)

After Jason Bourne discovered who he was in the movie "The Bourne Ultimatum," he set out to expose the evil that had imprisoned and employed him. It presented an opportunity for the directors of the CIA's clandestine operations. They could have recognized the evil, admitted their involvement, and accepted the consequences. But, as so often happens with ingrained evil, as can be seen in the movie "The Bourne Legacy," the perpetrators did not even consider such a possibility. Instead, they tried to cover up and hide what they had done. Further evil came as a result. The directors decided to cease operations with the newly formed "black ops" program called Operation Outcome, and bring about the deaths of the operatives and personnel involved in order to save the rest of the clandestine operations. Among them were Agent Aaron Cross who was in need of his medication to keep him alive and Dr. Marta Shearing, one of the research doctors in the program who did not really know anything about the "black ops" operation.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the evil that surrounds us is that often those who are responsible do not accept it as evil. Even when they are faced with the truth of what they are doing, instead of acknowledging what they should do in order to correct things, they often choose to "cover up" the problem. The evil then becomes two-fold, affecting even more people.

Such was the case at Jesus' Resurrection. The chief priests should have admitted their mistake concerning Jesus, and at that point, literally, they could have turned the history of the world around. But their attitude was one of "cover up." Not wanting to admit any wrong in their belief or what they were doing, they submitted a false story to the world. Likewise, such was the case in the movie "The Bourne Legacy." The people who were in charge could have saved the integrity of the CIA, but instead they chose to "cover up" their evil, not caring about the consequences.

Our world has seen over and over what attempting to "cover up" an evil will do. The national and international news leaves no doubt that attempting to "cover up" something wrong will result in further wrong. It is a fact of life. But it still happens. From corporate boardrooms to church offices, our sinful human natures often dictate what we will do when we are involved in wrongs that have been discovered.

Jesus wants truth from his followers. Sometimes the truth is embarrassing because it puts us in a light that we would much rather avoid. People will know that we have failed. It is at such times that we are tempted to "cover up," ultimately lying about what has happened, leading people to believe that we are not at fault. The Christian must face the situations in their lives, and be absolutely honest with all of them.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, our humanity leads us into error at times. When we discover that we have done something wrong, help us be open with ourselves, truly admit the wrong, and work to correct the situation. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: We must face the evil in our lives, and not merely cover it up.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 62 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. In the Gospel, the chief priests knew that they were lying to the world. How can religious leaders directly lie when they realize that lying is against their religious morality?
3. If the chief priests would have told the truth, in your opinion, what would the world be like today?
4. Give some examples from the present time of some evil situations that are not recognized as evil.
5. In your opinion, in the instances you gave in number 4, is it possible that those who are doing the evil really do not "know" that they are doing evil? Yes or no and why?
6. Give some examples in our present day of "cover up."
7. Belief in something depends on facts that have been presented to us. When people are certain that they believe something that is not fact, they should change. Why will people not change?
8. The CIA is obviously not presented in a good light in the movie. The presenter may want to take the time to present the story of the CIA in the United States.
9. For the most part, are people really honest? Yes or no and why?
10. The movie builds on the movie "The Bourne Ultimatum." The presenter may want to present some thoughts on the meditations on this movie found in this website under the index of movies.
11. Why would individuals choose to be part of a "black ops" program?
12. Scene analysis: Simon Ross is murdered. Do you believe that people in our national government would actually kill innocent people in order to protect themselves? Yes or no and why?
13. Analysis: Cross is tracked by means of the tracking device implanted in his body. Do you think that this will be part of the technology of the future? Yes or no and why?
14. Analysis: Evidently Dr. Foite was chemically brainwashed to commit the atrocity in the lab. Do you think that we have the technology to force people to commit acts like Dr. Foite committed? Yes or no and why?
15. Dialogue analysis: Eric Byer: "We are the sin eaters. It means that we take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us, so that the rest of our cause can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary." What is most striking about the quote? Why?
16. Scene analysis: The slaughter in the lab. Does such violence affect the young mind in a negative way? Yes or no and why?
17. Analysis: It is obvious that Dr. Shearing had no idea why she was doing the research that she was doing. Is it possible that people can work for secret organizations, and not even know what is happening? Yes or no and why?

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