TGIMMthehobbitan1

	THE SICKNESS OF WEALTH

The Gospel

LUKE 16:13

Jesus said: "No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Media -- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (beginning session)

The hobbit Bilbo Baggins recalls an adventure from his past in the movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Long before Bilbo's involvement, it was an adventure that began with greed. In the kingdom of the Lonely Mountain (Erebor), the Dwarf king Thror had built a great kingdom for himself and his kin, but his own love of money and the gold that was abundant to the mountain soon overcame him. Allowing his love of the gold to be a dictator rather than a servant, he gave into a "sickness" of the mind that was only interested in more gold. Soon the dragon Smaug took over their mountain and the nearby town of Dale, forcing the kingdom of Dwarves to fend for themselves in the land of Middle Earth led by their king Thorin Oakenshield. As they wandered, they discovered a friend in Gandalf the Grey who led them to Bilbo to begin their journey back to the Lonely Mountain, conquer the dragon, and allow them to establish their home again.

The word "mammon" is a word in Aramaic which means "wealth or property." Jesus used the word in one of the most quoted texts from the Gospels. It is a text not to be taken lightly, but too many people have, especially by people in countries in which money is plentiful. Where wealth is involved, Jesus must have known how it could cloud our reasoning. He makes it clear then that if money or wealth is a guide to living, it will dominate one's thinking.

It was even true for the people of fictional Middle Earth. The kingdom of the Dwarves, after a good and wholesome era of happiness, began to amass gold in abundance from the natural resources of their mountain. Their King Thror allowed the pursuit of wealth to occupy his mind totally--to the point of "sickness" as described at the beginning of the movie. It soon became an obsession with him, and he lost control of what he should have done as king. His kingdom crumbled, and his people had to vacate their home.

Jesus had such a difficult time with wealth because of the sickness it caused for the people who possessed it. He could easily sense that the people who had given themselves to wealth lost control of themselves. The wealthy often became very selfish in their approach to life, making them forget about the plight of others.

People on Real Earth today sometimes have the same desires as The Dwarves in Middle Earth. We allow money to be a master. We must listen to the Lord speak about choosing only one master, either mammon or God, allowing his words to be a guide for living. When we do, we may not have all the gold that we could have, but our lives will be so much the better.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son spoke of wealth and how it became a guide for some people of his time. Help us understand that the same could happen to us, giving into the sickness of too much wealth. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: The love of money can easily lead to a "sickness" of mind.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 80 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. Who are the "masters" that our world serves most?
3. What exactly does it mean to make "money" a "master?
4. Many Christian commentators criticize our "first world" as paying no or little attention to Jesus' directive here. In your opinion, do the people of North America try to follow this directive of Jesus? Yes or no and why?
5. Give some examples from the history of the real world in which the pursuit of wealth ruined kingdoms.
6. In what ways is "love of money" like a "sickness"?
7. In what ways does a person who loves money too much "lose control"?
8. In your opinion, are the wealthy concerned about "the poor"?
9. Many movie stars and music stars give a significant amount of their earnings to the poor. In your opinion, should they do more? Yes or no and why?
10. People accuse "the Church" of being too rich and not paying attention to the poor. Do you agree with such a criticism? Yes or no and why?
11. Do you think that most people actually "tithe" their earnings, that is give away 10% to the Church and other good causes? Yes or no and why?
12. Scene analysis: Bilbo wanted to write down his adventure. Do you think the habit of writing your thoughts as in diaries and journals is a good practice? Yes or no and why?
13. Scene analysis: the Wood-elves would not help the Dwarves, and therefore the Dwarves hated the Elves. Revenge often rules the lives of kingdoms. Describe some real life examples of revenge by one nation to another.
14. Scene analysis: Bilbo changes his mind and decides to help the Dwarves. In your opinion, what caused him to change his mind?
15. Analysis: What do you think Tolkein (the author of the book "The Hobbit") wanted to bring out by his presentation of the three trolls?
16. Analysis: Orcs are a symbol of the evils in our world. In your opinion, what is most evil in our world today, and what can you do about it?

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