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Jesus
said to them: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said
to
his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to
me.' So the father divided up the property. Some
days later
this younger son collected all his belongings and went off to a distant
land, where he squandered his money on dissolute living.
After he
had spent everything, a great famine broke out in that country and he
was in dire need. So he attached himself to one of the
propertied
class of the place, who sent him to his farm to take care of the pigs.
He longed to fill his belly with the husks that were fodder
for
the pigs, but no one made a move to give him anything. Coming
to
his senses at last, he said: "How many hired hands at my father's place
have more than enough to eat, while here I am starving! I will break
away and return to my father, and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned
against God and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.
Treat me like one of your hired hands.' With that
he set
off for his father's house."
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During this session
of the movie "To Save a Life," Jake Taylor accepts God into his
life. As he does it, he finally sees
that his behavior toward Roger Dawson was completely wrong. He
also understands that he cannot do anything about Roger's death now
that it has occurred. With God's grace, Jake began to mature when
he started questioning his behavior; he was beginning to
accept personal responsibility for what happened. Then, after admitting
some things in his life, he did what he could to
right the situation.
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In the
complete story of what we have come to call the parable of "The
Prodigal Son," Jesus
tells us that the son is reconciled to his father, mainly because
of the father's forgiveness. But that which made the situation
work for the son was his initial insight. He asked the question,
"why?"--why had he done
what he had done? Then he was able to ask the equally important
question:
"What shall I do about this?" In a word, the son
was accepting personal responsibility for what he had done.
In the movie "To Save A Life," Jake Taylor was able to ask himself the question "why" and together with the help of some Christian friends, he began to see what he had to do in the future. He accepted the responsibility for what he had done, and began to do some things for himself and for Roger Dawson that he should have done while Roger was alive. Jake began to re-shape his life. We have all reached this present moment of our lives. Using it as a starting point, we look at the past, and see that we have said and done things, some of which we are proud of, some of which, no doubt, we are ashamed of. We are now at a crossroads, so to speak. Perhaps our life is good and needs no change, but the chances are that there are some areas in our lives which could improve. Perhaps there are some situations in which we must ask the question, "why?". Why did we do what we did, why did we say what we said? And further, as we answer the question, perhaps there are some things that we see we should do in the future. We may be at a point where we can begin to re-shape our lives. Once we accept responsibility for what we have done, we will be able to see what we should do in the future. It is an essential element of maturity. |
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PRAYER
Good
and gracious
God, I have a past, and I must study it from time to time, asking what
I have done, and why I did it. Give me the grace to accept any
responsibility for my past actions, and help me understand what I must
do in the future. Be with us, we pray.
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+++++ GUIDE
FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL FULFILLMENT
THE GOSPEL 1. What would be a definition of a “prodigal son” in today’s world? 2. This meditation makes the connection to the Gospel passage by suggesting that Jake is the prodigal son. In what way is this true? 3. What is your explanation of the words “coming to his senses”? 4. This is only the first part of the parable. Tell the rest of the story and apply it to life right now. THE MEDITATION 1. Define the idea of “personal responsibility” as you understand it. 2. Define "maturity" 3. As you study young lives, what usually must be done to “re-shape” them? 4. Personal project: write down the main things that you did yesterday, and determine why you did them. Was it a selfish motive, or was it other-centered? 5. What other elements of maturity should direct us as we try to live well? THE MOVIE, PART 2 (approximately 37 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. Scene analysis: Amy is not willing to accept Jake’s belief in God and his serious thinking about himself. Do you think that Jake handled the situation well? Yes or no and why? 3. Scene analysis: Jake moves from one group of friends to another. What should guide us as we choose our friends? 4. Scene analysis: Jake at the party and dropping out of “drinking” game. Why do young people drink alcohol even though it is illegal? 5. Scene analysis: Jake talks to the youth group, saying that they must “do” something. What are the things that can be done in your school that will help people change for the better? 6. Scene analysis: Jake approaches Johnny. What does Johnny need most of all? 7. Scene analysis: Jake accepts Baptism. In your opinion, what is the meaning of Baptism? 8. Scene analysis: Jake visits Mrs. Dawson. Why was it important for Jake to do this? |
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |