TGIMMtheaven2

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "The Avengers" -- final session

THE ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER

The Gospel

MARK 6:7-11

[Jesus] summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick--no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." So they went off and preached repentance.

Gospelthink: I told the Twelve and in a sense you to preach repentance to everyone. Do I lead a life of repentance?

The treachery of the god Loki and his use of the energy source called the Tesseract had set the Chitauri free to destroy the United States. The end was imminent. The Council was ready to destroy New York in order to save the rest of the United States. The "Avenger Initiative," that is, calling on the exceptional people who could stop the chaos, was the only hope. The task of bringing together the Avengers was easy enough, but the real task was yet to come. Nick Fury, director of SHIELD knew too well that he had to have something to motivate the Avengers to work together for a common goal. Recalling the death of their fellow agent and friend Phil Coulson, Fury challenged his superheroes to go beyond themselves and understand the complete picture. Eventually, they discovered that they could bring about peace, and the only way to do it was to labor as one.

Why did Jesus send his disciples out as missionaries two by two? Could he not cover more territory if they went personally into a region? Could not one person in two different places teach more and cure more and actually help more people? Jesus knew the answer to the questions, of course, but he also knew the problems with just one person. His disciples were already showing evidence of the evil of pride. They were falling into the trap of being more interested in their abilities than in caring about other people.

Primarily Jesus wanted his disciples to work together. He wanted them to get along because their message was difficult. Preaching repentance meant change, change of the person doing the preaching as well as people who were listening. The Apostles had to prepare themselves by self-denial for possible rejection, and they also had to rely on one another when things did not go well. In the end, working together could accomplish more than working alone.

The statement should be true even if there are two or more "superheroes" involved in an undertaking. A "superhero" is just that--a hero with super powers--able to accomplish phenomenal things by him or herself. Such a person usually does not need anyone else. Consequently, not only can such a superhero become more important than the people who consider him/her to be a hero, but working with another "superhero" may become an impossibility.

Beginning with elementary school, and continuing throughout all of life, learning to work together is one of the most important goals of living well. The reasoning is the same that Jesus used for the Apostles, and indeed that directed the thinking of the Avengers. If we want to accomplish happiness on earth, we must develop the ability to work with others.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son sent his disciples out to preach two by two, thus giving us the ideal that calls us to work together. Give us the grace to understand the importance of others so that we can work together with and for them. Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: The ability to work well with others is the only way to happiness on earth.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 67 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. The Greek meaning of "apostle" is "one sent out." In what ways is a Christian "sent out" in today's world?
3. In your opinion, why did Jesus not want his disciples to have many possessions?
4. Text analysis: "Shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." What is the meaning of the sentence?
5. What is the best way to prepare oneself for a difficult undertaking?
6. What is your understanding of "repentance"?
7. Who would you say are the human "super-heroes" in today's world?
8. Dialogue analysis: Coulson to Loki--"You're going to lose; it's in your nature." Is it a true statement that evil will always "lose." Yes or no and why?
9. Dialogue analysis: Fury says that some people believe in the "old-fashioned" idea of a hero. What would be a good example of such a hero or heroine from the past?
10. Scene analysis: the Council does not listen to Fury, and decides to use a nuclear bomb on Manhattan. What is the justification for such a decision? [The presenter may want to spend some time on President Harry S. Truman's decision to use atomic bombs during the Second World War.]
11. What does the movie "The Avengers" teach young people?

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