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	THE WAR AGAINST EVIL

The Gospel

MATTHEW 4:8-10

Then the devil took Jesus up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"

Gospelthink: I was able to resist the temptation to power and success. Am I able to resist the temptation that I am better than others?

he Media -- "War Room" (beginning session)

The movie "War Room" is a Christian movie, produced by Christians with the intention of bringing people to an understanding of the power of prayer. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan had a good life. They had money, great jobs, a beautiful home, a young healthy daughter, in short, everything that the American Dream could provide. But they were not happy. Their time together was short because of their jobs, primarily because of Tony's job as a pharmaceutical salesman, and their communication with each other was almost always negative. When a lady that we know only as Miss Clara asked Elizabeth, a realtor, to sell her house, Elizabeth discovered a "prayer room," which Miss Clara called a "war room" because, as she said, "In order to stand up and fight the enemy, you need to get on your knees and pray." It changed Elizabeth's life, and eventually her whole family's life.

The classic Scriptural reference to move us to fight evil and the "wiles of the devil" as our ancient prayers read, is the time of Jesus' early temptations in his life. The human Jesus had most recently received God's grace through the Baptism of John the Baptist, and immediately, the devil tempted him, as if the devil knew that he had to do something drastic if he wanted to win the fight against him. In all of the temptations, Jesus addressed the devil saying to him that his life would always show a total trust in God.

Such was the attitude of Miss Clara in the movie "War Room." She had learned over the years in her own struggles that the devil was a fighter and would not give up easily. She made her statement to Elizabeth that the only way to bring about peace in any situation is to pray about it. And, more importantly, as any true fighter, realize that the enemy will never completely admit defeat. She tried to show Elizabeth and in general everyone that Miss Clara met that if they would cast Satan behind her as Jesus said, then Christians would win the fight against evil.

As the movie intended, the application is easy to understand. In order to fight the enemy who is evil, we must be prepared for a battle that will we will not win easily. It will come only after working with a situation by concentrated effort. For Miss Clara, it meant a special meditation space with notes about who to pray for and the reasons for the prayer.

Perhaps every one of us must learn the lesson of Miss Clara's concentrated effort to pray--to not only pray, but make the effort to change our lifestyle enough to bring about a prayer attitude to our daily living.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son's message to the author of evil was to turn away from the evil, and adopt an attitude that showed a greater importance to You his Father. May we fight the evil in our lives by concentrated prayer Be with us, we pray.

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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: In order to fight evil, we must adopt a true prayer-life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 57 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. The scene of the Gospel is obviously an exaggeration as it talks of the magnificence of all the kingdoms of the world. What do you think it is speaking of?
3. In your opinion, do most Christians serve only the Lord God in their lives? Yes or no and why?
4. What is most helpful for us as we study the temptations of Jesus?
5. Why is "praying about peace" the best way to bring about peace?
6. In your opinion what is the best "concentrated effort" we can show in our prayer?
7. Analysis: How were both Tony and Elizabeth at fault in their marriage?
8. Analysis: Why is "spending time with each other" so necessary for a marriage to work well?
9. Dialogue analysis: Elizabeth tells Miss Clara that she believes in God and prays and has not done anything very wrong in her life. Why is this not enough in order to grow in the spiritual life?
10. Analysis: How did Elizabeth change as a result of prayer?
11. Scene analysis: Why do you think Tony was nauseous as he was with the woman who was not his wife?

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