[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, February 25 LUKE 5:27-32 I remind you that the salvation of your soul is more important than anything you can accomplish on earth. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus has called me to be his follower. How do I rate myself as a follower of Jesus? b. Levi left everything behind in order to follow the Lord. Do I have too many “things” in my possession? If I have too many things, what should I do with the extra things that I have? c. The Pharisees had a tendency to judge other people as “sinners.” Sometimes I do the same. Who do I judge to be “sinners” and perhaps I should take the time to pray for them. d. In my acquaintances right now, who is most in need of the help that I can give? What should I do for them? e. What sign of repentance do I show in my life? f. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will thank someone whom I have not thanked recently. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AND A CHANGE OF HEART + Jesus says in the Gospel:           I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.           – it is one of Jesus’ basic statements in his teaching                      – because the self-righteous-people like the Pharisees and scribes—wouldn’t listen anyway                                – important for us who are “religious” (that is given to spiritual things) to see that Jesus could not accomplish what he wanted with most of the “religious” of his day  + Perhaps a couple of thoughts on being self-righteous as we strive to improve our spiritual lives during this Lenten season           1 – the possibility that we are part of the self-righteous                      – most of us readily admit that we are sinners                                – we pray “Lord have mercy” at the beginning of every Mass as well as anyone                                          – but there is a possibility of something that we will not change our sinful patterns                                                    – some prejudice, perhaps                                                    – some situation or some person that we are refusing to change our opinions about                                          – there is nothing worse than a person who presents himself/herself as holy                                                    – and fails to recognize some basic correctable fault—they are self-righteous                                                                – and it could be us           2 – a “change of heart” that Jesus calls us to should be analyzed                      – Levi is a perfect example for us                                – a sinner to be sure—tax collectors were extortionists                                          – he immediately followed Jesus, left everything                      – the first reading tells us that—                                – if you…, if you…, if you…, that is, basically, if we change our heart, then the Lord will be with us                                – that change of heart consists of:                                          – truly following Jesus as Levi did                                                    – adopting his thoughts, words and actions                                          – being open to everyone as Jesus was open to those who needed a doctor, as he said                                                    – all people without exception                                          – following the basic laws that Jesus and the Church have set up                                                    – as the Isaiah reading points out                                                               – maybe concentrating on the things the reading mentions:                                                                         – removing false accusation, malicious speech                                                                         – giving to those in need                                                                         – keeping holy our Sabbath day, Sunday                                                                         – refraining from following our own pursuits  + There are two things to consider today:           – our own possibility of self-righteousness and just what a real “change of heart” consists of. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Coco” — final session THE LOVE OF A FAMILY The Gospel LUKE 1:26-38 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Upon arriving, the angel said to her: “Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” She was deeply troubled by his words, and wondered what his greeting meant. The angel went on to say to her: “Do not fear, Mary, You have found favor with God. You shall conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus.”… Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I do not know man?” The angel answered her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you; … the holy offspring to be born will be called Son of God.”… Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.”

Gospelthink: The Holy Spirit prepared my mother and her response as yours to your life, “Let it be.” Have I allowed the Lord to completely influence my life?

Miguel discovered that Hector, his skeletal friend in the Land of the Dead was actually Coco’s father. Through a series of discoveries, Miguel unites Hector and Imelda in the Land of the Dead, giving Miguel a pass to go back to the Land of the Living. When he returned, he announced to the world that it was really Hector who wrote the songs that Ernesto sang. Ernesto had killed Hector and stolen the songs. Hector and Imelda and Coco are all together in the Land of the Dead, and in the Land of the Living, their memories live on with Miguel. With the family united again, they live happily ever after both in the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living.

No matter how we study the beginning of the family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, it is a study of love. Even when circumstances were not the best, love was no doubt the glue that kept the family together.  At the very beginning of their family, Mary and Joseph had no idea of the way things would work, and no idea of what was happening to them.  One can only imagine the problems that surrounded the loving family, and one can easily surmise that the only way the family could remain together was through their love for each other. The fantasy movie “Coco” takes the viewer through what the movie calls the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living, showing the Rivera family in both lands. The one guiding factor is the love that they have for each other. It is a love which is shown even though Miguel is choosing another way of life at the very beginning, and a love that Imelda and Hector have at the very end. Love is the glue that keeps the family together. The most important factor of a sound daily life is the family. Our families determine our future, so to speak, at least in the way they set a tone for what type of people the members of the families will be later on in life. Unfortunately, it has been proven true time and again that families who were torn apart early on have generated scarred people who were unable to negotiate the world as they grew. Jesus’ family and the way Joseph and Mary interacted with him determined in many ways the type of person that Jesus turned out to be. He could be the caring and loving person that he was to so many people because he could look back to a family that truly loved him every moment of his life. It is a lesson that every family in our world should learn.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, You give us a true example of family love in the love Joseph, Mary and Jesus. May we truly learn such a love and always be close to our immediate families as much as we can. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Family love is necessary for a healthy life-style.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 48 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking to you and why? 2. Mary’s statement to the angel is basically saying “yes” to what God wants. In what ways have we said “yes:” to God in our lives? 3. The movie obviously believes in some sort of a “heaven” as it speaks of the Land of the Dead. Although the Scriptures offer no facts about heaven, how do you view “heaven”? 4. What is the best way a young mother and father can show love to their very young children? 5. What is the best way a mother and father can show love to their teenagers? 6. What is the best way a mother and father can show love to the children who have left the home to pursue their own life? 7. What can you do to help a family that has been torn apart because of some unfortunate circumstance? 8. What does the movie “Coco” teach young people?