[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, April 25, Saint Mark, Evangelist MARK 16:15-20 I ascended into heaven after telling the disciples to proclaim the Gospel. Prayerthoughts a. In a sense I am proclaiming the Gospel by the way I talk or act or think. Am I proclaiming the Gospel properly, especially in my thinking? b. Do I find myself judging those who do not believe as I do? c. I am not able to perform the signs that Jesus spoke of, but I am able to be helpful to       others. Am I as helpful as I could be? d. Jesus ascends into heaven. We believe of course that Jesus is the Son of God and it  should continue to show in our actions, especially given that the Lord has prepared a place for us in eternity. e. The Lord continues to work with us. Do I acknowledge the Lord’s presence in my life, even at times when I do not feel He is present? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today I will read 1 Peter, chapter 5 and write an important line from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE CHRISTIAN ATMOSPHERE  + As we celebrate Mark’s feast day today, both readings are chosen with the evangelist Mark in mind           – the first reading is from 1 Peter, Peter and Mark having been connected probably early on in the Church, and mentioned here           – and the Gospel is the close of Mark’s Gospel                      – it not only relates the Ascension as well—from Mark’s point of view—actually, from the point of view of early Christians, since this ending was probably added later                      – but Mark’s thought as the Gospel closes is that the Apostles were to be witnesses                                – that is, proclaimers, as Jesus says, proclaimers of the Gospel throughout the world           Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.  + Those directions are pretty ominous           – it is not an easy thing to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world                      – it meant some difficult times for the Apostles                      – what does it mean practically for us who listen to his words in the twenty-first century?                                – proclaiming and preaching entails in some way exactly what Jesus wanted his Apostles to do—use words to get the message out                                          – and that is still part of the call of Christian leaders           – but I think it not only means using words                      – but creating an atmosphere in which the Gospel can grow  + I believe that that is one of the most important parts of being a Christian today, to create a specifically Christian atmosphere           – we all live and work in some type of atmosphere                                – we all do something with our time and energy           – and the something that we do can be done in different atmospheres                      – we can choose to do whatever we do in a cynical/critical atmosphere, or an angry one or a superficial one or a selfish one or a Christian one, that is,                                – an atmosphere in which we really are proclaiming the Lord in some way—his teachings, his words, his ideas—in whatever we do  + The atmosphere, the environment we create in our lives and work should be a Christian one, and if it is,           – we will completely resist that Devil that is always prowling as the author of the first reading warns us about. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” — final session A HIGHER STANDARD The Gospel LUKE 12:47-48 Jesus said: “That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Gospelthink: I have been given much, and therefore I have great responsibility in the way I think, act and speak.

Following Dr. Strange’s spell, Spider-Man’s enemies all return, and they begin to cause mayhem in the city. Otto Octavious, Norman Osborn, Max Dillon and Flick Marco all bring their own specific evil to bear on the world. When Dr. Strange wants to return the villains to their worlds to be killed, Peter wants to cure them instead of having them die. But his concern backfires when the villains escape, and in the process fatally wound Peter’s Aunt May who had told Peter that with great power, there must be greater responsibility. At first, Peter tries to follow her directive, but when May dies, he loses it, and sets about to kill his enemies, especially Norman Osborn/The Goblin who killed May. It takes Peter-Two and Peter-Three also from the multiuniverse to help Peter-One see what to do. Finally Dr. Strange casts a spell on the universe so that no one, even his friends, would not know that Peter is Spider-Man. And Spider-Man once again is alone to be the helper who brings about good.

Spider-Man’s Aunt May knew the Gospels. At least she knew the principles that Jesus used to define what a disciple of His should look like. In one of His stories, Jesus was speaking of how earthly kings act in their kingdom. In a deliberately challenging conclusion to his story, He tells those of us who follow Him that we will be held to a higher standard than nonbelievers. Or as Aunt May said it, “With great power comes greater responsibility.” And at first, Peter Parker/Spider-Man wanted to follow what his Aunt May said. He was surrounded by his enemies, and Dr. Strange was about to send them back to their universes to die, but Peter wanted to follow Aunt May’s advice. He wanted to cure them before they went back so that their lives could be happier. Then when one of them killed his Aunt May, he lost his good desires. His actions and thoughts are not unlike ours. When Jesus calls us to the higher standard, saying that to the person who has been given much, much will be required, at first, our human natures will deny that we have been given much. Then we look around us and honestly see that we have so much. And we understand that we are called to be thankful people with actions that show we are thankful to our God. But trials often come our way–enemies not unlike the enemies of Spider-Man, enemies who hurt us in some often unforgivable way, and we tend to forget how much we have been given. God has blessed us and called us to respond accordingly–in good times and in bad.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that You have given us much as we live our lives here on earth. Help us be grateful followers of You and be the type of follower who will always acknowledge Your guidance by a consistent desire to follow Your Son all the time. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: The Christian directive of showing greater responsibility when we have greater powers is difficult in challenging times.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 69 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why? 2. What are some examples of the “higher standard” that Jesus calls us to? 3. In your opinion, do most followers of Jesus carry out his desire to be “greater” in our actions, words and thoughts? Give an example of a Christian who does. 4. Why is it true that every Christian has been given great things? 5. What is the most important way to show that we have been given greater things? 6. What does the movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home” teach young people?