media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, September 19 LUKE 7:11-17 I have pity on a family who needs it. Prayerthoughts a. The death of someone is the occasion for this discussion. If a person close to me dies, do I do enough to help the family in their sorrow? b. The situation that the Lord observed was a very sad one. Am I as aware as I should be of the sad situations in my locale. Can I do more to help them? c. As often happens, the Lord had pity on someone. Do I show pity toward the people in my life who need it? d. Jesus brought the man back to life. Obviously, we cannot follow the Lord completely, but do I try to “bring back to life” those who are hurting for whatever reason? e. The people said that God was among them. Do I show the evidence of God’s action in my words and deeds? f. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will read 1 Timothy, chapter 2:1-13, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE VIRTUE OF COMPASSION  + Paul makes a special point of saying what kind of a person ought to be involved in the hierarchy of those who serve in the Church           – here he is talking about bishops and deacons, and he uses words that describe what their character should be: “irreproachable” and “dignified”                      – actually, there are many characteristics that those in service ought to have,                                – and by extension, all of us who claim the Church as our religious guide are called to those characteristics  + What are the characteristics that we all should have?           – love is certainly one of them                      – and one connected with love is compassion  + The widow in the Gospel has no man in her life at this time described by Luke           – in a patriarchal society, that means that she had a future of rejection                      – Jesus was moved with pity, actually touched a coffin (something the Hebrews were forbidden)                                – he was not called by her—Jesus went to her                                          – showing sincere compassion  + As a Christian spiritual person, this is one of the virtues that we should develop           – the world needs compassionate people                      – and compassionate people should have some of the characteristics that Jesus shows here:           1 – an awareness of the need                      – Jesus knew that the widow needed her son                      – in our lives, there are people who need us in a real way                                – compassionate people will understand that                                          – it will mean taking the stress off of ourselves for a time, and that is difficult           2 – we will want to do something about that need                      – Jesus sought her out, touched the coffin of the dead man                      – we have to make the moves to help someone                                – here as throughout the Scriptures we are faced with the concept of being able to measure what we do, point to it, not in bragging, but just doing it                                          – the visit to the hospital, nursing home                                          – the offering of money to people in need  + Jesus is praised by the people because of his compassion           – this is significant for us also, not in the sense that we want the praise                      – but the world needs compassion, and must have it, and therefore will “praise” those who give it. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Star Trek Beyond” — final session WINNING BY DYING The Gospel MATTHEW 27:50-53 Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Gospelthink: My death is really what I lived for and now redemption is yours. Do I thank the Lord enough for what he has done for me?

After the Enterprise has been destroyed in the movie “Star Trek Beyond,” most of the crew are rescued by Kirk, Spock, Bones and an alien by the name of Jaylah. In the process they discovered that the aliens had decided to use their new-found weapon the Abronath to destroy the Federation station Yorktown and kill thousands of people. Finding an old starship named the USS Franklin, the Enterprise crew headed toward the station to help as much as they could. Managing to destroy the thrust of the aliens, Kirk found himself face to face with Krall who managed to put Kirk into a position in which Kirk would have to die in order to save Yorktown. Kirk was willing to die, saying to Krall that it is “better to die saving lives than to live with taking them.”

Studying the symbolism present at Jesus’ death, we see that the evangelists saw in the death of Jesus a much deeper reality. In Matthew’s Gospel, the veil which protected the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem synagogue could only be passed through by the high priest and that only on a special day. With the veil being torn, now everyone had access to the presence of God. Also the earthquake and saints appearing were symbols of the final age–the Old Testament has now ceased, and the New Testament has begun. In symbolism, then, Matthew is telling his audience that when Jesus died, all creation was allowed to approach God’s presence. As Kirk worded it in the movie “Star Trek Beyond,” and translating it into religious terminology, Jesus in his dying was saving lives. He was giving up his life so that humankind could live with the presence of God. Spoken from a secular point of view, as Kirk said, it is always better to die while saving lives than to live and neglect to help others. The application is easy, of course, but the carry through is difficult. You and I are called to be good people who will work for the betterment of human beings, even if it means that we must sacrifice in the process. Carrying it out sometimes requires that we be willing to give up our lives. From a religious point of view, Jesus gives us the example of his human death in order help all of us. You and I are called in a similar way, even though it may be difficult for us as it was for Jesus.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, in Your Son’s dying, we see the beginning of our new life in God. May we always learn His lesson to give of ourselves to others even if it means a sacrifice. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: It is “better to die saving lives than to live with taking them” (Captain James T. Kirk).     DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. What is most striking about the death of Jesus? Why? 3. If Jesus were to come today, how do you think he would make himself known to us? 4. How would you define the presence of God? [See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 203-213.] 5. How would you define a martyr for God? 6. The alien invasion is thwarted by Jaylah’s music, adding discord to the unity of the invaders. Their unity is destroyed, and they flounder. Again, we see exemplified what a lack of unity will do. In our world today, what could be better worked out if there were unity? 7. Krall drains the life force from others to stay alive, the ultimate selfishness. In our world today, where do we sense the most selfishness? 8. What does the movie “Star Trek Beyond” teach young people?