[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, October 3 LUKE 9:51-56 I remind the Apostles that our mission is not to condemn. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem, and bring about redemption through his death and resurrection. What should Jesus’s act of redemption mean for me personally? b. The Samaritan village would not welcome them. Jesus rejects the possibility of destroying the village as his Apostles wanted. Am I a peaceful person, trying to bring about true peace in the situations in which I am involved? c. I should take the time to pray for the people involved in those parts of our world in which there is very little peace. d. Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to hurt people. Have I hurt people by my words or actions lately? I should take the time to pray for them and if possible, ask pardon from them. e. Notice that Jesus simply goes to another village. He shows no criticism at all to the people who were against him. In my words, actions and thoughts, do I harbor desire for revenge? f. My prayerthoughts…. Today, I will consider some times when I was hurt, and take the time to pray for the people involved. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE DOCTRINE OF NON-RETALIATION  + One of the facts of our human nature is that we will experience negative feelings           – in the Gospel, the Apostles were upset with the Samaritans who had rejected them                      – being human, they thought in terms of some type of retaliation                                – they had just come from their mission in Galilee in which they had cured diseases and spoken eloquently                                          – they were saying: why not use that power to curse these people           – Jesus takes the time to patiently teach them one of the doctrines of his Kingdom, namely, non-retaliation                      – you don’t get back at anybody                                – when people reject you, you go to another town                                          – or generalizing, when there are negatives caused by others or situations, you simply continue on without revenge as best you can  + There is a relatively easy application here for the truly spiritual person both on a personal and a general level           1 – on a personal level: things are not going to go well all the time                      – there will be rejection, or simply “down” days                                – there is a tendency to become depressed and blame God                                          – “I don’t deserve this” type of behavior                                                    – and we let that attitude dictate how we act and what we say                      – Jesus would say here: you treat this with an acceptance that somehow this is all in the plan of God                                – and you do your best with the situation as in the Gospel: you work out another way           2 – sometimes, speaking in general, there will be people that will deliberately do things to us for whatever reason                      – sometimes even with reason, sometimes totally unjustified                      – the natural feeling is retaliation, revenge, a subject which is treated favorably in just about every TV show or movie                                – Jesus says: you don’t say anything; you simply find another way—non-retaliation  + The prophet Zechariah speaks in prophecy in the name of Yahweh           – here the Hebrew Scriptures once again are referring to the importance of Israel’s God, and later, as the Gospels tell us, God’s Son, Jesus           – Jesus is indeed the center of our doctrine                      – God is with us through Jesus                                – and Jesus gives an important lesson on revenge today           – it simply should not be part of Christian thought. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, part 2” — final session THE GOOD THAT LOOKS LIKE EVIL The Gospel LUKE 11:24-26 Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.”

Gospelthink: Evil is persistent and you must always be prepared to work against it. Is there some evil in my life that I have not addressed as I should?

As the special force move on the Capitol, Katniss and Gale moved toward the presidential mansion. As they approached the Capitol, the rebels arrived to fight the Peacekeepers of the Capitol. Everything turned to chaos as more bombs were dropped, seemingly by the Capitol forces of President Snow. During the exchange Katniss’ sister Prim was killed and Katniss was wounded. When Katniss woke up, she was under the care of her mother; the rebellion had triumphed, and Katniss was called upon to punish President Snow for his treachery. In the meantime, the rebellion leader Coin had made herself President, and was set to take charge of the new kingdom of Panem. It was clear that she would be a tyrant leader exactly as Snow was, even having killed children, Prim among them, as the rebel forces won. Consequently, during the execution, Katniss executed Coin instead of Snow. She and Peeta were exiled to their own District Twelve, and would be exonerated after the democratic elections took place.

One of the most insidious acts of the evil one often happens after its apparent defeat. Jesus tells us that evil continues to function even when it looks like it has been overcome. In other words, when we want to conquer the evil around us or within us, we must continually be aware that the evil will not rest. The people who look for good must always work against the evil. On a national scale, as exemplified in the movie “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, part 2,” it often comes after the defeat of one tyrant. The victor will often be nothing more than another “tyrant” mainly because of the human being’s incessant desire for power. President Coin would prove to be nothing more than another “President Snow” and perhaps only the “Mockingjay” was aware of the evil. When we apply the thought of the movie to everyday life, it becomes a study of the desire for power. We are a people who gravitate toward power, and one of the temptations that we experience is the possibility of wanting more and more power even as we try to bring about good in our own little worlds. Evil will destroy everything it can, and one of the ways it works is to get into the minds of a good person, and infect it in such a way that the evil can appear to be a good. If our world is to become better than it is, the players in it–you and I–must always be aware that we can be the instrument of bringing about evil.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, as we attempt to follow Your Son, we will try to bring about good in our lives and the lives around us, but we can become evil ourselves in the way we work for good.  Give us the grace to understand our motivation. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Replacing a tyrant with another tyrant remains an evil. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 64 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking and why? 2. Give an example from history of a victor becoming nothing more than a tyrant. 3. What are some ways that you can think of that will purify our motives? 4. What does the movie “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, part 2” teach young people?