[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, October 26 LUKE 12:49-53 I have set the earth on fire, so to speak. My followers should be adamant in following me. Prayerthoughts a. We who are Jesus’s followers must be enthusiastic as we speak of the Lord. What are the things that I am enthusiastic about in my world, and where is “proclaim the Kingdom of God” among them? b. Jesus speaks of his death as he speaks here of “baptism,” and he is anxious that it will come. As I prepare for my own death, what is the one thing that I must accomplish? c. Jesus would proclaim peace in the world. The problem is that many will not accept his doctrine.  So it will bring in some cases, a house divided. i have no doubt that I will choose the Lord, but is it clear that I have accepted the Lord’s doctrine in every instance? d. What are the things that divide families now? (This is the task of the meditation.) e.  Are there instances of anger and hatred In the family in which I am involved right now (immediate family, community family, etc.)?  What can I do about it? f. My prayerthoughts… Today I will carry out letter d and say a prayer for those involved in the differences. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE SLAVE OF GOD  + What does it mean to be a “slave of God”?           – such is the phrase that Paul uses in his letter to the Romans: “You have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God”                      – in Paul’s understanding, a slave of God is one who has recognized what sinfulness has done, and is now ready to give up the wages of sin—as he says—and accept the gift of God completely  + If one becomes a slave of God, there will be certain consequences           – in the Gospel, Jesus tells his followers who accept such slavery that they will have some difficult times                      – saying in effect, that if a person is going to be a follower of his, people are not always going to agree with you           Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division.           – Jesus’ reasoning is this: as a Christian, we are always going to be disturbed by the fact that there is sin in the world—the wages of sin, as Paul identifies it                      – and the followers of Jesus—the slaves of God—will do something about it—reform themselves, call attention to the evil around them, etc.                                – and in general, people do not like to be told that they could be sinning, that there could be evil in their lives—           – such slaves of God could easily be treated with disrespect and harm  + In today’s setting, of course, Christianity does not cause that type of division           – most of the United States is Christian; most people around here are Christian                      – most people here accept Christianity as a religion to believe                                – but the fact is that we are still far from what Christianity calls us to be   + What the slave of God—namely you and I—is called to do           – is not convert a pagan world to Christianity, as the early Christians were called to do                      – but to convert a Christian world to a renewed Christianity           – and the means to do it is exactly the same as the past slaves of God                      – we must understand the gift of God, namely Jesus in our lives                                – which means studying what his message is, what he really wants us to do                                          – to understand that living a Christian life necessarily involves going against the evils that human beings are prone to  + The modern day slave of God is called to a truly committed life           – a committed life which drives us to be advocates for things that really matter in the world,                     – we do that and Jesus doesn’t promise peace right away because we will disturb some people                                – but eventually we could lead ourselves and the world to what might be called real peace, and eventually, eternal life. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Black Adam” — final session MAKING THE FIRST MOVE The Gospel JOHN 14:15-18 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it.  But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.”

Gospelthink: I promise that the Holy Spirit will be with you.

Ostensibly Adrianna’s friend, Ishmael revealed himself as the leader of Intergang and kidnapped Adrianna’s son Amon who had stolen the crown of Sabbac. Ishmael finally tricked Adrianna into giving him the crown and was about to kill Amon which sent Teth-Adam into his final rage before he willingly gave up his power. The Justice Society took Teth-Adam to a secret underwater black site, and as they returned to the city, they found that Ishmael has become the Sabbac who is terrorizing Kahndaq once again. The people rallied behind Amon, Adrianna and Karin but were unable to save the city. As Fate fought Sabbac, he released Adam from his prison and came to join Hawkman, Atom Smasher and Cyclone to free the city. Adam finally killed Sabbac, and declared that he had become Black Adam to be the protector of the city.

It is significant that in the story of Black Adam, while Teth-Adam was voluntarily being held in exile, that normal people rallied the people of Kahndaq to fight against the evil of the Intergang. Usually, in the DC Comic series and in stories told in movies and television, it is the super-power who is the hero. Indeed that is the final case in the movie “Black Adam,” but it was “normal people” who began to take their city back. Then they needed help, but it began with them. It is the story of the Holy Spirit in the Gospels. Jesus knew that we could not keep the commandments by ourselves. It was too awesome a task. And so, he makes a point of saying to us to keep his commandments which becomes our directive as we embrace the faith in Jesus, but we cannot do it alone. We absolutely need divine help no matter how committed to the task we may be. We need the “super-power” to help us in our task. The beauty of our faith is that once we have made the commitment to follow the Lord’s commandments, we are given the Holy Spirit at the same time who will give us the aid that we need in order to carry out our task. We do not need to “wait” till things are so bad that the super-power must come. We are given that super-power, the Holy Spirit, at the same time that we make the commitment to obey Jesus’s words. The “problem” is not the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given to us, nor in the knowledge of what Jesus’s commandments are. They are automatic in the sense that once we understand our faith, we have them. The problem is our own action in following the Lord’s directives. We remain sinful human beings, and often our following of the Lord’s directives simply is not what it should be. As Amon and the people of Kahndaq had to turn to action before their super-powers would help them, you and I must be devoted to follow the Lord’s ways. And the Holy Spirit will automatically be there for us.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son promised the Holy Spirit to us if we would follow what he taught, and we believe that it is so. Help us initially to put into practice what the Lord has directed us to. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Everyday people give hope when evil has taken over, but they need help in order to achieve their purpose. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 58 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. In your own words, describe the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Wisdom, Understanding, Reverence, Courage, Awe, and Right Judgment). 3. It is Catholic doctrine that there is only one gift of the Holy Spirit as such, namely love. In general, have Christians honestly learned the lesson of love? Yes or no and why? 4. In what way can we “normal people” who do not have a lot of power help humankind? 5. In your opinion, what are the three most important commandments of Jesus? Why did you choose these? 6. What does the movie “Black Adam” teach young people?