[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, November 16 LUKE 17:20-25 I want you to think about the end of the world in the sense of how you are preparing for it. Prayerthoughts a. With the Pharisees, we sometimes wonder when the end of the world will come. The Lord gives no answer because it is not important. What is the most important thing that I do with my life during my time now? b. The Kingdom is growing within and around us: we are part of the Kingdom right now. In what ways do I sense that the Kingdom is among us? c. There are times in our world when things are not going well and we long for an answer such as the coming of the end of the world. I must learn to be more positive in my approach even when things are not good, always turning to God in prayer. d. We believe that the Lord will indeed come either at the end of earth’s time or at the end of our lives. If the Lord would come right now, am I properly prepared? e. The Lord knows that he will suffer greatly and people will reject him. It certainly happened in his lifetime, and he continues to suffer in the peoples who suffer in our world. It is a good time to pray for those in our world who are suffering from persecution and hatred. f. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will read Wisdom, chapter 7, and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE WISDOM OF THE KINGDOM  + Human beings have a tendency to want to know what the future will bring             – it might not be good for us to know, but that doesn’t diminish the desire                         – especially we want to know the future where we are concerned             – and so the Pharisees here—as they listen to Jesus talk of the Kingdom of God, something that concerns them as religious leaders—they want to know when the Kingdom of God will come                         – and Jesus’ response is basically critical of the Pharisees                                     – they did not recognize what Jesus was doing                                                 – and so he has to tell them that he—Jesus—is bringing about that Kingdom here and now                         – then Jesus goes on to talk of eschatology, the end times, with some insights that will come out in these daily Gospel readings in the future as we move into the final weeks of the Church year and as we begin Advent  + I believe a good fact to meditate on for a spiritual person who wants to improve his/her life from this reading is the fact that the Kingdom of God is already in our midst             – it has some Scriptural difficulties, and is understood differently by scholars,                         – but I believe that it is a good statement to take at face value                                     – the Lord is alive and well in our world:                                                 – he is risen from the dead, he reigns over us                                                             – we should both accept it and allow it to do something to us                                     – and therefore, there are a number of conclusions about the way we should live as spiritual people  + The Book of Wisdom lists exactly what those conclusions are:             – the spiritual person will be a person of wisdom whose characteristics are “intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, all powerful, all seeing, pervading all spirits”             – obviously, you and I are not quite there yet with these high qualities of wisdom,                         – but the idea of the spiritual life is that we are moving that direction                                     – that is, we really want to be people of wisdom                                                 – and although we may not be able to fully achieve it right now, we want it to happen, and we are trying to make it happen  + Therefore, as followers of Jesus, part of our constant meditation must revolve around what true wisdom is and how to move ourselves to get it             – the Kingdom of God is in our midst and as believers in that Kingdom, we should be moving toward wisdom.  + It might be good sometime during the day today to study the list of wisdom characteristics and see where we are with them. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Snow White and the Huntsman” — beginning session OBSESSED WITH BEAUTY AND YOUTH The Gospel MATTHEW 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'”

Gospelthink: Evil wanted me to be selfish, and I overcame that temptation. Am I too selfish in the way I act?

“Snow White and the Huntsman” is the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” put into a real life setting of the Middle Ages. Ravenna, Snow White’s stepmother, obsessed with youth, beauty and power, would do anything to satisfy her desires. Even if it might mean destroying the beauty of the women of the kingdom and the ruin of people’s lives, she set about pursuing what she wanted. Killing her husband, Snow White’s father, she imprisoned Snow White in the north tower of the castle. But, through her magic mirror, Ravenna learned that Snow White would eventually overpower her unless she consumed Snow White’s heart. If Ravenna accomplished it, according to the mirror, it would not only give her the youth and beauty she desired, but it would give her immortality as well. When Snow White escaped from the tower, Ravenna charged the Huntsman to find her and bring her back. Traveling into the Dark Forest, the Huntsman and eventually Snow White’s childhood friend William join Snow White in her fight against the ruthlessness of Ravenna.

Most Scriptural theologians see much more in the temptations of Jesus than what is actually written in the Gospels. Studying the first temptation for example, commentators usually see the text to mean all temptations to the lusts of the flesh. Jesus was hungry, and the tempter wanted him to give into his desire and use his power for selfish reasons. Included in the “lusts” that people throughout the ages have desired is the longing for perpetual youth and beauty along with the ultimate desire of immortality. Jesus answers the devil by quoting the Hebrew Scriptures, reminding the devil that the word of God must always be the guide to people’s actions, and therefore a follower of Jesus cannot have too many self-centered luxuries. The desire for perpetual youth and physical beauty are among the strongest desires of young people in the twenty-first century. Young people and people wishing to be young spend millions of dollars each year on creams and pills and potions with the sole intention of making themselves look and feel young. It is a desire of both women and men, and many times it is present even among the old. The problem is not so much in our wanting to be young, but the thinking that goes with it. People too easily conclude that they are not beautiful in the first place. Such a conclusion is totally and completely false. God created only beauty. Such a belief comes from our faith, and makes complete sense for a person who believes in God. Just as the religious author of Genesis could say that everyone and everything created was good (Genesis 1), so the Christian of the twenty-first century must acknowledge that God continues to create the good, no matter whether we think we look young or not. Jesus’ first temptation dealt with the desires of the flesh. As he was guided by God to refute the devil, we must seek the same guidance to understand that we have life, and that in itself makes us beautiful.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, you have given us life, and for that we must be forever thankful. Help us see that no matter what our age or condition, you have blessed us, and continue to bless us with your guidance. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: The desire for youth and beauty is a driving factor in our world.        DISCUSSION  QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 60 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. Why do you think that “the Spirit” led Jesus to be tempted? 3. “Forty” is a traditional number used in some Bible stories. It probably signifies a significant amount of time. Is “fasting” a good penance in our lives? Why or why not? 4. How does a person “truly live” by the word of God? 5. The quotation that Jesus gives is from Deuteronomy 8:3. Project: Give the context of this reference. 6. Why is the desire to be perpetually youthful and beautiful such a strong attraction? 7. Do you believe that the word of God is truly a guide for most Christians? Yes or no and why? 8. Project: choose an advertisement for a “beauty aid” from television or a magazine, and analyze it. 9. God did not create the evil in the world, but according to our faith, only allows it because of our free wills. Can the “evil” of the world be thought of as “something good”? Yes or no and why? 10. What is the most precious gift that comes with the “life” that we have been given? 11. Analysis: One of Ravenna’s problem with men is that they exploit the beauty of women. Is her accusation true or false and why? 14. Analysis: Snow White prays the Our Father during her captivity. What part does prayer play in very difficult situations? 15. Scene analysis: Snow White follows the birds to the horse in the Dark Forest. What is the significance of the scene? 16. Scene analysis: Ravenna “inhales” youth. What is the principal reason that older people want to be young again? 17. Analysis: Why do people want to have immortality here on earth? 18. Dialogue analysis: The Huntsman tells Snow White that the Forest acts on our deepest fears. What is the greatest fear of the human being? 19. Scene analysis: Snow White and the troll. Why did the troll not attack Snow White? 20. Dialogue analysis: Snow White tells the Huntsman that she did not trust him. What are the principal characteristics of “trust of another”?