[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, December 19, Special Advent LUKE 1:5-25 The angel announces my presence in your world. Prayerthoughts a. The evangelist Luke ties in our redemption with the outside world. I weave my spiritual life in the midst of the outside world with its activities. Do I try to understand how the Lord is working in the events of the outside world? b. Obviously, I will not be told what to do by the appearance of an angel. What should be a guide for my living? c. The phrase “Do not be afraid” comes up often in the New Testament Scriptures. What causes fear in my life; what should cause fear? d. John will be a special person who will lead people to God. Who are the people in my life who inspire me to think of God? What in particular can I learn from them? e. Zechariah finds it hard to believe and may not have been willing to change himself to believe (unlike Mary who in a similar situation was willing to change). Do I carry out my faith with a willingness to change some of my behavior? f. Elizabeth understands that the Lord is really working in her life. Do I acknowledge that the Lord is really working in my life? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will write a prayer of acceptance of what God will do in my future life. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  SAMSON AND JOHN THE BAPTIST  + The readings today contain two similar Scriptural occurrences:           – the birth of Samson and the conception/later birth of John the Baptist           – there are a couple important similarities in the stories that immediately come out  + First, human beings cannot bring about something by themselves—in both stories, God is absolutely necessary           – both of the women are barren, and God must intervene in the human process                      – one of the problems that we have as human beings is self-sufficiency                      – we think that everything depends on us                                – and even though we realize how important God is                                          – we do not place our hope in God in prayer as often as we should                                                    – one of our prayers should be to allow God to work in our lives                      – the fact is that we are sustained by God’s help—grace                                – and we have a tendency to forget that as we go about our lives                                          – one of my favorites lines in Scripture comes from chapter 26 of the prophet Isaiah: “God has accomplished all that we have done.”                      – if we truly study our lives, we see God’s presence there                                – something that should lead us to the prayer of thanksgiving and lead us to trust that the Lord will work for us                                          – the theme of lack of trust, of course, is presented in the person of Zechariah and his attitude                                                    – our thought should be: “do the best that you can in accord with what Jesus taught, and allow the Lord to act”  + Secondly, both Samson and John played an important part in redemption           – Samson was one of the people who began the deliverance of Israel           – John was the immediate preparation for it                      – we may not be of the same caliber as Samson and John                                – but we are all preparing for redemption in our own way                                          – we are obviously preparing for our own redemption, and our behavior ought to manifest that                                                    – as spiritual people we are called to live our lives as best we can                                          – and we are all involved in a small way in the continual redemption of the world                                                    – by the example we set, by the words we say, etc.                                                     – by praying for the world  + Two important ideas in the stories: God is very much involved in our lives, and we should spend more time acknowledging it           – and we continue to play a part in redemption, our own as well as the world’s. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Batman” — final session THERE IS HOPE The Gospel MATTHEW 24:9-14 Jesus said, “Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and the end will come.”

Gospelthink: Jesus speaks of the end of the world with hope. Am I able to be a person of hope even during the difficult times in my life?

The movie “The Batman” is brimming over with evil people who are out to win their own satisfaction. It shows the Riddler (whose real name is Edward Nashton) who ends up in the Arkham State Hospital, but not until he has planted bombs that eventually flood Gotham City. Even Bruce Wayne’s parents Thomas and Martha Wayne are shown to have evil tendencies and Selina Kyle who was a help to Batman, gives up on the good. One is struck by how strong the evil is, but the important fact to notice is that there were good people who helped Batman and Lieutenant Gordon in their pursuit of good. And the movie closes with the idea of hope for a new Gotham City with the new mayor Bella Real even as the city is flooded.

As one reads Matthew’s account of the end of the world, one is struck by the conflict between the good and the evil that will ensue. It will be a frightening confrontation. “They will hand you over to persecution and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.” In order to win the conflict, the good must persevere to the end because the one who perseveres to the end “will be saved.” The end of the world is not one that we like to think about, nor is its treatment by the different writers of the Gospel clear. But certain elements can be identified. Evil is strong, but if the good will persevere, they will receive their reward.  Much of the movie “The Batman” is dark and rainy probably because the movie concentrates on how much evil is present in Gotham City. There seems to be no end to the evil that is presented, even reaching into Bruce Wayne/Batman’s family. One viewing the movie, witnessing the flooding of Gotham City and even Batman acting as a worker to those who are drowning, can easily think of the destruction of the world. But quite apparent in this movie is what is not said directly. One gets the feeling that things will work out. Bella Real will be a good mayor, Lieutenant Gordon will continue his work in the police department and Batman with Alfred are still alive and well. The good will win. Jesus describes the end of the world with hope, saying that those who persevere will have a happy life, “will be saved.” The movie “The Batman” teaches us that there is evil in the world and it continually brings about destruction. But there is hope.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son knew that the end of this world would be a frightening one, and He told us so. But He also promised a good ending. As we study the problems in our lives with both the good and the bad, help us to understand that the good will always win. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: The best people are not only people who fight evil, but who also inspire hope.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 83  minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why? 2. What does the movie “The Batman” teach young people? 3. In the Gospel passage, what does “persevere to the end” consist of? 4. Is the end of the world something that most people fear?  Yes or no and why? 5. How do you picture eternal life? 6. What is an evil in the world right now that could be changed relatively easily? 7. Many people believe that the end of the world is near. What is your opinion on it? 8. What is your definition of “hope”? 9. What are some signs of “hope” in our world right now?