[media presentation below]
GospelThink
Sunday, December 24, Fourth Sunday of Advent
LUKE 1:26-38
As Mary, you must say “yes” to God.
Prayerthoughts
a. An angel of the Lord has probably not spoken to us directly, but the Holy Spirit has inspired us to certain actions. Where have I seen the Holy Spirit acting in my life directly?
b. Mary was troubled by the angel’s greeting. What troubles me the most in my life right now and what can I do about it?
c. The angel’s statement to Mary, “Do not be afraid,” is a statement that Jesus would make often in his ministry. I must remember that the Lord is always with me, no matter what the circumstances of my life, and therefore I have no reason to be afraid. Do I find myself too afraid at times?
d. The angel tells Mary that Jesus’ Kingdom will have no end. What is most important about Jesus’s Kingdom for me at this time of my life?
e. As Mary, we do not always understand how the Lord is working in our lives. In what area of my life do I need to understand more how the Lord is working? (This is the task of the meditation.)
f. Where have I seen the Holy Spirit most at work in the world?
g. The angel tells Mary about Elizabeth. Who among my acquaintances right now should I reach out to in some way?
h. Mary says “yes” to God. In my life, where have I made a commitment to God, and how am I following through on it?
i. My prayerthoughts…
Today, I will write a prayer asking the Lord for help in understanding a difficult area in my life.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy
OPEN TO GOD
+ Some of you are familiar with Paul Harvey, the commentator
– and if you are, then you probably have heard this story
– Paul Harvey died a couple of years ago, and he always told the story on his radio program around this time of year
– allow me to tell it in light of this Gospel today
**** Northeast US, very cold winter evening, snowing, heavy snow on the ground, Christmas eve
– only time in the year that husband and wife fought
– he was not a believer in Jesus, he believed in God, but God becoming man was too much for him, never did make any sense to him: God was necessarily more than human beings in his mind
– really did not want to be a hypocrite / simply would not go to Church, especially on Christmas: it was the height of hypocrisy in his mind
– and every year he and his wife argued about it
– so after their yearly fight, he and his wife dressed their children, and then his wife and children went to the Christmas eve service
– he sat down by the fireplace after he had arranged some gifts under the tree
– suddenly, something hit the picture window of the house a number of times
– almost as if someone was trying to break it with snowballs or something
– little angry, headed for the doorway
– outside he saw some birds drawn apparently by the light of the house
– now fluttering on the ground, stunned, trying to get warmth, their wings freezing in the bitter cold
– he was struck by what he guessed was the pain of the birds
– wanted to do something for them
– obviously, he couldn’t get them into the house
– quickly got some heavy clothes, flashlight, went to the barn
– opened the door, turned on the bright light, walked away from it, hoping that the birds would go in
– birds didn’t move, except toward window of the house
– so he circled behind the birds and tried to shoo them to the barn, and tried to give them bread crumbs to lead them to the barn
– but they only scattered away from him and away from the barn
– shouted at them: I’m not going to hurt you, you’re going to freeze to death, you stupid birds; if only I were one of you, I’d show you what to do, and then you could follow me….into….the….barn
– suddenly, as Harvey tells it, the Church bell rang from down the road – and he heard his own words: “If only I could be one of you, I’d show you what to do”
– he recognized what Jesus did: he became one of us to show us what to do
– and at that moment, Paul Harvey says, he became a believer
+ We consider Mary today in this fourth Sunday of Advent reading—a familiar one since it is used often in the Church readings
– Mary is someone who has been venerated by our Church since day one
– why? — it all began with this Gospel, I believe
– she recognized what God wanted because she was open to listening to God
– there’s the key: if we are open to listen to God, we can hear God direct us
– the man in Paul Harvey’s story had to be open to listening to God or else the only thing that would have happened on that Christmas eve night was some birds flying into a window
+ If we are open to listening to God, we will hear God talk to us
– a number of things point to the presence of God if we are open to listen to them—things that can lead us to understand that God is very much a part of what we are doing
– in fact, everything that happens to us is God talking to us in one way or another, always with a message
– and the message is always a good one if we are open to listen to it.
+ Our problem just may be that we are not open to listening to God—the opposite of Mary in this Gospel
– if we are listening and recognizing that God is part of all of this, we will experience all kinds of miracles in our lives
– I had occasion to take one of our brothers to the eye doctor this past week, and the office had one of those charts that describe the function of the eye and the intricacies of how the eye works—an incredible accomplishment
– the thought occurred to me—how can people deny the existence of God when everyone of us has two of these, and every other intricate function of our bodies that had to be created somehow
– the presence of God is all around us if we are open to God
+ There was a popular controversial song out a couple of years ago called “One of Us”, the theme song of a TV series about God in a teenager’s life
– refrain: “What if God was one of us. Just a slob like one of us, just a stranger on the bus, trying to make his way home.”
– Jesus is on our bus, showing us how to make our way home
– but we have to be open to listen to him or else we won’t even get on the bus in the first place.
MEDIA PRESENTATION
Movie: “The Adjustment Bureau” — final session
THE GUIDE FOR FREE WILL
The Gospel
LUKE 1:67-75
Then Zechariah filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people. He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” |
From the first chapter of the book of Genesis in the Bible, God made it clear that we had a free will. God said that we were created in God’s image, that is, after God who had the free will to create us or not. Further, after we had sinned, God chose to redeem us through the Son, as spoken by Zechariah in Luke’s Gospel. God made it possible to worship God if we wanted. But we were free not to worship our God as well, and unfortunately, many people freely chose to follow such a course of action.
Free will has been the subject of much philosophical thought throughout the ages of our existence. It is also the theme behind the movie “The Adjustment Bureau.” Are we truly free, or, as suggested in the movie, has the “Chairman” of our lives dictated that certain things will happen by “chance” so that it only looks like we are using a free will? Are we conditioned in such a way that it does not matter what we do or try to do? In fact, some religious leaders have asserted that we are predestined to go to heaven or hell, and we cannot do a thing about it. Our faith does not accept that. The fact is that we are free, and we determine our eternal destiny.
For the Christian, therefore, whether we have free will or not is not the question. The question is how we control the free will that we have. You and I have the ability to choose what our final destiny is. We can choose to have eternal life or not, and the choice totally depends on us; we cannot “blame” others or any circumstance in our life.
One of the documents of the Catholic Church reminds us: “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.”
Our free wills must have a guide. Our conscience guides us to good. Our task as God’s created people is to freely choose what God wants for us so that our futures will always be with God.
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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: Free will is a gift that we all possess, but it must always be guided by truly moral thinking.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 49 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why?
2. The evangelist says that Zechariah was “filled with the holy Spirit.” In particular, what people in our world right now are filled with the Spirit? Why?
3. The Gospel reading better known as the beginning of Zechariah’s canticle is described as a “prophecy,” that is a divinely enlightened proclamation of the meaning of certain events. In what ways do you see God at work in our world today?
4. As used in the context of this meditation, Jesus’ redemption is portrayed as granting us “freedom,” that is freedom from sin. What are the worst sins that people commit in our world? What can we do about them? Can you do anything about them in your present circumstances? Yes or no and why?
5. Describe your understanding of “free will.”
6. Why have people chosen not to worship God?
7. Project: make a classroom presentation on “Predestination.” See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, number 600, and Catholic Encyclopedia: “Predestination.”
8. The document quoted in the meditation is from the Second Vatican Council’s document Gaudium et Spes, number 16 as quoted in the Catechism, number 1776. Project: make a classroom presentation on “Conscience” as contained in the Catechism, numbers 1776-1794.
9. In your opinion, what is the most important way to form our conscience?
10. Would it be good or bad to know the future? Why?
11. Scene analysis: David makes the decision to leave Elise when he discovers that he could jeopardize her future. In your opinion, was it a good decision? Yes or no and why?
12. Scene analysis: Elise chooses to follow David through the door on Liberty Island. It was a decision of real love. What are the demands of real love?
13. Scene analysis: As David and Elise feel that the worst is going to happen at the end of the chase by Thompson and his associates, they embrace each other, saying that their love for each other is the only thing that matters in their lives. Does such a love exist in most marriages? Yes or no and why?
14. Scene analysis: Thompson is released from his duties, showing that the “Chairman” can change his/her mind. What conclusion about free will can be made as a result of this scene?
15. Dialogue analysis: Harry says at the end of the movie: “Most people live life on the path we set for them, too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like you come along who knock down all the obstacles we put in your way, people who realize free will is a gift that you’ll never know how to use until you fight for it. I think that’s the Chairman’s real plan. And maybe one day, we won’t write the plan. You will.” What is most significant about the statement? Why?
16. What does the movie “The Adjustment Bureau” teach young people? |
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