[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, January 19 MARK 3:13-19 I appointed the twelve Apostles, one of whom betrayed me. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus goes to the mountain no doubt to pray first and then chooses the Apostles.  Again, the question of how much prayer time am I giving to the Lord? b. The Lord appointed specific people to be his Apostles. I am a person He has appointed in the sense that I am His creation. In my work, am I honoring the Lord who has created me by doing my work with love? c. He gave them authority to drive out evil. I must drive out the evil in my life. Identify the evil around me and determine a way to conquer it in my own way. (This is the task of the meditation.) d. He deliberately chose people of passion (sons of thunder). Am I passionate in my acceptance of Jesus and His teaching in my life? e. Jesus chose Judas who betrayed him. In what ways have I betrayed Jesus in the past? Perhaps this is the time to renew my asking for forgiveness. f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, without being judgmental of others, I will carry out letter c. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  JESUS AND JUDAS  + As we listen to Mark’s description of the call and naming of the Twelve           – it’s always interesting to see that Jesus chose Judas                      – Jesus must have know something about Judas                                – and was probably giving him a chance to be what he could be                                          – which was a good minister                      – it may be that the person of Judas is an indication of the possibility of human nature                                – the possibility of bringing about good or evil                                          – it is always up to us                                                    – we choose who we are                                                               – and one would guess that in Judas’ choice to go a different direction from Jesus that there was a lot of thinking and serious consideration on Judas’ part                                                                         – ultimately, Judas simply did not agree with Jesus as the guide  + Christianity is a choice           – although because of our involvement with it over the years,                      – it may not seem that way because what we do is so automatically           – but it is a choice that implies action                      – somewhere along the line, Judas chose to leave the guidance of Jesus                                – you and I must continually choose to accept the guidance of Jesus and what he said and did  + That acceptance involves a number of things           – but in the end it comes down to total acceptance of Jesus and his doctrine                      – and it must be total acceptance                                – not the way Saul accepted David                                          – in the first reading, it seems that he accepted David’s kingship, but in actuality, he did not           – our acceptance of Jesus must be real and complete]  + This leads quite naturally to a meditation on how well we know Jesus and the New Covenant           – and the way to determine how well we know Jesus                      – is to look at our past thoughts, words and actions                                – to see whether we really know Jesus or not                                          – and whether we are following what he wants                                                    – it takes time and effort to do it  + A lack of doing that may have been Judas’ downfall           – he had to know what Jesus’ words and thoughts and actions were                      – maybe he simply didn’t take the time and effort to let them affect him like he should have           – needless to say, we have to let Jesus affect us. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “True Grit” — final session TRUE GRIT The Gospel JOHN 21:25 There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Gospelthink: The Gospels describe what I did and said, but everything good can be traced back to me in some way. Do I believe and live the Lord’s good words?

Every person has faults. Such is the outcome of fallen human nature. Mattie Ross realized that fact as she looked for a person who could help her in her quest of finding her father’s killer in the movie “True Grit.” Faults did not matter to her; what she wanted was someone with “true grit” as she explained. Our dictionary defines “grit” as determination or strength of character. That was what Mattie wanted in a person who would be her guide to achieve her goal. The person of Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn fit her desire. He had problems with his life in the past and his life in the present, but he was a person with “grit.” He was a person who was able to know right from wrong, and above all, he was able to care for the people who were right and not wrong. Mattie Ross was one of them in his mind, and so he knew that he had to help her.

Some people are very difficult to describe. John the evangelist summarized the person of Jesus Christ, for example, by saying that there were not enough books that could be written which would capture what he did and what he meant to the world. The unwritten words in that portrayal are that his character would never be matched. Studying Jesus from such an exalted point of view would lead a person to say that in John’s opinion anyway, no one would ever be able to define his character. Studying Jesus from what he said and did in the world, one would have to say that no one loved people and cared for people the way he did. Any person can be studied from the point of view of character, what Mattie Ross called “grit” in the movie “True Grit.” In Mattie’s eyes, character would have to be defined in terms of some type of honesty and a person with such a character would be a person who ultimately cared for other people. Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn was someone who possessed the desire to help her and thus was able to understand why she cared so much about her father’s reputation. As Mattie studied the man, she knew that he had his problems, but she also knew that he cared about her. Christians are obviously called to follow the path of Jesus Christ, and just as obviously then, we are called to be people who manage to love and care for others. Study of the character of “Rooster” Cogburn means that to such a love and care for others, we must add the fact that we all have personal problems. But as “Rooster” Cogburn did, we are encouraged to transcend those problems as we live out the honesty and love that is necessary for a good life. Cogburn indeed had “grit” in the midst of a caring life; so too should the modern Christian.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son was the greatest human being that ever lived. Help us understand him a little more so that even with the personal drawbacks that we all have because of our humanity, we may still turn out to be people who truly love the way we should. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: A person who has true character will be a person who although hampered by personal problems, nevertheless cares for others.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 52 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking and why? 2. John the evangelist obviously is speaking in exaggeration of Jesus’ contribution to humankind. In your opinion, what is Jesus’ greatest achievement? 3. Project: Outline the character of Jesus as presented by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 430-451. 4. The meditation mentions that there are some people who are difficult to describe. Give some examples of other people of history who are difficult to describe. 5. Define “character” in a person’s makeup. 6. The meditation describes character in a person to be a virtue that makes one honest and able to care for another. What is your definition of “honesty” and “care”? 7. Drinking is obviously one of “Rooster” Cogburn’s problems. Is it true that a person can have a drinking problem and still show care and concern about another? Yes or no and why? 8. In your opinion, do most Christians follow the path of Jesus? Yes or no and why? 9. When is a problem so severe that the person must have professional help? 10. Scene analysis: Mattie shoots Chaney. Do you think that you personally could shoot to kill another person? As far as you can tell, what would be the circumstances? 11. Mattie moves the grave of Cogburn to her family plot of graves, thus showing her own care for Cogburn. Why is it important to honor the graves of those who have died? 12. Dialogue analysis: The older Mattie knows that people “talk about” her. People will always “talk about” other people. What is the best way to behave in these situations? 13. Dialogue analysis: The older Mattie says: “Time just gets away from us.” What is the meaning of the phrase? 14. What does the movie “True Grit” teach young people?