[media presentation below] GospelThink Tuesday, February 13 MARK 8:14-21 The apostles did not understand what I was trying to say about “leaven.” Prayerthoughts a. Jesus speaks of the “leaven” of the Pharisees. Leaven is yeast that spreads throughout a  substance. So the “leaven” of the Pharisees can be looked at as the way they think and act. Obviously, my thinking should be about “good.” What thoughts in particular should I improve on in my life? b. Even if the disciples’ thinking was correct (that Jesus was speaking of bringing bread to feed the crowd), it was a lack of faith on their parts that Jesus could do nothing about it. Is my faith strong enough to know that God is always active in my life? c. Jesus refers to two miracles of the past. There have been miracles in my life, to be sure. Have I thanked the Lord for them the way I should have? d. Jesus tells the disciples directly to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Mainly what Jesus has referred to in the past are their insistence on the Law, while they themselves are not carrying through with the teaching. In what ways do I find myself hypocritical (saying one thing, doing another)? e. Part of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees includes their refusal to understand the “general attitude” of Jesus, that is, his approach to life. With the words of Scripture, do I spend the time necessary to apply Jesus’ words to the way I live right now? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read the letter of James, chapter 1 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  DO YOU UNDERSTAND?  + In yesterday’s Gospel, Mark describes Jesus as sighing from the depth of his spirit because the Pharisees refused to understand           – in today’s Gospel, it is the Apostles who do not understand, but it doesn’t seem to be a fault—they simply don’t know enough                      – in Mark’s Gospel, the Apostles continually have a difficult time trying to understand exactly what Jesus was trying to get across to them                                – it is almost a constant theme of Mark’s Gospel  + Here, Jesus is trying to get across that the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod is to be avoided           – as we take off on that idea of “leaven”                      – the idea that when something is a leaven, it goes throughout the whole product                                – if people have the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, it is not a good thing because they are people who refuse to accept what Jesus is teaching           – Jesus desperately wants his Apostles to understand that, and not accept the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, but to accept his teaching as leaven                      – if his teaching is the leaven, they can function as Jesus wants them to  + Part of Jesus’ leaven is the whole understanding of temptation which is presented here at the beginning of the Letter of James           – actually the whole letter of James is excellent to meditate on—every section gives us something that will easily help our spiritual lives                      – here, temptation comes not from God, but from our own desires, what the letter calls what happens when “lured and enticed by desire”                                – and the implicit statement that we must learn to resist temptation with all our might  + The application for us is two-fold, I believe           – 1, we have to work with the leaven of Jesus                      – that is, we have to allow his words, thoughts and actions to permeate our every being as a leaven                                – and then allow those thoughts to spread to the world in which we find ourselves                                          – that we become the leaven that the world needs, as the Decree on the Laity of the Second Vatican Council reminds us           – and 2, that idea of temptation                      – God is not tempting us; the temptation comes from the lure of our desires                                – and we have to continually work at overcoming those desires that we have so as to be the people that Jesus wants us to be  + It is an important question that Jesus asks in the Gospel: do you understand?           – if we do, we will do everything in our power to make the Lord part of our lives. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “F9: The Fast Saga” — beginning session THE EFFECT OF A GOOD FAMILY  The Gospel MARK 3:13-19 Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed twelve [whom he named apostles] that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: he appointed the twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee and John the brother of James whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Gospelthink: I called my disciples, giving them the power to teach. In many ways, I teach others by my example. What kind of a teacher am I?

“F9: The Fast Saga” is the name of the ninth installment of the “Fast and Furious” movies. The theme of “family” runs throughout the movie since the principal characters, Dom Toretto and Jakob Toretto are brothers. They are racers of the Toretto family whose father is Jack. Dom is a symbol of the good who tries to bring about peace while Jakob is a symbol of the evil in society who is only interested in power. As the movie begins, after Jack’s death in an auto accident, Dom and his friends are trying to find Mr. Nobody’s crashed plane that contains the remains of Project Aries, a machine that can make the owner literally omnipotent. Jakob was instrumental in bringing the plane down. Throughout the movie, Dom and Jakob interact with each other and their sister Mia in a way symbolized by the cross which Dom and Jakob wear. There are tough moments, but the family ties are strong, even bringing about good for all involved. As young Dom and Jakob said to one another early on: “We’re gonna be okay ’cause we’re family.”

The original “sons of thunder,” James and John, the sons of Zebedee whom Jesus called were probably given their nickname because of a rebellious attitude. In many ways, Dom and Jakob Toretto were “sons of thunder.” The Toretto family was involved in the race car circuit, and Dom and Jakob, as can be seen throughout the movie “F9: The Fast Saga,” were people who would not run from a fight. It is interesting that Jesus called members of different families to make up the one family that he set up, the Twelve or the apostles as he called them. The thought of family had to be uppermost in Jesus’s mind. He wanted his apostles to consider one another to be as close as brothers in order to preach Jesus’s message of love and unity to the world. Every agency who works with the improvement of a nation, a city, a community, a small group of people and the like will speak of the importance of family. If we are interested in improving some situation, it is almost a “given” that we must work with the families involved to make them loving entities. Somehow it becomes a fact that if people can make their families become loving relationships, then their world outside will be loving. It seems that Jesus knew that as he formed a family of the Twelve. The problem, of course, comes with human nature. For whatever reason, usually selfishness, members of families sometimes do not get along, and upset everything in their path. It is almost an unfortunate fact that just as loving families help the world, so families with difficulties “mess up” the world. The secret is in discovery, that is, being aware of what each individual family member is doing. In the movie “F9: The Fast Saga” Jakob finally understood what he had done, bringing together a loving Toretto family, and eventually a living of true happiness around their family.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, it is obvious that we are all members of families. Some of them are healthy bringing about a truly good life. Unfortunately, some of our families are not so healthy. Give each of us the grace to understand how we can be better family members. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Being part of a strong family is of immense importance if we want to enjoy a peaceful existence in our world. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 66 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. Why are some people “naturally” combative, that is always ready for a fight, whether physical or mental? 3. Why is “family” a good description of Jesus and his apostles? 4.  In general, why do families become “messed up” in our society? 5. What can be done to help the families around us who are “messed up”? 6. How does “selfishness” disturb family unity, and what can be done about it? 7. In the movie, Jakob finally understood some things. In your opinion, do most people who “mess up” a family come to an understanding of what they are doing?