[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, July 8 MATTHEW 10:16-23 I warn my disciples and you that not everyone will agree with you. Prayerthoughts a. The English translation, “beware of people” is interesting. Who are the people in my life that I should trust more? b. There will be people who do not agree with me because of my Christian and/or personal beliefs. I must learn to respect everyone no matter how they are treating me. Are there some people that I do not respect as much as I should? c. I must watch what I say and how I say it. Do I find myself being too quick in my response to some situations? d. Do I call on the Holy Spirit enough as I am seeking guidance for what to do in my life? e. In the early persecutions which Matthew is remembering here, families were torn apart. In my family right now, are there some people that I should reach out to? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will study what I said yesterday to determine if I could have been more charitable. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy   CONSISTENTLY DEPENDING ON GOD  + Jesus continues the missionary discourse in Matthew’s Gospel         – telling his Apostles what to expect as they go out and preach about the kingdom         – at the same time, Matthew is reflecting what the early Church is enduring—persecution—as he writes his Gospel                 – and it is not a pretty sight                        – in fact, it is downright scary                                 – the phrase that Jesus uses is         …sheep in the midst of wolves         – therefore, Jesus gives the directive: be shrewd even as you are simple                 – that is, remain innocent, pure, and good but always be aware of the possible evil in the world  + And as you are in the world that sometimes is evil, when things are rough         – Jesus reminds his Apostles of two things in particular:                 1 – remember that God will help you; in fact, depend on it         You will be given at that moment what you are to say;…it is the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.                 2 – hold out till the end, that is, have patience with the Spirit of God that is working with you         Whoever endures to the end will be saved.         – incidentally concerning the last verse about the Son of Man coming before they are finished:                 – the human Jesus and early Church expected the fulfillment of the kingdom to happen very quickly  + For religious and those aspiring to be religious, those two ideas are worth dwelling on, namely, depending on God for help, and holding out till the end         – first of all, we are not in a situation of “sheep in the midst of wolves” and therefore do not have to depend on God the way that the early Christians did                 – we have no persecution                         – in fact, many critics say that that is the reason religion is not as strong as it should be                 – but there is some persecution in the sense that the “world”/”society” has evil elements to it                         – in terms of what Hosea said in the first reading—         – we have said “our god” to material things                 – and therefore we are called to change that and totally depend on our real God for help and direction:         “We shall say no more ‘our god’ to the work of our hands.”         – and secondly, we must persevere in our dependency on God—day after day, consistently saying to God over and over again:                 – I will keep your directives; I will be the spiritual person that I should be                         – in much the same way that learning some art demands—“practice, practice, practice”  + Two elements of our spiritual lives to consider today, and two questions that we should ask ourselves:         – how well do we depend on God, allowing God to direct us; and are we consistently trying to be the spiritual person that we aspire to be? MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Lone Ranger” — beginning session REVENGE OR JUSTICE? The Gospel LUKE 9:51-56 When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

Gospelthink: I rebuked James and John because they wanted revenge. I told them that a follower of mine cannot be interested in revenge.

If there were some type of unwritten rule for the latter 1800 Western United States, it may have been the thought of protection of self at whatever cost as one tried to settle in the territory. “Whatever cost” usually meant some type of revenge when things did not go well. Unfortunately, often things did not go well because of the greediness of the different characters involved. Into such a setting comes the person whom the fantasy world of American westerns knows as the Lone Ranger. John Reid, later to be known as the Lone Ranger according to the movie “The Lone Ranger,” was a young college-educated prosecutor who came into the West in the early 1870’s as a law-fearing man, as he called himself. He felt that if there was justice served, then there would be no need for revenge. His future companion, Comanche-born Tonto, himself a victim of violence, was convinced, as were so many, that revenge was the only justice in a land of violence. The Lone Ranger himself was to grapple with what justice meant, even as he felt the desire to be revengeful.

Jesus knew about the human tendency toward revenge, the desire to repay people in kind for some evil brought upon them. He worked with people in every circumstance imaginable for his time, and therefore he saw that people often lived their lives as more of a negative response to what others did to them. The Apostles that he chose were no different, even though Jesus had given them heavenly powers. Their human desire was to get back at the people who wronged them, to use the powers that they had to bring those who opposed them into submission. Jesus had to teach them, and therefore those who follow him, that revenge will never bring about justice. Such was the ideal of John Reid as he began his life in a country that lived by the creed of seeking revenge for wrongdoing. It was a difficult ideal to pursue as he began to interact with the evil people who wanted the new-found riches of the early Western United States. It seemed only just that the people who killed, who hurt, and generally did anything they wanted should be punished in some way. Reid was convinced that justice was the only answer, even though he and the good people around him were inclined toward revenge. Along with the idea of love of enemies and forgiving all, avoiding revenge may be the most difficult of the doctrines that Jesus taught. We live and work in a world in which revenge is presented often as a “right” to which we are entitled. We feel justified in “getting back” at those who have hurt us or our families. Modern media presents images of revenge that more or less give us “permission” to give to others “what they deserve.” It is important for Christians to study their lives in light of the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus’ primary doctrine was no doubt love of God and others, but it begins with a true desire to at least be just to everyone we meet.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son gave us the ideal of avoiding revenge in his life, but it is a difficult doctrine to carry out. Give us the grace to truly understand the meaning of justice so that we can avoid revenge. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We must become people dedicated to justice, especially when there is a strong desire for revenge. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 70 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. In the Gospel, Jesus was going to Jerusalem to face what he had to do to redeem humankind. What is your understanding of Jesus’ redemption? (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 606-618.) 3. Just as in Jesus’ time, there still exists bitter hatred between different countries and races. What can you do as a Christian to take away some of this prejudice? 4. There are many examples of “revenge” in the world today. Discuss one example. 5. Some Christian commentators maintain that at times revenge can bring about justice. Do you agree and why or why not? 6. Early on, the “rule of the land” was the “death penalty,” the ultimate punishment of revenge enacted in a court of law. What is your feeling about the death penalty now? (See Catechism, number 2267.) 7. In your opinion, what are the most difficult “doctrines” of Jesus? 8. Is it true that modern media often presents “revenge” to be the way a person should act? Yes or no and why? 9. Analysis: the character of Latham Cole, rail magnate. What were the driving forces in his life? 10. Dialogue analysis: John Reid says he is a “law-fearing man” in contrast to a “God-fearing man.” What is the difference? 11. Analysis: the killing that takes place. In your opinion, do such scenes have an adverse effect on young people? Yes or no and why? 12. Dialogue analysis: Tonto replies that his only crime is being an Indian. Do you believe that there is still prejudice against the American Indian? Yes or no and why? 13. Analysis: the “Spirit” horse (later “Silver”). In your opinion, does God sometimes act through animals? Yes or no and why? 14. Analysis: Tonto’s custom of “giving to the dead” when he takes something from them. Why is it a good custom? 15. Analysis: the sin of prostitution. Even though it has been practiced throughout history, why is it wrong? (See Catechism, number 2355.)