[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, August 1 MATTHEW 14:13-21 I had pity on the crowd, giving them food. Prayerthoughts: a. Jesus withdrew by himself. Do I spend enough time in quiet prayer? b. Jesus feels pity for the crowd.  In my life, in general, do I look at others with a desire to help them if they need it? c. The disciples questioned the Lord’s decision to feed them. As I read the Gospels, do I try to understand completely what the Lord is trying to say to me? d. Jesus uses what they have. It is a significant action for my spiritual life. At this time of my life, the Lord will use whatever I can do to be better if we want. Am I open to the Lord’s wishes? e. Jesus uses words that he will use when he institutes the Eucharist for us. Do I try to receive the Lord in the Eucharist often, and then thank him for his gift? f. It is significant that all were satisfied and there was food left over. Am I satisfied with what is given to me? Do I thank the Lord and those who give me what I need? (This is the task of the meditation.) g. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will carry out letter f, and perhaps write them a note or email. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy THE VIRTUE OF COMPASSION + The derivation of the word “compassion” is an interesting one           – it comes from the Latin: cum patio, meaning a feeling with the pain of someone else                      – one wonders whether our society truly understands that thought           – our news is filled with incidents of our brutality to each other rather than any feeling for their pain                      – many sociologists and psychologists blame it on what is constantly presented to us in our media entertainment                                – almost any serious presentation on TV or the movies or video games has the element of revenge presented as something good that should be part of our lives, something that we have referred to a number of times in homilies                                          – they convince us that we have a right to defend ourselves by hurting those who hurt us or our families           – in sharp contrast, we hear Jesus say that we must show compassion to all                      – Christianity is not an easy road to follow in many things, but especially when it comes to this idea of revenge                                – we naturally rebel against it: we want to get back at someone who deliberately hurts us  + Two things are clear in application of this virtue of Christianity           – one: the obvious one:                      – we are called to be compassionate people                                – it is one of the foundation principles of Christianity           – secondly, there is a need for compassion and sometimes we have to look for it a little more                      – there is present in every community—both compassion in reality and compassion that is needed                      – there are a number of people who show compassion to others in our community                                – but there are other situations that would benefit with more compassion                      – one of the challenging parts of Christianity is to find those situations which are in need of more compassion                                – and where we can do something about it  + It is interesting to study this Gospel with the first reading from Jeremiah           – Jeremiah knew from God that Hananiah was a false prophet and was promising what might be called “false compassion,” that is “false confidence” for the people of Israel                      – the Lord God had compassion for the people of Israel, but they would have to suffer a little more before God gave it  + The Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote an important truth as he studied how people responded to what Jesus taught: “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”           – there is suffering in one form or another in the people that you know                      – in fact, there may be someone in your life right now that you should treat a little better and be more compassionate                                – maybe we should take the time to find out who it is, and do something about it. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Jason Bourne” — beginning session THE SANCTITY OF TRUTH The Gospel JOHN 9:13-17 They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

Gospelthink: The blind man told the truth about me. Am I truthful in my approach to life?

David Webb who assumed the identity of Jason Bourne in the movie named after him was always a problem for the CIA. The organization had “created” him in the first place in order to carry out the different “black ops” programs that they wanted. The organization had been keeping tabs on him ever since he went into self-exile. A co-worker of David’s, Nicky Parsons, discovered some unknown facts about David’s father, and wanted David to know exactly what their organization, the CIA, did in order to convince David to be Jason Bourne. In the process of accomplishing it, she also became a target.

Because Jesus said and did controversial things in the eyes of the religious leaders of his time, he no doubt caused people to be very outspoken. John the evangelist gives us such a story in his Gospel. It is a rather long story that deals with the fact that Jesus healed a man who became the center of attention for a number of people. The religious leaders were very interested because they did not believe that Jesus was anything special and all he did was break the law. They also had the right to condemn their fellow Israelites, and place them in an adversarial position with their religion. Consequently when one of their religious subjects went against their position, he/she was taking a chance on being cast outside of their religious circle. It is in such a position that the healed blind man found himself. But he made his belief known even at the risk of being ridiculed or threatened by those in charge. He boldly proclaimed to the religious leaders that “he is a prophet.” There are similar instances throughout history in which seeking and proclaiming the truth may carry with it consequences that could jeopardize well-being. In the movie “Jason Bourne,” Nicky Parsons, Jason’s fellow worker wanted her friend Jason to have the truth as Jason tried to determine his complicated background. She risked even death to bring the truth to light. We probably will never risk our lives in order to make a truth known, but it is a truly Christian thought that we should honor the truth in such a way that we will defend it with our lives. Unfortunately in our day and age, the sanctity of truth is not as paramount as it should be. Lying or not speaking the truth when it should be spoken is too often the usual fare. Perhaps our reading of the Gospels ought to lead us to proclaim the truth, no matter what the cost.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son led people to truly accept the truth and allow it to direct their lives. Give us the grace to understand the importance of the truth as we see it, and the courage to make it known if we should. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDELINES FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Sometimes helping others who are searching for the truth may hurt us, and we must be prepared for it.  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 61 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking?  Why? 2. What are some signs that a person in today’s world is “from God”? 3.  In general, why do you think the religious leaders had such strict rules for the Sabbath? 4. In our Christian world today, do you think that we should show more respect for our Sabbath which is on Sunday? Yes or no and why? 5. In our world today, do you believe that Christians are threatened because of their faith? Yes or no and why? 6. In general, do most people have respect for the truth? 7. As you study our world, where do you see the most dishonesty? 8. Besides the obvious fact of killing someone else, why is the occupation of “assassin” wrong in a Christian way of understanding things? 9. There are obviously secrets in the various organizations of any country? In your opinion, are some of the secrets that are kept against the moral law of a Christian? Yes or no and why? 10. Scene analysis: Nicky dies trying to help Bourne. In your opinion, is “dying for the other” a principle of every adult friendship? Yes or no and why?