[media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, June 1 MARK 10:46-52 Bartimaeus wanted to see. Prayerthoughts a. We see many people who are begging around us. Should I do more for them than I am    doing? b. The blind man’s words: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” We have many things that bother us in our lives. Have I taken the time to seriously speak to the Lord about them in prayer? c. The people said to the blind man: he is calling you. In a real way, the Lord calls us as we live our lives. What is the Lord calling me to do as I live my life right now? d. The blind man’s words: what do you want me to do for you? What most of all do I want from the Lord right now in my life? e. Obviously, the blind man asks that he may see. What are the things that I should “see” in this world that the Lord has given me? (This is the task of the meditation.) f. The most used spiritual word in the Gospels is “faith.” What are the most important parts of faith that I should have? g. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will spend some time writing down the good things the Lord has done for me. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  BEING OPEN TO OTHERS  + The story of Bartimaeus is an interesting one to think about             – Bartimaeus had probably spent his whole life crying “I want to see”             – he couldn’t see, he probably didn’t look very good, he scared people, people probably tried to ignore him, told him to shut up and keep quiet                         – but Jesus listened to him                                     – and even before the cure, perhaps because Jesus listened to him, Bartimaeus “sprang up” according to Mark’s Gospel                                                 – and ran to Jesus, as if someone who finally listened to him was just as important as the cure  + People are constantly crying out in our lives             – the words may not be exactly the words “I want to see”, but they are similar to them                         – crying out to us to help in some way if we can  + The first reading from Sirach speaks of each of us being good:             …”for each of us is good”                         – because of that everyone of us is important   + Real love of neighbor is built around the openness to hear the cry of “I want to see” in whatever form it comes             – it is spoken to us in many ways                         – it takes a person of love to sense exactly what the cry is and to take time to respond to it  + A thought, though, that is very important             – some people cannot be helped because they have shut themselves off from the help                         – the most we can do for them is to allow ourselves to help if they would ask  + There is probably a Bartimaeus in our lives right now, someone who is crying that they want to see, that they need some type of help             – the Christian must be open to such a cry                         – and will try to respond if he/she can. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Impossible” — beginning session WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO The Gospel MATTHEW 8:23-25 [Jesus] got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Gospelthink: My disciples had the right idea when they were afraid–they turned to me. Do I turn to the Lord as often as I should in prayer?

The tsunami that hit Khao Lak, Thailand on December 26, 2004 may have killed close to 250,000 people including many foreign tourists, and is recognized to be the worst tsunami in history. The movie “The Impossible” is based on a true story concerning the Bennett family–Henry, Maria, and their children Lucas, Tomas and Simon from England–who were caught in the destruction of the tsunami and yet unbelievably they survived. They had no warning of the impending disaster; they could do nothing about it. Part of the study of any tragedy is how people behave during the tragedy itself, and therefore it is always a learning experience to look at the tragedy in terms of how people acted and thought. One of the characteristics of a mature individual involves good behavior when the circumstances of a situation are totally unexpected. We can learn much from the behavior of the Bennett family, and in particular during this first part of the movie from pre-teenager Lucas as he dealt with the tragedy of a wounded mother and the conduct of adults who were under stress.

Judging from the attitude of the Apostles during one of the storms when traveling on the Sea of Galilee, there were times during Jesus’ stay with them when they feared for their lives. They honestly thought they were going to die in the storm, even though they were experienced fishermen who had seen storms all their lives. It was a tragedy that was real, and they were caught in the middle of it. The situation was not unlike the situation of the Bennett family as they were caught in the midst of the worst tsunami in history. Her son Lucas told his mother in desperation immediately after the tragedy, “They are all dead.” He honestly thought that his family was dead, and they very well could have been. It was a time of pain and stress. But with Lucas’ thought in particular, his moment’s despair was temporary. He began to understand that he was called to a deeper maturity in his situation, forcing himself to see that his mother’s and indeed other people’s needs were more important than his own young feelings. Even when he thought that his mother had actually died–something that misinformed adults confirmed for him–he displayed an attitude of hope that had a true effect on his young thinking. The type of thinking that Lucas manifested should have been the thinking of the Apostles, namely, to discover the truth of the moment, and then try their best to do something about it, always remembering the importance of others. Lucas was even helping others find their loved ones, even as he thought that he had lost his own family. The Apostles should have seen the reality they were involved in. They should have realized who was in their boat with them. We do not want to miss the lesson of young Lucas Bennett in the movie: he wanted to discover exactly what was true and if possible do something about it, always remembering that other people were involved. When some tragedy strikes us–and it will in some form–we must remember the lesson.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we do not want tragedy in our lives, but unfortunately, it will happen at times. Help us always behave as true followers of your Son as we try to understand what we can do to help in the tragedy. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Mature people will behave well when they do not know what to do in a situation.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 53 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. Here in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus takes the initiative of leading the apostles and they “follow.”  What are the characteristics of people who “follow” the Lord? 3. What are some tragedies that have recently happened? What do you think it would be like to be caught in the middle of one of them? 4. What are the most significant times of stress in people’s lives? 5.  What is the most difficult part of family tragedies? Why?