[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, June 9 MARK 12:35-37 I correct the Scribes and declare once again that I am the Messiah. Prayerthoughts a. As he taught during his lifetime, Jesus had to explain the meaning of Scripture to the crowds. Do I take the time to read the commentary on the Scripture passages that I read? (For example New Collegeville Bible Commentary or the footnotes listed in the Bible.) b. Jesus knew Scripture of course, here quoting Psalm 110. Do I read Scripture especially  the Gospels enough? What can I do about it? c. Perhaps I should set a pattern of prayer every day, making sure that the Gospel reading of the day is part of the pattern. d. Part of Jesus’s teaching was in asking leading questions. As these meditations do, I should take the time to ask personal questions about the Gospel passage that I read. What are some personal questions that this passage brings to my mind? e. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will the Book of Tobit, chapter 11 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  LEARNING FROM THE TEACHER  + The story of Tobit continues:             – Tobiah went to Gabael and received the money that he was sent for             – wedding celebration at Sarah’s house             – meanwhile Tobiah’s parents waiting for him: first reading today             – Tobiah took the remaining parts of the fish, the gall bladder, smeared Tobit’s eyes / can see again             – (tomorrow) Raphael reveals who he is             – prayer of Tobit—chapter 13             – parting advice: Tobit teaches Tobiah                         – Tobit dies, and Tobiah goes to Sarah’s family, takes care of them until they die             – whole story: God is the constant teacher, always taking care of us / the story of Tobit is a teacher  + A study of how and what the teachers taught could help us in our spiritual lives, I believe             – the whole Tobit story, as we have said, is God taking care of us, no matter what the circumstances of our lives             – in the Gospel, Jesus teaches by studying contradictions in the religion that they all knew                         – he taught by asking questions—                                     – here—how can David be a son of the Messiah when David calls him “Lord”                         – this teaching method is an important one for anyone who discusses religion with others                                     – we have to be open to questions in our religion                                                 – and willing to discuss the answers                                                             – why do we believe the things that we do, what does it mean in our lives  + I believe that one of the most important conclusions to our thinking about religion is that we become “thinking Catholics”—             – that is, people who are willing to look at the doctrine of what we believe, and ask important questions                         – that means, of course, that we have to do some study about the way we believe                                     – a thinking Catholic will not be someone who merely prays—although that is important  + There are a number of things that we can learn concerning our spiritual lives:             – the Lord will always teach us; we have to be open to learn. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Gravity” — final session NEVER GIVE UP ON LIFE The Gospel MARK 2:1-5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”

Gospelthink: I desire you to have faith in what I can do. Am I showing enough faith in my actions throughout the day?

At one particular moment as she tried to stay alive, Dr. Ryan Stone in the movie “Gravity” realized that what she thought would save her life, did not work. Even though she had determined that she would not give up, she saw no way out of her predicament. Deliberately turning down her oxygen supply, she knew that she would die by falling into a deep sleep. At the last minute, she had a vision of her fellow astronaut, Matt Kowalski who had died earlier. Asking her the vital question of whether she wanted to live or die, she began to understand that she could indeed find a way to help herself, and as she would say through the final crises that she faced, she would not quit.

Like the houses themselves, the porches to the houses in Jesus’ time were nothing elaborate. Those porches were more or less bunches of branches loosely laced together that could protect from the weather in some way. At one time, Jesus was preaching on the porch of one of his listeners. Not able to reach him, the bearers of a stretcher on whom was a paralyzed person refused to give up their task of helping the paralytic. They removed the branches and allowed Jesus to attend to the needs of the person. Jesus rewarded their persistence. Being persistent about getting close to Jesus is a relatively common thought in the Gospels. The more people thought that Jesus was close to God, the more they were determined to know him. Their cause was good, and they were committed to follow through in every way they could. Finally understanding that her life was important and that she still had the possibility of saving herself, Dr. Ryan Stone in the movie “Gravity” became committed to the life that she still possessed. As the vision of her fellow astronaut challenged her to choose either life or death, she chose to be persistent in her pursuit of life, no matter what the circumstances. When the cause is good, the Christian is called to be persistent in carrying it out. The foundation of all morality is the importance of the human person, beginning with ourselves, and extending to all people. Consequently, sustaining our lives is certainly a good cause. It calls for us to truly love the “self” we possess not in a selfish way, but with the conviction that our lives are worth our efforts.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, there are times when we want to give up on life, maybe not in a physical way, but simply refuse to keep trying to be better than we are. Give us the grace to understand how important life is, and help us always to be committed to living it as best we can. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Committed people will never stop trying to sustain their own lives.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 43 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. In the Gospel, the bearers were persistent in carrying out their task. Name another place in the Gospels in which we see the virtue of “persistence.” 3.. In the spiritual life today, how do we get “close” to Jesus? 4. What can you do to help someone who threatens suicide? 5. What is the difference between true love of self and selfish love? 6. Analysis: Dr. Stone says that she never prayed in her life, but she did when she thought that her life was ended. In your opinion, do most people believe in the power of prayer? Yes or no and why? 7. Dialogue analysis: Stone says that “she’s ready.” What is the best way to prepare for our deaths? 8. Dialogue analysis: Stone says “Thank you” at the end of the movie, presumably thanking God. Do you think that she would choose to have God back in her life after the ordeal? Yes or no and why? 9. What does the movie “Gravity” teach young people?