[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, July 17 MATTHEW 10:34–11:1 Following my words may cause some misunderstandings since other people may not agree, but I say to you, follow what I want. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus wanted peace for the earth, but people were set in their own ways, and would not agree with the peace that Jesus wanted. Am I too opinionated in the way I speak? b. There will be division in families. In my own different families right now (families that I grew up in, my own family right now, family in which I work, etc.), do I try to promote peace? c. I have a love of my family, but Jesus says that love for Him and the things of God should even be greater. Do I place God high in my priority during the day? d. I must accept the things that happen to me, my “cross,” and adjust to them as best I can. Have I looked at what has happened to me as God speaking to me? e. We can get wrapped up in the things of this life without the Lord (“saves” his life) or we can choose to lose our life for the Lord’s sake, that is, give ourselves to the Lord  more and more in our living. Do I see evidence in my life that I am choosing correctly? f. Obviously, I am not ashamed of my time with the Lord, but I do I make it often enough? As I study this past week, what percentage of time was spent specifically in prayer? (This is the task of the meditation.) g. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will carry out letter f. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  LOSE OUR LIVES, FOR JESUS’ SAKE  + If you want “negatives” in the Scriptures, one of the strongest “negatives” is in the book of Exodus at the very beginning           – the whole process of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt which will be the concentration of the first reading the next couple of weeks began with the negative of severe oppression which we hear today           – you tie that into life right now, and there are all kinds of negatives that surround us, and make us question why there are so many  + The answer is probably just as complicated as the individual circumstances of every person in here today           – but I think that Jesus gives the nucleus of an answer in today’s Gospel: Whoever finds his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  + You and I want to “find our lives” in such a way that we get rid of most of the negatives, that is, live the good life           – the definition of “finding our lives” probably revolves around the idea of living that good life, the so-called American Dream                      – and Jesus says that if we are into that—finding our lives that way—we will lose them  + And he goes on to say that for a Christian, finding life is a little different, and consists of two things:           – 1 – we have to lose our lives                      – basically it means overcoming the desire to make ourselves the center of the universe                                – that is, making things conform to what we want           – 2 –  we have to lose our lives for Jesus’ sake                      – it is imperative then that we make Jesus Christ and his doctrine central to our lives                      – as Jesus says today—more important than family, friends, work                                – it is the primary relationship, not in a fanatical religious sense, but in the sense of accepting a set of principles to live by – that is “living for Jesus’ sake”  + And immediately we have a fundamental problem—some people call it the fundamental problem in our lives           – we don’t want the difficult steps that Jesus proposes                      – we would much rather have things simple without too much effort  + And once again, we have the challenge of Christianity:           – it is not easy, and we must put forth effort if we want to succeed in it. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Unbroken” — beginning session LEARNING DETERMINATION The Gospel JOHN 6:37-40 [Jesus said:] “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.”

Gospelthink: I speak to you the most encouraging words that I spoke while I was here on earth: I will not reject anyone who comes to me.  Do I thank the Lord for this promise and truly “come” to the Lord?

The movie “Unbroken” is the true story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who enlisted in the US Air Corps and became a bombardier on B-24 Liberator bomber during the Second World War. His life took him through a couple airplane crash landings, almost fifty days in the Pacific Ocean in a safety raft, and finally an unbelievably brutal couple of years in Japanese concentration camps. Throughout it all, the one guide for him was that he was determined not to give up. He learned his determination from early on, mostly from his own personality of just not giving up and then help from his brother in particular. The preparation he gave and received was what was necessary in order to live through what most people would never be able to do.

There is little doubt from the Scriptures what Jesus intended to do with his life. Time and time again he mentioned to his followers, as he phrased it here, that he had a mission to carry out, namely that he should not lose anything of what his Father gave him, but that he would raise it on the last day. If there is one description of his life that truly is accurate, it was that he was determined to carry out the wish of his Father. As John the evangelist remarks, Jesus came from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of the one who sent him. Thinking of his desire in terms of the movie “Unbroken,” we can describe his determination by saying that he was prepared to carry through with his Father’s wish no matter what the circumstances. The preparation involved the mystery of God’s will in which Jesus and his Father were one in the desire to save humankind. In this sense as Louie Zamperini in the movie there was a preparation time when he learned that art of simply not ever giving up. Being very determined to accomplish something comes from a person’s personality which is formed from the first moment of such a person’s thinking process. Louie Zamperini had such a personality that was evident from the days in which he was bullied to the days of training to be a long distance runner. His determination was further developed as he began to live his difficult life, but early on his determination began to show. One of the virtues of a true leader and consequently a true Christian is the virtue of determination. If we are to accomplish anything with our lives, we must develop a certain resolve that we will try our best to carry through with whatever we are called to do. We will need help along the way to develop this determination more completely, but beginning to show it early in our maturing lives is necessary.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, one of the virtues that your Son Jesus showed us constantly was his determination to do your will, no matter what. It is a tremendous lesson for us; help us be determined to carry through with what is right in our lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: A person who possesses the virtue of determination will have it only after years of preparation.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 64 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why? 2. “Seeing the Son” is relatively easy in the Church, but believing in him is the difficult part. What primarily does “believing in Jesus” consist of? 3. Jesus was determined to carry out his mission on earth. There are many parts to this mission. What do you consider Jesus’ most important mission while he was here? 4. The thrust of this section of the movie according to the meditation is that Jesus “prepared” early on for his determination by association with his Father. Zamperini also prepared for his own determination by developing his personality even very young. How can you tell that a young person is truly determined? 5. What are some characteristics of a determined person?   6. What is your opinion about war? Is it necessary at times? Why or why not? 7. Scene analysis: Louie’s father whips him, even as there is a “cross” in the background of their Italian Catholic home. What is your opinion concerning corporal punishment for children? 8. Dialogue analysis: Pete’s words of encouragement to Louie: “If you can take it, you can make it.” Give your interpretation of the saying. 9. Dialogue analysis: Pete’s other saying of encouragement: “A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory.” Give your interpretation of the saying. 10. Analysis: Louie’s pilot is praying. In your opinion, what role does “prayer” play when people are engaged in war? 11. Analysis: Mac seems to give up and later dies. Do you think that a positive attitude could have helped him survive? Yes or no and why? 12. Dialogue analysis: Louie’s statement of life: why are we here? We are here to live the best we can, have some fun, and then an angel will take us to paradise. What do you think of Louie’s analysis? 13. Analysis: Louie’s makes a promise with God, saying that he will serve Him all his life if he makes it through the drifting at sea. He did carry it out, but what do you think about the promise? Is it good to “bargain” with God this way? Yes or no and why?