[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, July 31 MATTHEW 13:31-35 The Kingdom will be made up of people who have allowed the Lord to completely take over their lives. Prayerthoughts a. We understand the Kingdom of God to be what Jesus wanted the world to become,    culminating in eternal life with God. In my world right now, where is God’s presence most evident?   b. In Jesus’ comparison here, the Kingdom began very small, that is with Jesus and his Apostles. From my knowledge of Jesus’ teachings, what are the most important   teachings for me? c. The Kingdom of God is meant to extend to everyone without exception. Do I find myself “excluding” certain people from my consideration of God’s people? Perhaps I should take the time to pray for those whom I have forgotten. d. The Kingdom of God was to develop throughout the world as yeast goes throughout the product. Am I promoting God’s Kingdom in my own small world? Yes or no and why? e. Do I spend time with Jesus’s parables, that is, stories, thinking about how they apply to my life today? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will read Exodus, chapter 32 and write an important thought from it. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THREE STORIES  + The liturgy presents three stories for our consideration today                      – one from the book of Genesis                      – the other two from Jesus           – all three of them can be applied to our spiritual lives  + First, from the book of Exodus           – the story of Moses making the Israelites drink the golden calf ground into the water                      – a couple of lessons there                                – how easy for the Israelites to sin                                – Aaron blaming the Israelites                                – Moses approaching the Lord to ask for forgiveness  + Then, from Jesus, two parables using first a man, then a woman           – the first concerning the mustard seed gives us Jesus’ mind concerning one of the elements of the Kingdom                      -it was to begin small with his preaching and then grow large                      – and for us, the nearest application is our Church                                – it has indeed grown very large                                          – perhaps too large                                                    – we have all the rewards, but all the problems of big business                                                               – it is important to remember our roots and exactly what the Kingdom of God is all about  + Jesus’ second parable in this liturgy deals with the way the kingdom in Jesus’ mind must be able to permeate all of life and influence it           – that is, the teaching of Jesus must take hold                      – the teaching of Jesus in his words and actions was never meant to be an isolated action, never to be taken by itself  + Three stories in today’s liturgy, all meant to teach us something:           – how easy it is to sin and asking forgiveness, remember why the Kingdom started, and Jesus’ teaching must be the real guide for us as we claim to be Christian. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Arrival” — beginning session HOW ABOUT WE JUST TALK The Gospel MARK 10:46-52 They came to Jericho. And as Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, get up, he is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Gospelthink: Faith is what matters in life. Is my faith in Jesus evident by the way I live?

Twelve spaceships had landed in various places on the earth. Everyone knew about them because the media instantly reported it. The military of the countries immediately took over, trying to determine what they wanted and why. Likewise immediately, they determined that their presence was hostile. In the United States, a ship had landed in Montana. The military called upon linguist Dr. Louise Banks and theoretical physicist Dr. Ian Donnelly to help them. They began the task to communicate with the aliens. As they did, the military machine of each of the regions of the earth decided to destroy the aliens. Banks and Donnelly discovered that the aliens were interested in communication and not in military advantage.

The blind man in Mark’s Gospel wanted to communicate his woes to Jesus. He knew no other way than to cry out for help. His request was direct and to the point. There was no mistaking it. He wanted to see, and had been hoping to have that privilege for a long time. No matter what others may have thought, his faith in Jesus was the determining factor. As usual, the Lord rewarded such direct communication. In the movie “Arrival,” the visitors from another world wanted to convey to the people of earth the need that they had for some future help. They were willing to trade by giving to the people of the earth something first. Their intentions were not at all understood by many of the earth’s populace because our thinking much of the time revolves around the threats that others give to our way of life. Dr. Louise Banks and Dr. Ian Donnelly were among the few who finally discovered that all the aliens wanted to do was talk and give us a gift. The mind of a person entrenched in the human condition often looks to something sinister when we do not understand something. Dr. Banks in the movie says that perhaps we should start with simply talking to someone to see what they want before we jump to any other conclusions. One of the faults that may be ours is the automatic one to protect ourselves and leave alone the basic task of communicating with people that we do not know. There is little doubt that communication is the first necessity for people to get along and exist together.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son responded to the direct request of people because You as God always want to communicate with us. Help us understand the importance of direct communication in our different dealings with others.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: The first thing that we must learn is communication.        DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 52 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. Analysis: the blind man “sprang up” to encounter Jesus even before he was cured. Do you think most Christians are anxious to hear the word of God in their lives? Yes or no and why? 3. Analysis: Viewed in a more extensive way, the words to Jesus, “I want to see,” may have a deeper meaning. What should we “see” or understand most in our world? 4. Dialogue: “Your faith has saved you.” In the context of the Gospel, what does the statement mean? 5. What would be your first reaction if the sighting of an UFO was confirmed? Why? 6. In general, why do we make the initial judgment that others are out to “hurt” us? 7. Dialogue analysis: Louise: “How about we just talk to them before throwing math problems at them?” This is the dialogue referred to in the meditation. What are the prerequisites to good communication? 8. In general, why is communication necessary for good existence?