[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, August 23 MATTHEW 20:1-16 I tell you a story of a person who is generous, in fact, very generous. Prayerthoughts a. I am involved with some work right now. Am I working as best I can, that is, following what I should be doing according to the guidelines that have been given me? b. What is just and fair is a guide for the landowner. In my dealings with people, am I always at least just and fair? c. The landowner was obviously generous in giving more than just wages to those who worked less. In what I do, am I generous in giving more than I can? d. The English translation of “they thought” is important. The judgment of others begins in our thinking. In my thinking, am I too harsh on others? Perhaps I should make a practice of praying for those that I think ill of for whatever reason. e. They grumbled, that is, they complained about something that they thought was right. Do I complain too much? f. Sometimes I have the right to complain. Have I always checked the facts before I complain? When I have the right to complain, do I complain to the proper authorities? g. When the landowner was generous, it upset others. As I work with everyone in my group, do I try to be aware of how everyone feels and adjust as best I can? h. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will determine a situation in which I can do more than is required, and carry it out. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  THE VIRTUE OF GENEROSITY  + The first reading is a very interesting parable told by one of the Judges of the Israelite people after the people had chosen a man by the name of Abimelech to be king             – the people in essence had chosen the buckthorn, the least of all trees to rule over them, and now, Jotham says, you will pay the price             – that is, we have to be very careful who we choose to rule our lives  + Over the past couple of days, we have reflected on the fact of what happens when riches rule our lives, and in the process, we heard the Lord tell us about the importance of giving to others             – closely connected with the idea of giving is the thought of generosity                         – which is even more than giving                                     – giving can be a matter of justice                                                 – in fact, I think a point can be made that says that it is a matter of justice that we give back to God by giving to the poor and giving of ourselves  + Generosity is not a matter of justice             – it is a matter of love, going beyond what is necessary, doing more than expected                         – in Jesus’ story, he says that this must be a virtue of our spiritual lives                                     – we must learn to be generous people                                                 – that is, one of the marks of a spiritual person is that we are doing something for someone for which we are not paid                                     – generosity goes beyond what we are called, or paid, to do                                                 – involving doing more than expected at the job                                                 – in the home                                                 – in the community  + Generosity also implies that we want nothing in return             – not even a “thank you”, although that may be the courteous thing to do                         – the idea is that we give—period                                     – we expect recognition                                                 – if that is the case, it is often nothing more than showing off  + Giving to others is difficult; generosity which is giving more than expected is even more difficult. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Inception” — final session THE SELFISH DREAM The Gospel LUKE 11:42-44 Jesus said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Gospelthink: I was quite direct to the Pharisees because they were not doing what they should have done and would not recognize it. Am I following through with my promise to be a Christian?

In the movie “Inception,” Cobb’s team accomplished the three levels of dreams necessary to achieve “inception” to implant an idea in their subject’s mind. But, one of Cobb’s constant struggles was the projection of his beloved wife Mal who constantly came into his dreams. Meeting the projection of Mal again in his limbo, Mal begged Cobb to stay so they could once again experience the happiness of having anything they wanted in their dream world. Cobb argued with her, saying to her that she was not real. He had to let her go, telling her, “I wish I could be with you more than anything. But I can’t imagine you with all your complexity, all your perfection, all your imperfection. Look at you. You are just a shade of my real wife. You’re the best I can do; but I’m sorry, you are just not good enough.” His statement is a statement of the “gift” of reality.

It is easier to live in a dream existence, when all we have to do is imagine, completely satisfying our every desire. Jesus sensed that problem with the scribes and Pharisees when he told them what they were doing. In Jesus’ eyes, the scribes and Pharisees were living two lives. In one life, they were acting like they were good upstanding religious citizens, paying tithes to God. But it was a dream world because they were paying no attention to the final judgment or to the love of God, the very things that religious people should have been doing. In fact, they were insidiously leading others astray–leading them to be in contact with graves which brought about impurity for the Jewish mind–and only acting like they were paying attention to the Jewish law. Jesus wanted the Pharisees to face what they were really doing, and stop pretending to be holy when all they were doing was following the selfish desires of human nature. When we live in a world that we have made up, we will end up missing exactly what life is all about. In the movie “Inception,” Cobb tells the projection of his wife Mal that he wants to live with his projection of her, but it is not real. He cannot live such a fake life because life really is complicated and we must learn to live with the imperfections of life. In essence, he is telling her that as difficult as it is to live with reality, it is exactly what must happen. Facing a world of complexity and imperfection is what makes up the real life. We have been given the “gift of life.” We want it to be only good, beautiful and wonderful–as dreams can make it. But the reality is that life is not always good, beautiful and wonderful because the real world must deal with human nature, our own and others. Reality means facing the selfishness that is ingrained in each of us, selfishness which is always trying to disguise itself as reality or religion as in the Pharisees’ case. We must live in our world and work with what happens to us. We must recognize the temptation to live in a dream world that caters to only what we want. Our task is to choose to live lives that deal not only with ourselves, but with others and what they want. It will be demanding because we will attack our selfishness, but in the end, we will truly live.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, too often we try to live in a world that we have defined according to our own interests, and often that world turns to evil because we are selfish people. Help us be people who are dedicated to the reality of life, and help us be people who want to improve that life. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: We want to live in a dream world where we can selfishly have our way, but we must live in the real world, working with the lives we have. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 66 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. In the Gospel, Jesus accuses the Pharisees of emphasizing externals in religion while overlooking the essentials in their own conduct. Do you see this happening today in the Church? Yes or no? Explain your answer. 3. What should religious leaders be most concerned about in the Church today? 4. The meditation says that the “dream world” is fundamentally a selfish world. Define selfishness and give some examples of that selfishness in the world today. 5. What makes real life so complicated and complex? What is the best way to deal with it? 6. Some people have a very difficult time dealing with their lives the way they are. How can we help them? 7. In what areas do you see selfishness displayed in high schools? In college? In married life? 8. Scene analysis: Cobb and Mal talk about reality. This is the theme of this session of the movie. What is your definition of reality? When people are accused of being “fake” in this world, what is the meaning? What is the best way to help someone who is “fake”? 9. Dialogue analysis: Mal and Cobb talk about the truth. In your opinion, in real life, do people tell the truth most of the time? Yes or no and why? 10. Scene analysis: Fisher begins to think the way the team wanted, and therefore the “inception” was successful. In general, what is the best way to “change” people’s minds? 11. Scene analysis: The movie ends with Cobb’s totem-trinket, with the audience wondering whether the scene is real or not. In your opinion, was the scene real? Yes or no and why? 12. What does the movie “Inception” teach young people?