media presentation below] GospelThink Thursday, August 31 MATTHEW 24:42-51 I want you to always be aware that you can die at any time, and that I will be with you then. Prayerthoughts a. The Lord calls me to “stay awake.” What does that mean to me as I live my spiritual life? (Give at least 3 answers; this is the task of the meditation.) b. Is the fact that I am going to die a scary thing for me? c. What am I in charge of right now besides my own life (e.g. my job, a family, taking care of someone, etc.) Am I doing it as well as I can? d. If I were to die right now, would the Lord be pleased with what I am doing (especially looking at yesterday)? e. As the Lord tells the story, those who are not doing what they should be doing are given the ultimate punishment. What is the first thing that I should be doing with my life? f. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will carry out letter a. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  BLAMELESS IN HOLINESS  + Paul uses a phrase in his letter to the Thessalonians today that is a good source of meditation for our spiritual development          – as he praises the Thessalonians, he prays to God that they abound in love for one another and that they be blameless in holiness before God  + That idea of being blameless in holiness is a good one to dwell on          – what makes one be blameless in holiness?                   – a number of answers to it, but as always we turn to the daily readings to get part of an answer                            – today’s daily Gospel reading from Matthew, chapter 24 gives us a thought  + According to Jesus in this setting, being “blameless in holiness” might involve being prepared for the end of our lives          – and in particular, Jesus says today, a preparation that involves doing our duty which never involves hurting others or indulging ourselves too much—          Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food… …and Jesus goes on to warn about what we have a tendency to do: have a good time  + As usual, the Lord gives us something to think about here          – to prepare ourselves best for the Lord’s coming at the end of our lives, we have to be the faithful and prudent servant who carries out what the Lord has directed for our lives                   – being in charge of the Lord’s household                   – we are directed by the Lord to take care of people as much as we can                            – and not give in to what we want, our selfishness                                     – which is what we almost automatically will want to do  + It is a common spiritual directive that the Lord gives to us today          – to be blameless in holiness                   – which means that we have to work on behalf of others, and not so much for ourselves. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Ford v Ferrari” — final session CONQUERING ONE’S FEELINGS The Gospel LUKE 22:49-53 [After Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss], Jesus’ disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?” And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, “Stop, no more of this!” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards and elders who had come for him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness.”

Gospelthink: I correct my Apostles when they think that they must defend me. Do I tend toward violence when I feel that I am right?

Because of an attitude problem, at Henry Ford II’s request, Carroll Shelby asked Ken Miles, the irascible driver of the “Shelby American” race car to leave.  He carried out Ford’s request, but after losing some races and Shelby’s insistence, Ford finally allowed Miles to be the driver of Shelby’s car in the Le Mans race. He would win the race, but at the insistence of Ford, told Miles through Shelby to allow all three of the Ford race cars including his own to cross the finish line together. Shelby had told Miles that it was up to him whether he should do it or not. After a struggle with what to do, Miles finally allowed it, and further, was not declared a winner because of a technicality. Conquering his feelings, Miles told Shelby that Shelby had only promised him the drive, not the win. Miles died weeks later in a crash with a new race car. He was inducted posthumously in the Racing Hall of Fame.

Jesus calls the desire to pursue our natural feelings the “power of darkness.”  Put into the context of the apostles’ feelings concerning their friend and leader Jesus when he was arrested as a common criminal, it meant for them to be violent. The arrest was not a just action, and when justice is not served, we want to fight, we want justice served, even if we must become violent in serving it. It is the whole idea of a “just cause” for violence. And it has merit at times: there is such a thing as a “just war.” For that very reason, Jesus’ doctrine is so difficult. Jesus’ reaction to the way his apostles’ showed their loyalty to him was immediate and without question: “No more of this!” He even healed one of the men who perpetrated the actions against him. Ken Miles, the driver of Carroll Shelby’s race car, had a temper. He showed it early in the movie “Ford v Ferrari” by throwing a wrench at Shelby. The wrench was to become a symbol of his temper. When Shelby asked him to come back after he proved to Henry Ford II that Miles was the best driver, Miles had to physically fight Shelby to get his point across. So, it is entirely out of character, it would seem, for Miles to accept willingly his “defeat” at Le Mans after he had clearly won. Perhaps, Ken Miles was learning to conquer his feelings as he matured. We all have personal feelings, and many times those feelings become “violent” as we try to achieve what we think is right. Jesus could see it in his Apostles’ defense of him. The mature person can study his own immature actions and see in them what is nothing more than selfishness as we think in terms of what we do and think. And so, the mature man or woman will study carefully his desires or actions of “violence” in his/her life. Often he/she will find that even though the actions look like defense of justice, they are nothing more than self-serving, and thus in a Christian way of looking at things, must change.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, so often in our lives we think that we are right in the way that we behave. Help us study ourselves carefully so that we will not be selfish as we pursue what we think is right. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Perhaps the most important part of being a good person is to control our actions in the face of adversity. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 71 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. What does the movie “Ford v Ferrari” teach young people? 3. What fact would best show the “power of darkness” in our world today? 4. What is the best way to control your own anger? 5. What is your understanding of a “just war”?  [See Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2309]  6. In your opinion, is it possible to learn to control our temper? 7. Define selfishness and the way to conquer it. 8. In what area of our world right now do you see the most violence?