[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, October 2, The Guardian Angels MATTHEW 18:1-5,10 I want you to follow the example of a child, namely trust in me as the children’s angels do. Prayerthoughts a. Who does our world consider the “greatest”? b. Do I treat the children in my life with the true respect they deserve? What can I do better? c. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like children, that is, people who are totally dependent on God. Do I act as though I am totally dependent on God? d. Children are totally powerless in the world. Is the possession of power and “being more important than others” something that I desire too much? What can I do about it? e. Verse 10 is added in this context because of the feast of Guardian Angels. Catholic doctrine is that we all have guardian angels, that is always having God’s protection. Do I always act as though God were with me? f. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will write a prayer of thanksgiving for the protection that the Lord has given me. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  ANGELS AS PROTECTORS  + We have had two feasts within a couple days of each other that calls to mind our Catholic understanding of angels           – today’s feast of the guardian angels           – the feast of September 29, three archangels, the highest angels:                      – Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael           – Catholic theology and popular belief not connected with Catholic thought                      – both acknowledge the existence of angels, something we can only prove by use of the Scriptures                                – and in the Scriptures, the angels are always presented as messengers and workers for God           – in St. Matthew’s Gospel today, they are presented as protectors of children                      – they are called “their” angels as if to say each child has one, and by extension, each of us has an angel as our protector  + Two thoughts perhaps should dominate our thinking today:           – first is the reference to children                      – and Jesus’s thought about being “like children” and to be “humble” as children                                – and it becomes a moment of true introspection on our parts                                          – are there too many thoughts of pride on our parts?                                                    – and does it come out in our speech and actions?                                          – and is “humility” a virtue that I should work on a little more in my life right now?  + And secondly, what does it mean in our modern twenty-first century—to be protected by God?           – speaking theologically, it means that God will always be present to us, that is, will give us the grace to live well, no matter what the situation  + And, as we are protected by God and God’s angels, what should be our attitude?           – “Angels” is a topic that people can argue about because we have never seen them                     – but they make sense theologically                                – and the important thing on this feast perhaps                                           – is to understand that we can help our own protection by doing truly Christian actions. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Water Man” — beginning session HOPE LEADS TO FAITH The Gospel MATTHEW 9:27-31a As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith”; and their eyes were opened.

Gospelthink: I wanted the blind men to say that they knew that I could heal them. Do I thank the Lord as often as I should for all the graces he has given me?

Having only moved to Pine Mills, Oregon, 11 year old Gunner Boone had no friends. He spent his time working on a novel with pictures that he drew, riding his electric scooter, and visiting a bookstore to borrow detective stories as he was researching his novel. His father was in the military who found it difficult to communicate with his son, and his mother had leukemia. Gunner wished more than anything to cure his mother, and spent some of his time researching the causes of cancer. While exploring his neighborhood, he met a girl by the name of Jo who was neglected by her parents, who told him about the Water Man who had the secret to immortality. Looking up the local undertaker, he discovered that the undertaker believed that the Water Man was real. Using the information that he acquired, Gunner and Jo set out to find the Water Man.

It is interesting to get into the minds of the blind men in Matthew’s Gospel. They looked upon Jesus as the chance for them to recover their sight, believing that Jesus could do it. Jesus even made them say it.  He phrased his healing in that light: “Let it be done according to your faith.” It was their belief that gave them hope. As with most of the miracles he performed, it was the faith of the people involved that was the determining factor. The central thought for Gunner Boone in the movie “The Water Man” is the faith that gave him hope. Put into general terms, he was hoping for happiness, namely the cure of his mother’s cancer, and he put his faith in the possibility of obtaining a cure from someone that he believed could supply it. He discovered eventually that he was wrong, but his simple act of faith enabled him to accept his mother’s fate. The movie does not present Gunner’s disappointment at not experiencing the means to bring about his mother’s cure, but we can easily sense that it was faith that caused him to do what he felt was necessary, and that it helped his living. It is an example of how faith in God works for a believer. The person looks at the situation at hand, wanting happiness of some sort for the life that he/she possesses. Discovering that the happiness desired will come from faith in God, and for a Christian, faith in Jesus Christ, the person adopts such a faith. It is hope for the happiness that causes the person to believe–as the blind men in the Gospel. Those of us who have chosen to follow a belief system that accepts a God who is in charge of our lives know in our hearts that such a God will give us happiness both here on earth and in an eternal life to come. We call it eternal happiness. It begins with hope. We hope for such happiness and we find it in our faith.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, we believe that you exist. We believe it because we are all hoping for happiness in some way. Give us the grace to not only accept that faith, but to live it out in our lives.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Hoping for happiness, we choose a faith that gives it to us.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 41 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why? 2. In what ways are we “blind” to the presence of God in our lives? 3. What is the Christian response to a disease that is incurable? 4. What is your definition of “Christian hope”? 5. What is your definition of “Christian faith”? 6.  In your opinion, do all Christians live their faith in Jesus Christ? 7. What is your definition of “eternal happiness”?