[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, November 4 LUKE 14:1,7-11 The scribe answered with understanding, and therefore understood what I wanted him to see. Prayerthoughts a.  Jesus’s story concerns the feeling of pride that I have at times. Do I consider myself better than others at times? b. In general, I must learn to stay away from the limelight, and let others have the praise that people may give. I should express sorrow for those times when I did not do that.. c. Jesus tells the story so that the person will not be embarrassed. When i am embarrassed, do I pray for those who hurt my reputation? d. I should pray to be more humble in my approach to other people. (This is the task of the meditation.) e. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will write a prayer asking for the virtue of humility. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  HUMILITY IS TRUTH + Jeff Kemp, professional football player, now inspirational speaker says that “Humility is a good thing.  It helped me appreciate what I had and avoid dwelling on what I did not have.  It prevented complaining, which drains the spirit and unity of any group.  It also led me to persevere and be ready whenever opportunity presented itself.”  + One might not expect humility to be a quality that a former professional player would espouse           – but it is one that you might expect from a religious leader                      – and Jesus did exactly that here in Luke’s Gospel                                – I: and Paul writing to the Romans showing that the Jewish people could easily be jealous of the Gentiles who also were given access to God  + Most of us realize that humility is defined to be nothing more or less than the truth           – that is, looking at something from an objective point of view                      – very difficult, because we have a tendency to look at everything through our own eyes, with our own agenda  + In the Gospel, the Pharisees felt that they had the truth           – a truth that made them feel more important than anyone else, that they were worthy of respect and admiration                      – Jesus knew what they were thinking                                – he explained it to them with his story, saying that they must learn humility, that is, the truth           – and the truth when it comes to others is that everyone is important  + The application for us is that we are called to be humble people, people who are dedicated to the truth, and when it comes to others, to realize that we are all equally important           – we have a tendency to judge that we are better than others for whatever reason                      – maybe we think we have more knowledge, more talent, more age, more money, more maturity                                – and so, we place ourselves above others in some sense                                          – we do it in a subtle way—we never will say, “I am more important than you,” but we do it in our thoughts, in our passing conversations           – the objective truth is that everyone is important                      – and we may be distorting that truth by our own jealousy or our own selfishness  + Jesus teaches us a very practical lesson today:           – we must be humble people, that is, we must honor the truth at all times                      – the Christian will be humble in his approach to others not only because he/she is modest and respectful, but because he/she seeks the truth of who they are. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “X-Men: First Class” — beginning session PROUD OF WHO WE ARE The Gospel MATTHEW 18:1-5 At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”

Gospelthink: Children are so important to me–they teach us an example. We should treat them with great care. Am I good to the children around me?

The movie “X-Men: First Class” traces the origin of the comic book characters known as X-Men. The comic book is based on the fantasy that there are “mutants” in our world, people whose genes are slightly altered as they are born. It causes those people to have special powers and abilities over and above their normal functions. The movie begins with three in particular: Eric Lensherr, a mutant with magnetic power who was a young prisoner in one of the concentration camps in Germany, Sebastian Shaw, a scientist employed at the concentration camp, a person who is able to absorb energy, and Charles Xavier, a telepath, who is graduating from college in another part of the world. Eventually, as the other mutants are discovered, the whole question of “being happy with who you are” comes for discussion. Should mutants want to be “normal” and call for changing their appearance without changing their abilities? It leads to the thought of acceptance of who we are, and at the same time, wanting to be the best we can be.

When Jesus was asked to speak of those who would be part of the Kingdom that he was preaching, he chose to talk of a child. The reason he gave was that a child “humbles himself,” a phrase that might mean a number of things. Most of all probably it conveys the thought that the child will be satisfied with who he/she is, and will not put on any false airs that makes him/her to be better than anyone else. When Beast and Raven, mutants in the movie “X-Men: First Class” study the fact that they are mutants, they become ashamed of who they are. It is a struggle for both of them throughout the movie to see that they are worthwhile just the way they are. In the end, Raven accepts evil as a way of life because although she could tell Beast “to be proud” of who he was, she was not able to discern what love of self really is. A true love of self not only accepts the fact that we are human beings with certain traits, with the looks that we have inherited, and the ability to change our lifestyles if we want. A true love of self also will accept the fact that we need some guide as we understand who we are. Such a guide should lead us to do good rather than evil, choose life rather than death, and to show love rather than hate. As Christians, of course, we have chosen to follow the God-man Jesus Christ whose central doctrine implied that love had to be the center of our lives. Children are proud of who they are because they have made the judgment that they cannot change their lives and that it is good thing. But they also realize that they need help. Jesus reminds us that we can all learn from such an example.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, you have created us and given us the gifts of our lives. Help us truly accept who we are and what we should be so that we may live healthy lives here on our earth. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Human beings are called to be happy with who they are, and wanting to accomplish good things in their lives.    DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 61 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. In Jesus’ kingdom, no one will be more important than another. Why do people like to think of themselves as “better than others”? 3. Text analysis: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” Give your interpretation of Jesus’ words. 4. Define your understanding of a true “love of self.” 5. Do you think that most Christians understand that Jesus is truly a “guide” to their lives? Yes or no and why? 6. Scene analysis: the concentration camp. For the most part, the Holocaust was caused by Christian people. In your opinion, what was the principal evil that caused it? 7. The movie has a number of violent scenes. In your opinion, does the violence portrayed in movies affect young people in an adverse way? Yes or no and why? 8. The movie portrays some higher military people who are influenced by sex and money. Do you think that there is much of this corruption in our military? Yes or no and why? 9. Scene analysis: the young mutants “fool around,” showing very little maturity. What is the best indication that people are mature?