[media presentation below] GospelThink Monday, January 8, Baptism of the Lord MARK 1:7-11 I am baptized. Prayerthoughts a. John knows that Jesus is more important than he is. Do I find myself considering myself to be more important than others and thinking accordingly? b. I have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. How should that affect the way I am living right now? c. Jesus was baptized because he wanted to appear as one of us completely. Thinking of my life right now, what helps me most to know that Jesus was just like me except for   sin? d. Obviously, there were no miraculous actions at my Baptism. But a miracle did occur for my soul. What are the other miraculous happenings that have occurred in my life? e. As I think of my spiritual life right now, would the Lord say to me that He is well pleased with what I am attempting to do? f. My prayerthoughts….   Today, I will reflect on the baptismal promises that I or my sponsors made. V. Do you renounce sin, so as to live in the freedom of the children of God? R. I do. V. Do you renounce the lure of evil, so that sin may have no mastery over you? R. I do. V. Do you renounce Satan, the author and prince of sin? R. I do. V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? R. I do. V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father? R. I do. V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? R. I do. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  PUT GOD MORE INTO LIFE  + Jesus did not need the baptism of John         – but it is a perfect example of the human Jesus showing us the way to better spirituality:                 – you begin the process with Baptism or admitting of sin                 – theologically, we understand that at Baptism original sin is wiped out in the sense that it is no longer a force that will destroy our relationship with God                         – unfortunately sinfulness, that is, our tendency toward evil, remains, but because of our association with Jesus, we can overcome it  + The voice from the heavens as recorded by Mark says that to us:         You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.                 – that is, everyone should recognize that they must have Jesus’ thoughts and actions to overcome the sinfulness that remains in their lives, that is, to grow spiritually                 – what exactly does that call us to do?                         – fundamentally, I think that it means that we do what Jesus did in his life which was to make an effort to place God into everything that he did  + I think that we have to work from a basic premise which says: we must expose ourselves and our children to God because no one else will do it:         – society won’t do it / public schools won’t do it / the media in general won’t do it         – therefore we must do it         – are we giving God a priority in the way we go about things?         – for example, just study some comparisons—what do our actions say?         – this is a portion of a reading that I give to young people on retreat a reading called “Think About It” We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have more conveniences, but less time; more experts, but more problems; we have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values; we’ve added years to life, not life to years; we’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we build more computers, but we have less communication; These are times of two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes. It is a time when there is much in the show window, and nothing in the stockroom. THINK ABOUT IT.         – it is a strong reading, and its conclusion, is that something is wrong in the way we are living                 – I think it is very simply that we have forgotten about God  + I’m asked often: why don’t we have more people wanting to be priests and religious          – I think that very much of it has to do with the image of God/Church/religion that is present in our society and that is shown to the young people of our world         – too often that image is not good at all  + Our thinking today began with the Baptism of Jesus which he didn’t need, but went through anyway to teach us how to begin our spiritual growth         – and our spiritual growth deals with the importance that we place on God in our lives                 – as the world outside watches us and how we act, what importance do we place in the presence of God? MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Dune” — final session HOPE WILL EMERGE The Gospel JOHN 5:5-9a One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.  Gospelthink: I searched out the man who was ill. Do I trust that the Lord will be with me when I have difficulties?

The leader of House Atreides, Duke Leto, had a son Paul whose mother was Lady Jessica. Jessica had certain powers which she gave to Paul who himself was able to have dream understanding because of his training and spice inhalation. They escaped the failed coup between his father’s house and House Harkonnen. Because of the powers of Lady Jessica and Paul’s victory over a Arrakis warrior, they found a home with the native members of the planet Arrakis. Paul and his mother, although Jessica did not want it, joined the Fremen in order to fulfill his father’s wish to bring peace to Arrakis.

The blind and disabled in Jerusalem where Jesus was ministering knew about the Sheep Pool. They believed that when the waters bubbled up, it was an angel of the Lord who was present, and the first one to get into the pool would be healed of whatever sickness they had. Most could never reach the Pool in time when the waters were stirred, and so they were doomed to lie in the place forever with no one caring for them. Jesus, always aware of those who were most in need, knew about the Pool as well. And so, in time, he came to the Pool to help and care for the ones who needed it. Without being asked, John the evangelist records that Jesus went directly to a man in need. Why did Jesus choose that particular man? Perhaps Jesus had read the mind of the man. That man no doubt had given up all hope because of the circumstances of his life, and was prepared to die where he was. The negatives in his life were overpowering, but with Jesus hope emerged, and his life changed for the better. The lesson is obvious. Even though the negatives are overpowering, hope seems to always emerge. It may take a long time, maybe even a lifetime, but given the Christian doctrine there will always be hope. Jesus rose from the dead, the ultimate example, to give life to those who believed in him. Paul, the son of Lady Jessica in the movie “Dune” realized he was someone special because of the circumstances of his life.  So, he knew that even with all the negatives and evil happenings all around him, he would somehow come out of it all. It was a lesson that his companions began to understand. And it was the thread of hope that the House Atreides needed to save their lives. And eventually, we are led to believe to the whole world.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, there are so many negatives that surround even the most positive of circumstances. Help us see that even given the overpowering circumstances of evil, you will always lead us to better things in our lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Even though the forces of evil are overpowering, the desire for good always emerges.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 72 minutes) 1. What scene from this session of movie is most striking and why? 2. What is your definition of “hope”? 3. Jesus cared for the people who were most hurting, certainly one of most important reasons for his presence in the world. In general, what are the reasons that Jesus came to our earth? 4. In our world today, what are the “overpowering evils”? What can we do about them? 5. Given our Christian beliefs, there will always be hope. Do your think that most Christians believe this? Yes or no and why? 6. The story of the movie Dune” is similar to the story of Jesus and our times with Jesus being the hope for humankind, as Paul was for the people of “Dune.” In our world now, what are some examples or real hope? 7. What does the movie “Dune” teach young people?