[media presentation below] GospelThink Sunday, January 7, Epiphany of the Lord MATTHEW 2:1-12 The story of the wise men visiting me. Prayerthoughts a. In Matthew’s Gospel, the first adorers of Jesus are kings or magi, the rich and powerful. Do I take the time to worship the Lord in some silent time during the day? b. The kings saw the star. Do I take the time to be aware of God’s presence in nature? c. Herod wanted to know about the other king because he was jealous. Do I get jealous  of others in any way? d. Herod, of course, had no desire to do Jesus homage. Do I find myself being dishonest at times with the way I act or speak?   e. Are there times when I should be more reverent toward God than I am? f. What is the most precious gift we can offer to God? g. Who should I honor, that is, show respect for, the most in my life right now? Why? Perhaps I should do it today. h. My prayerthoughts….   Today, I will give a small gift to someone whom I should honor more. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy DISTORTED THINKING  + There was a power plant that controlled the power of a relatively large area           – for some reason, it began to malfunction           – the plant’s engineers tried everything they knew in order to get it to function properly again                      – they called the surrounding plants and other people familiar with the machinery, but got nowhere           – finally, they decided to go to the University to find someone in the field of electronics for consultation                      – head of the department came / surveyed the situation                                – spent a whole day going over everything, studying machines, turning valves, testing                                – took home her notes, worked overnight, studying her findings           – next day, brought a sledgehammer with her to the plant           – went over to one of the machines and hit the side of the machine with the sledgehammer as hard as she could                      – immediately the machine began functioning exactly like it should, and eventually the whole plant–everything back in working order           – the CEO was amazed, thanked the professor and promised to pay her when she sent the bill                      – which came the next day–$10,005                      – CEO called the professor and commented that it was a little steep, and asked for an itemized account                                – which the professor gave to him:                                          – the bill read: $5 for striking the blow; $10,000 for knowing where to strike the blow  + The knowledge of where to strike the blow led to the action of the professor, even though everyone at the plant knew the machines           – in a similar way—as we study the story of the Magi from Matthew’s Gospel, everyone saw the star                     – that was no accomplishment, namely seeing the star                               – but what the star meant—now, that was something else                                         – the Magi/astrologers/wise men/kings were able to understand the meaning                                                     – and once they understood it, then action would automatically follow  + There is a very big difference between seeing or hearing something and understanding the personal significance of it for us           – I think that is one of the major problems with this Liturgy of the Word here at Mass and with the Scriptures in general                      – we hear absolutely earth-shattering, soul-shattering things from the Scriptures in this building and actually, any time we read the Scriptures                                – but it often doesn’t affect us as personally as it should  + What must happen to us is what happened with the Magi           – we must bring ourselves to register the meaning of the religion we profess                      – it could be that our minds are blinded           – Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist mystic in his autobiography “The Seven Storey Mountain” (which I recommend to every person interested in the spiritual life)                      – Thomas Merton says that a problem we all must face is that we have become marvelous at self-delusion                                – that we have allowed what he calls, our desires for comfort and ease in particular to guide what we do, and therefore everything is distorted                                          – I have the complete quote if you are interested    + There are many stars for us to see and understand in this spiritual world that we call God/Church/religion           – many things that are said to us that can make us better people                      – but it may be that we are distorted by our desire for ease as Thomas Merton said                                – and therefore we may be missing what we need to hear. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Ben-Hur” — final session THE ASTONISHING DOCTRINE The Gospel LUKE 23:39-43 [At Jesus’ crucifixion,] one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Gospelthink: The person you know as the “good thief” was simply expressing a belief in me. Do I show my belief in the way that I live right now?

After Judah Ben-Hur had escaped from the Romans during a naval battle, he was rescued  by Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy nomad. The Sheik decided to keep Judah, making him a keeper of his horses. Eventually discovering Judah’s skill in racing his horses, the Sheik entered Judah in the Roman races, setting up a match that included Judah’s once-upon-a-time friend Messala. In the race, Judah beat Messala, wounding Messala seriously. Judah’s wife Esther found him again, introducing him to some ideas of Jesus, who was preaching in the Jerusalem area. Judah became interested in Jesus, following him as he was dragged through the streets of Jerusalem and finally crucified as a common criminal. He was intimately touched by Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness and understanding of others. Seeking out Messala who had part of his leg removed due to his accidents during the race, Judah and Messala embrace each other in forgiveness, renewing their friendship and Judah welcomed him back into his family.

Judah Ben-Hur in the movie named after him was a contemporary of Jesus. According to the story, he met Jesus a couple of times during his life and he was taken by Jesus’ sincerity, love of others and especially by the forgiveness that he advocated as a central doctrine. He sensed it in his own interaction with him, but especially witnessed it as Jesus forgave Dismas on the cross. Forgiveness was the factor in bringing back his friendship with Messala as well. In the New Testament Letter to the Ephesians, the author comments that “In Jesus, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7). An essential part of Jesus’ doctrine of love, forgiveness became the way that Christians were known throughout the early days of the Church. As the close of the movie acknowledges, “There were many miracles that day [the day of Jesus’ death] and in the days that followed. As time passed, forgiveness and understanding had reunited the family to give hope and promise for a better way, to fight the good fight, to finish the race, to keep the faith.” The doctrine of forgiveness of others should also be the central part of any Christian’s way of life. It is the only way that the Christian will be able to lead a better way of life, as mentioned in the movie. Unfortunately because it is so difficult, Christians must choose forgiveness over and over again in our complicated lives. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition teaches in its presentation of the Our Father: “This petition [“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”] is astonishing. According to the second phrase, our petition will not be heard unless we have first met a strict requirement. Our petition looks to the future, but our response must come first, for the two parts are joined by the single word ‘as'” (number 2838). It is “astonishing.” Would that every Christian would understand it!

PRAYER Good and gracious God, Your Son taught us to forgive one another in every circumstance. Give us the grace to understand exactly what it should mean as we live our complicated lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Forgiveness and understanding leads to a better way of life. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 58 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. We do not know the name of the repentant thief on the cross, but the movie names him a name as given by some early Church writers, that is Dismas. What is most important for the follower of Jesus as we study Jesus’ interaction with the repentant thief? 3 . What is your opinion about criminals being given the “death penalty”? See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 2266-2267. 4. In your opinion, have Christians truly learned to forgive one another? Yes or no and why? 5. What sins or faults are the most difficult to forgive and why? 6. What is most striking about the quote from the Catechism, number 2838? 7. Analysis: The Race. What was most striking about the race in your opinion? 8. In your opinion, does the violence of the race negatively affect young people who are watching? Yes or no and why? 9. What does the movie “Ben-Hur” teach young people?