[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday, January 13 MARK 2:13-17 I wanted Levi, a converted sinner. to be with me as I went about my ministry in our world. Prayerthoughts a. He taught them. The Lord is my teacher and his textbook is the New Testament especially the Gospels. Do I pay enough attention to these Gospels? b. Jesus wanted Levi, a converted sinner, to be with Him as He went about his ministry.  Have I sufficiently changed my behavior so that I can be called “converted”? c. Once again, the sin of the Pharisees here is from their thinking. I must look at my own thinking and try to purify it a little more. (This is the task of the meditation.) d. There are many who are “sick” in my acquaintance. They may not be physically sick, but they need the help of someone who cares. Am I that type of person? e. My prayerthoughts…   Today, I will think of yesterday, and the thoughts that I had throughout the day, determining how they could have been better. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  CALLED BY GOD  + In the readings today, the liturgy presents us with two people who were called by God           – Saul in the first book of Samuel, anointed by Samuel to rule the Israelite people           – Levi in Mark’s Gospel, most probably Matthew as he is called elsewhere—Jesus probably changed his name, or the early Church did                      – Jesus calls him from a life of sin, since tax collectors always collected more taxes than they should have for themselves  + So the idea of “calling” is a good one to think about in a spiritual way today           – you and I are all called to the Christian way of life in our spirituality                      – and we have responded by our Baptism                                – most of us having accepted that Baptism after it was conferred on us at an early age  + What is interesting about the two people that we have given to us is the outcome of the call of God           – Saul, first of all, became a very good king                      – he governed well, he fought the enemies of Israel well, he depended on Yahweh, God, well                                – but toward the end of his life, he lost his devotion to God, and he lost it because of jealousy—selfishness                                          – he became much more interested in himself than he was in what he was called to do—namely governing the Israelites with care and concern                      – it may be that much of it was not his fault as he may have had a mental illness                                – but whether that is true or not, Saul in some way turned away from God because of his own selfishness           – Levi—Matthew—on the other hand, realized that he was a sinner, changed his ways, and became a true follower of Jesus                      – he understood his need for God, and he let that guide him in life  + As we consider our call, we have to consider both of these men           – are we more like Saul, who at first accepted God’s call, but then because of selfishness, gave it up to follow his own pursuits           – or like Levi—Matthew—who recognized his sinfulness and stayed close to Jesus all of his life  + Obviously, we want to be like Levi—Matthew           – and the way to do that is to continue what we are doing here                      – keep coming back to the Lord here at Mass, keep recognizing our sinfulness, making our Baptismal promises something real to us           – such is our prayer at this Mass.   MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “No Time to Die” — beginning session DESIRING THE POWER The Gospel MATTHEW 23:6-12 [Jesus said:] “[The scribes and Pharisees] love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Gospelthink: I warn you that you should be like a servant to others instead of having power over them. Do I treat others as though they were less than I am?

In the movie “No Time to Die,” at the request of the MI6 organization, James Bond came out of retirement to meet up against the organization known as Spectre, the “evil” which had tried to conquer the world earlier in James Bond’s career. Bond befriended Madeleine whose parents had been killed by Lyutsifer Safin, who was a person seeking the ruin of the world as well. Bond and his friend Madeleine are together when it seems as though Madeleine set up Bond to be killed. Although it was not true, Bond separated from Madeleine. Meanwhile, “M” of MI6 had asked Bond to rescue a scientist by the name of Obruchev from Safin. Obruchev with MI6’s permission had developed a weapon by the name of Project Heracles, a bioweapon involving a virus that was lethal to a target and his/her relatives but harmless to others. Bond was to help another 007 in the endeavor.

Anyone who reads the Gospels must encounter Jesus’ intense dislike for the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus recognized that many of the religious leaders of the Hebrew people were people who said one thing, but did another. His problem with them was their desire for show and ostentatious behavior. Having the respect of others gave them a certain power that they used to their advantage. Consequently, the scribes and Pharisees did anything to gain the power. Judging from Jesus’ words and actions toward them, a spiritual person must not behave like they did. Power is a problem in our world. In the movie “No Time to Die,” James Bond is called out of retirement to face an old nemesis Spectre and later an evil person Lyusifer Safin. Spectre had captured one of the scientists hired by Bond’s organization who developed a virus that evil people could easily use in order to conquer the world. Safin overcame them, eventually becoming the largest evil that Band had to face. It is interesting that both the good, MI6, and the evil, Spectre and Safin were looking for the same thing, to control the world by exaggerated power. Studying the Gospels, Christians experience Jesus’ strong feelings against power for power’s sake, and the desire for it. But Jesus’s feelings toward it notwithstanding, many Christians succumb to its lure. From high schools to political contests to everyday existence, people act out of a desire for power and control. It may not cause people to desire to rule the world, but it can easily lead them to try to dominate their home or school or office. Christians must be aware of the desire to control others. It could be the basis of the all evil in our world.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, in many ways, we are people who desire to be recognized just as the scribes and Pharisees. Help us see that in many instances, the desire for such actions is nothing more than seeking power. Give us the grace to understand what we are doing. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: In a sick mind, having all the power is a way to save the world.        DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 77 minutes) 1. What scene during this session is most striking and why? 2. Where in our world today do you see hypocrisy? 3. Where in our world today do you see the most desire for power? 4. Can anyone searching for power really want to help the world? 5. Why do people want to have power? 6. How disruptive for the organization is the desire for power from one of its members?