[media presentation below] GospelThink Wednesday, January 17 MARK 3:1-6 I looked with anger and disappointment at those who placed more faith in cold law than helping people. Prayerthoughts a. The Sabbath was an important day of rest for the Hebrew people. Sunday, our Sabbath, should be a day dedicated to God. Should I be more concerned about this than I am right now? b. Jesus obviously says that people are more important than law. Is there anyone in my acquaintance whom I should treat in a better way? If there is anyone, what should I do about it? c. The Lord is showing justifiable anger. I sometimes show anger in my life.  Is all of my anger justified?  If my anger is not justified, how could I control it a little better? d. Is there a possibility in my life where I show “hardness of heart” toward some good? If there is, what should I do about it? e. My prayerthoughts….   Today, I will write my own act of contrition. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  OPEN MINDS  + Perhaps the biggest problem that Jesus had with the religious leaders of Israel          – was their refusal to open themselves to the possibility of change                   – here, in today’s Gospel reading                            – Jesus was upset because they had closed their minds to him:          Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart…                                     – and in particular what Jesus was trying to point out here—the lesson in yesterday’s Gospel as well—that people are more important than law                                              – healing someone who needs it is more important even than the sacred law of keeping the Sabbath  + When we are not limited by our own little boxed-in minds          – that is, limited by the things that we want, the way we want them done, the way of selfishness, and become instead, open to what God wants for us                   – when we want to listen to what he says in the Scriptures and in the readings that we have at Mass, when we realize what happens to us in life is really ultimately under God’s direction                            – then we can grow spiritually  + Perhaps the best way to define maturity is from the perspective of awareness          – or being open to possibilities                   – the opposite of it is “hardness of heart” as Jesus saw in the Pharisees—the Pharisees were spiritually immature                            -many of us simply go through our lives without being aware that life, and in particular, the spiritual life, is so much more than what we think it is                   – it may mean some re-thinking, some re-doing, and even some re-forming  + The whole point of the first reading, the story that we have come to know as David and Goliath,          – is that God is in charge of our lives                   – and if we manage to allow God to direct us, we will always win                   – if we manage to open our minds to God, we will be able to develop the potential that we all have to be good Christians. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Karate Kid” — final session STAND UP AGAIN The Gospel MARK 6:1-6a Jesus came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.

Gospelthink: The people of my hometown thought they knew me and did not have faith. I truly know the Lord and should renew my faith in Him daily.

In the movie “The Karate Kid,” the karate tournament finally comes. Dre Parker and his trainer Mr. Han rapidly advance to the semi-finals and finals. During the tournament, they run into the students of a school of karate that teaches violence with no mercy, some of whose students had been Dre’s original tormentors. Dre feels the pain of defeat when one of those students deliberately hurts one of Dre’s legs to the point of not being able to walk. Begging Mr. Han to help him, Dre reminds Mr. Han of a statement that Han had made earlier, “Life will knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to stand back up.” Because Han knows what to do to give Dre temporary mobility, Dre eventually goes to the finals, winning the match by using a technique that he learned during his training, a technique that demanded Dre to completely focus on a problem.

There may be reasons why one should give up a good undertaking, but difficulty should not be one of them. One of the marks of maturity is that people will pursue what is good while at the same time work with any difficulties that may come. Jesus knew that his mission was good, indeed, necessary for the world, and therefore the rejection he received in his hometown was not enough to prevent him from continuing his work. In terms of Mr. Han’s words in the movie “The Karate Kid,” life knocked him down, but he chose to stand up again, and went immediately back to his task. As Mark the evangelist remarks, “He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.”  That is, he went right back to doing what he had to do. There are many good things that demand us to go above the ordinary, and often they are quite difficult. Perhaps it is the task of achieving maturity amidst the distractions of society. Maybe it involves turning away from friends who are choosing wrong. Maybe it is nothing more than accepting the tedious task of bearing down and studying a subject that will help us in life. If it is good, being difficult is no reason to prevent us from pursuing it. There are two important considerations as we consider the words of Mr. Han in the movie. First, “life will knock us down.” There will be difficulties in any undertaking, whether it be a job that we have or the general thought of living our lives well. But, the second point must be made immediately: the mature human being can choose to stand back up again. It is up to us: we choose. We can feel sorry for ourselves and stay in pain, or we can make the decision to do something about it.  As we choose to stand back up and go about our task, the movie also suggests how to do it well. Dre managed to win the tournament by focusing on the problem so completely that every distraction was eliminated. If we achieve total focus, admittedly a difficult undertaking, we will be able to accomplish important things in our lives. In terms of Christian living, such a focus will mean concentrating on the message of Jesus Christ, allowing it to be a true guide to living.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son felt rejection while he was here on earth. But he was able to overcome the rejections, and accomplish what you wanted him to do. Give us the grace to always focus on your Son and follow you. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme:  Life will knock us down; we can choose whether or not to stand back up.   DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 43 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. Why is a prophet often not accepted by his own people? 3. The point of this session is that Jesus kept right on working “in the vicinity” even after the rejection in the synagogue at Nazareth. The human Jesus was dedicated to his mission. Describe what you think Jesus wished to accomplish in his life. 4. The meditation makes the point that a mark of maturity is working with difficulties. What are some other marks of maturity? 5. The meditation mentions some difficulties that must be overcome. What are the major difficulties in our lives that must be overcome? 6. The meditation makes the point that Christians should be focusing completely on Jesus. Do you think that most Christians have a total focus on Jesus in their lives? Yes or no and why? 7. Scene analysis: Mei Ying’s parents forbid her to see Dre any more. Should parents have this much control over their children’s friends? Yes or no and why? 8. Scene analysis: Mr. Han cries because of his pain. What is the most difficult pain a parent will suffer? 9. Dialogue analysis: Mr. Han says that winning or losing does not matter. Learning respect does. What does “learning respect” mean? 10. Scene analysis: Master Li tells his student to hurt Dre. There are teachers who instruct people to do bad things. What can be done to remove them from teaching children? 11. Scene analysis: Cheng offers the trophy to Dre. What does this say about Cheng’s character? 12. What does the movie “The Karate Kid” teach young people?