[media presentation below] GospelThink Saturday after Ash Wednesday, February 17 LUKE 5:27-32 I remind you that the salvation of your soul is more important than anything. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus has called me to be his follower. How do I rate myself as a follower of Jesus? b. Levi left everything behind in order to follow the Lord. Do I have too many “things” in my possession? If I have too many things, what should I do with the extra things that I have? c. The Pharisees had a tendency to judge other people as “sinners.” Sometimes I do the same. Who do I judge to be “sinners” and perhaps I should take the time to pray for them. d. In my acquaintances right now, who is most in need of the help that I can give? What should I do for them? e. What sign of repentance do I show in my life? f. My prayerthoughts….   Today I will thank someone whom I have not thanked recently. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AND A CHANGE OF HEART  + Jesus says in the Gospel:           I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.           – it is one of Jesus’ basic statements in his teaching                      – because the self-righteous-people like the Pharisees and scribes—wouldn’t listen anyway                                – important for us who are “religious” (that is given to spiritual things) to see that Jesus could not accomplish what he wanted with most of the “religious” of his day  + Perhaps a couple of thoughts on being self-righteous as we strive to improve our spiritual lives during this Lenten season           1 – the possibility that we are part of the self-righteous                      – most of us readily admit that we are sinners                                – we pray “Lord have mercy” at the beginning of every Mass as well as anyone                                          – but there is a possibility of something that we will not change our sinful patterns                                                    – some prejudice, perhaps                                                    – some situation or some person that we are refusing to change our opinions about                                          – there is nothing worse than a person who presents himself/herself as holy                                                    – and fails to recognize some basic correctable fault—they are self-righteous                                                                – and it could be us           2 – a “change of heart” that Jesus calls us to should be analyzed                      – Levi is a perfect example for us                                – a sinner to be sure—tax collectors were extortionists                                          – he immediately followed Jesus, left everything                      – the first reading tells us that—                                – if you…, if you…, if you…, that is, basically, if we change our heart, then the Lord will be with us                                – that change of heart consists of:                                          – truly following Jesus as Levi did                                                    – adopting his thoughts, words and actions                                          – being open to everyone as Jesus was open to those who needed a doctor, as he said                                                    – all people without exception                                          – following the basic laws that Jesus and the Church have set up                                                    – as the Isaiah reading points out                                                               – maybe concentrating on the things the reading mentions:                                                                         – removing false accusation, malicious speech                                                                         – giving to those in need                                                                         – keeping holy our Sabbath day, Sunday                                                                         – refraining from following our own pursuits  + There are two things to consider today:           – our own possibility of self-righteousness and just what a real “change of heart” consists of. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “Inception” — beginning session PLANTING THE SEED The Gospel MATTHEW 13:3-9 [Jesus said:] “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Gospelthink: I tell you the story of the sower which tells you how you listen to the word of God. How well am I listening to the word of God every day?

The clever movie “Inception” is about stealing secrets from a person’s subconscious. The first session sets the scene for the most difficult of all trips to the subconscious. Dom Cobb is skilled as an extractor, a man capable of going into the subconscious of someone placed in a dream state and stealing secrets that only the subject knows. The skill has caught up with him, however, since he is both accused by his country of murder and sought by his former employer for not completing a task. Mr. Saito, a billionaire because of his corporate holdings, realizing Cobb’s plight and skills, hires him to do a task that few could do. In fact, Cobb would never attempt it, were it not for his desire to return to America and see his children again, something that Saito had promised him. The task is that of “inception,” explained by Cobb this way: “The seed that we plant in this man’s mind will grow into an idea. This idea will define him. It may come to change everything about him.” It is an act that is near impossible because “true inspiration is impossible to fake,” as Cobb’s friend and co-worker Arthur observes.

A Christian studying the art of “inception” as explained in the movie “Inception” can easily see the similarity to accepting the concepts of what Jesus taught. Jesus called what he taught to be seed sown in the minds of people. If his doctrine was to take hold, that is, produce fruit a hundredfold, the person must accept the seed completely, choosing to let it take over his mind and thought in spite of the obstacles in life. If they did, as with “inception,” the idea would then define such a person, changing everything in that person’s life. As with the process of “inception,” the thought that originated with Jesus must now be the Christian’s free choice. Christians cannot truly accept it if they are coerced or threatened. Even if we believe that Jesus is God as we do, and understand that his word is truly divine, it means nothing to us personally unless we accept it freely as our own thought. We cannot say that our parents or our teachers or those in charge of us are the responsible parties. We truly accept it. It is our choice: we know full well what we are doing. And it is impossible to fake. We cannot just say that we accept it because everyone around us is saying it. We cannot act like it is real to us, deceiving people into believing that we have chosen something that is shaping our lives. Jesus’ doctrine cannot simply be a name that we attach to ourselves–“Christian”–as we would write a description on an application form. If it is true inspiration, as with “inception,” it must become so real that every moment of every day is affected by it. We wake up every day with it in mind; we live throughout the day with it as a guide; and we sleep at night under its direction. Most of all, we die with the thought in our minds. Have Christians accomplished the art of “inception” of Jesus’ doctrine completely? Obviously, some of us have not in Jesus’ mind, since he outlined three of four cases in which people fail to truly allow the seed to grow. Our task as Christians is to be in Jesus’ fourth category, becoming rich soil for his word, truly accepting everything that Jesus stands for.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son gave us your words and thoughts as guides to our living here on earth. Give us the grace to freely choose to accept his direction, thus making ourselves to be good soil and allowing his words to have a true hold on our lives. Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: Christianity is the seed that is voluntarily implanted in our minds in order to change our lives for the better.      DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 66 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. The point has been made that every Christian has been in all four categories of the Gospel in their individual lives. How is this a true statement? 3. Project: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 101-133 contains an excellent summary of Catholic teaching about Sacred Scripture. The presenter may want to outline some portions of the doctrine for presentation. 4. The meditation makes the point that “inception” can be compared to “accepting the doctrine of Jesus.” In what ways is it a good comparison? What are some drawbacks to the comparison? 5. Young people are often “forced” into accepting Christian doctrine. When is the best time for young people to be given the choice to accept Christianity or not? 6. The movie is obviously fantasy. Do you feel that “something like” extraction or inception can take place in human beings? Yes or no and why? 7. Dialogue analysis: Eames remarks that if you are going to achieve “inception,” you start with the basics. As we compare “inception” to Christianity, what are the basics of Christianity? 8. Scene analysis: Robert’s father is mean in his illness. The remark is often made that people die as they live. Do you think that being “mean” at death means that they were “mean” in real life? Yes or no and why? 9. Analysis: Cobb must convince the police that he did not kill Mal. Given your knowledge of the situation, what would he have to do in order to accomplish his desire? 10. Dialogue analysis: “These are not just dreams, they are memories.” In your opinion in real life, what is the difference between a “dream” and a “memory”? 11. Dialogue analysis: Ariadne tells Cobb that he must share his problem about Mal coming into his dreams with the other team members because it is a danger. Do you believe that people can have “dangerous” dreams? Yes or no and why?