In this Sunday’s Gospel, we read the account of the Road to Emmaus. This accounts two of the Jesus’ followers, are leaving Jerusalem, disheartened and disappointed after the death of Jesus Christ. We hear that the resurrected Christ walks with them, and unbeknownst to them, they think it is a stranger, journey with them to Emmaus. It is not until the Eucharistic celebration that they recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread, reminding us that Christ institutes the Eucharist so to be present with us, even unto this age.
We have a God, who accompanies. When did you first start to see the Lord working in your life? Chances are it wasn’t so much a St. Paul conversion, but one that was slow and in stages. Each person’s faith journey is often brought with baggage and slow movements to change (mine certainly was).
To be a good teacher, the teacher needs to be patient as the student learns the concepts. Imagine the calculus teacher, who is teaching new information; she cannot assume her students comprehend it at the first lesson. Lots of patience and support help the student to learn the information well.
Christ Jesus is the model teacher, and though the two disciples were not getting that is was him right away, he continued to walk with them. Jesus listened to their complaints and frustrations that the Lord was nowhere to be found. Jesus breaks open the Scriptures, reinforcing that which the prophets spoke about the Messiah. It was in the breaking of the bread, that these two disciples recognized the risen Christ.
We are called to be evangelizers that share the Good News of Christ, but one of the best ways to follow is to first listen and to be patient as our friends, family, and peers encounter Jesus. We are called to listen to the frustrations and despair, but we are then to share the Good News and the hope that is found in the Church, the Body of Christ!
The two disciples, upon recognizing Christ, run back to Jerusalem (in the middle of the night!) to share that they had seen the risen Lord, to bring forth light into the world! May our hearts continue to burn deep within us, that we might share that we too have encountered the Lord.
The movie that I am recommending this week is "The Incredible's". Behind the funny moments and action scenes, this movie actually covers some heavy topics: from dealing with depression and finding self-worth, to keeping a family together and fears of infidelity. The movie (2004) is rated PG and runs 116 mins.
1) The main theme of the movie is learning how to use your unique gifts to their fullest potential. This is how you fulfill God's plan for your life. Just like the Incredible's you have your own unique gift. Are you using it or developing it at all? Are you using it responsibly?
2) Reflect on this quotation, "With great power comes great responsibility". How did each character use (or not use) their gift at the beginning and end of the movie? When was it used responsibly, when was it used irresponsibly?
Answer: In the beginning Violet hated her uniqueness. Violet needed to learn to accept and actually use her gift. Dash only knew how to use his gift for his own selfish purposes and glory. By the end of the movie, he learned how to use his gifts to help other people other than himself. Mrs. Incredible didn't use her power outside the house because she wanted to protect her family and fit in with the rest of society. She realizes by the end of the movie that each family member needs to let their gift shine. Mr. Incredible used his gift in secret and against the law, similarly to Dash, he was just doing good things to make himself feel good, to remember the glory days. He learned that his family comes first and that he should use his power
3)Reflect on this Bible Passage:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
a) Do we sometimes hide our belief in God just to fit in just like Violet or Mrs. Incredible? Are we sometimes tempted to "keep religion in the home"? Do we sometimes suppress our gifts because of fear? Fear of failure? Fear of judgement?
b) Do we sometimes accomplish something with our gifts and think, "I did it" or "I am great" like Dash and Mr. Incredible did? Do we use our gifts selfishly, or do we glorify God and thank him for out gifts?
4) Mr. Incredible is a man with many great qualities, but he sometimes makes poor and immoral decisions. What were his poor decisions and what caused him to make them? How does the devil sometimes twist good things into bad things?
Answer: His quality of justice causes him to stand up to his boss at his office job.That is good. That same quality leads him to punching his boss in anger. His good quality of a fatherly desire to provide for his family causes him to make a shady deal with a secret company just so he can have a good paying job. His shame of not being able to provide for his family causes him to lie to his wife and keep secrets from his family. The devil cannot create. He can only take good things that God has made and twist them so they become bad things.He just takes a good quality, adds in pride and selfishness, and then he gets a bad action.
Message to parents about film recommendations and reflections:
I have been struggling over what movies to recommend for the family to watch and have reflections over. There are some great movies like "Les Miserable" and "Rudy", but unfortunately they are not for the family due to either language or thematic elements. Then the other route I was thinking of going were the classic movie route like "Barabbas (1961)" or "The Robe (1953)". Both of those movies and others like them are fantastic, but again, do not fit into the family friendly category. Not because of content though, but because those movies are more for the movie connoisseurs than a relaxed family movie night pick. Kids and teens will likely find them to be old, boring, and dialogue heavy. Moreover, as it relates to reflection questions, the movies like "Barabbas" and "Joan of Arc" have their lessons built into the movies, and it would almost be redundant to create reflections questions for them. They are already overtly designed to make you think about your relationship with God.
So, I have decided to stick to animated films to recommend and write review questions for. This way, the movies can stay family friendly, and the discussion questions can lead conversation in a Godly direction that the film does not overtly provide. Even if teens have already seen the movie as a kid, these movies are great on the re-watch, and the reflection questions will add value. You might be surprised at how deep some children's animated films can get.
