MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED July 16, 2017 – 14th Sunday Ordinary Time SPIRITUAL PONDERINGS Faith & Film: Suicide Squad As we continue to look at some of the stories that were made movies this past year, let us remember to explore some of the spiritual insights the author may have planted in the movies (knowingly or unknowingly). Suicide Squad: The premise behind this comic book movie is an interesting one. A woman, by the name Instead of running away they young French man named of Amanda Waller, gathers gather together and defeat Jacque Fesch who is up for together humanity’s worst the Enchantress and save the canonization. Jacque was a criminals. Each of these world. villain, he killed a police officer criminals has one or more while robbing a bank. In prison special superpower. (I would Spiritual Insight #1 Doing Bad though he took ownership of argue Harley Quin’s super Things Do Not Make Us Bad his evil choices and became a craziness is her superpower). The men and women of the mystic. Amanda implants a small Suicide Squad have bomb inside each of them embraced the label of being a Spiritual Insight #2 Good Guys that will go off if they do not villain. Each has done so for a are Bad Guys because they do as they are told. They are different reason for example: objectify others then place under the Deadshot does it for the Even though Amanda Waller is command of Colonel Rick money, Harley Quinn does it trying to protect the people of Flag. for love (or lust), El Diablo does the world from an evil threat it because he uses his gift and is not labeled a criminal An ancient witch named (superpower) for his own she is a bad guy. What makes Enchantress becomes personal gain instead of Amanda Waller a bad guy is determined to take over helping others, and Killer Croc that she objectifies others. Midway City. Amanda Waller does so as a result of the way Everyone in her life is a means sends the Suicide Squad to that others of treated him. to an end. She will treat them Midway City with the mission of well while she needs them but rescuing a “high value” asset They fail to realize that “villain” the moment that she does not from the city before the witch is just a label and not who they need them they become gets him or her. Throughout are at the deepest part of the expendable. This is proven by the movie, the Joker tries to being. Each of them is a child how she treats Rick Flag, the rescue his girlfriend Harley of God and has the capacity other intelligence operatives Quin. Amanda Waller is for doing good. They just have trapped in Midway City with eventually captured by the to reject the label of villain and her (she kills them all without a Enchantress and the villains are start doing good. There is a moment of hesitation) and of given a chance to run away. course how she treats the someone for example this is how God really is. Our villains. Deadshot loves his daughter, God is love and therefore He Harley loves the Joker and El is: “Love is patient, love is kind. John Paul II stated in his Diablo loved his family. It is not jealous, (love) is not teachings that the opposite of pompous, it is not inflated, it is love is not hate but rather Spiritual Insight #3: Image of not rude, it does not seek its objectification. When we love God own interests, it is not quick- someone, we want what is The Enchantress and her tempered, it does not brood best for them even if it requires brother Incubus, according to over injury, it does not rejoice a sacrifice on our part. The the story, were at one time over wrongdoing but rejoices opposite of them is when we mistaken in history to be a god with the truth. It bears all use another person, even if it or goddess. They decided that things, believes all things, hurts them, for our own benefit. since people are no longer hopes all things, endures all Amanda Waller is therefore worshipping them that they things. Love never fails.” (1 one of the evilest people would kill all the humans. This is Corinthians 12). Remember because she only sees people pagan mythology/theology at that God is not like the as an object. We see that its best. We must be careful Enchantress or Incubus. most of the villains cared for that we do not assume that Breaking Open the Word July 16, 2017 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 103 Gospel MT 13:1-23 Spiritual Reflection: The fact that God gives good things to bad people is proof that God’s goodness is limitless. Otherwise He would have to ration His goodness. The sower in the Gospel story freely spreads His seed because He has no fear of running out. Spiritual Questions: 1. Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people? 2. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? 3. How does God’s goodness show the overabundance of His grace? 4. What are somethings that prevent you from receiving God’s grace? 5. Which type of soil do you feel like? Quotes of the Week 1. Let us begin in earnest to work out our 3. To one who has faith, no explanation is salvation, for no one will do it for us, since even necessary. To one without faith, no explanation He Himself, Who made us without ourselves, will is possible. -St. Thomas Aquinas not save us without ourselves. -St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 4. Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. -St. 2. It was pride that changed angels into devils; Augustine of Hippo it is humility that makes men as angels. -Saint Augustine Catholic Trivia Last Week’s Answers This Week’s Questions True of False Answer the Following Questions about Pope 1. T or F – The Big Bang Theory was created by a Francis? Catholic priest. True: Fr. Georges Lemaître was a Belgium priest 1. Where was Pope Francis born? who studied Astronomy at the Louvain 2. What religious order did Pope Francis belong to 2. T or F - Dom Pierre Pérignon, the inventor of before he became pope? champagne was a Catholic monk. True: Don Pierre Pérignon was a monk who 3. What was Pope Francis’s birth name? invented Champaign 4. What was the odd job Pope Francis had when 3. T or F – A Catholic by the name of André- he was young? Marie Ampère is the reason why we measure electricity in AMPS True – “Amps” derived their name from Fr. Andre Marie Ampere i 4. T or F – Louis Braille, the inventor of the reading and writing format for blind people was also a Catholic. True Quotes of the Week 1. Let us begin in earnest to work out our 3. To one who has faith, no explanation is salvation, for no one will do it for us, since even necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is He Himself, Who made us without ourselves, will possible. -St. Thomas Aquinas not save us without ourselves. -St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 48. Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. -St. 2. It was pride that changed angels into devils; it Augustine of Hippo is humility that makes men as angels. -Saint Augustine proceeded with his sermon. After the service, a Catholic ladyHumor approached him trying to pay him a compliment by saying, “You weren’t a 1. As the substitute preacher was greeting the replacement after all. You were a real pane. congregation he made the statement, “You know, a substitute preacher is like a piece of 2. Watch out in the morning cardboard in a broken window. He fills the space, Two little brothers, Harry and James, had finished but after all, he’s not the real glass.” He then supper and were playing until bedtime. Somehow, Harry hit James with a stick, and tears A couple driving by slows down to watch. "Wow," and bitter words followed. Charges and says the driver to his wife. "I'm glad I quit drinking. accusations were still being exchanged as Look at the test they're giving now!" mother prepared them for bed. 4. Referees The mother instructed, "Now, James, before you Hours after the end of the world, a border dispute go to bed, you're going to have to forgive your emerged between heaven and hell. God invited brother." James was thoughtful for a few the devil for conversations to find a way to moments, and then he replied, "Well, OK, I'll resolve this dispute quickly. Satan, the devil, forgive him tonight, but if I don't die in the night, proposed a soccer game between heaven and he'd better look out in the morning." hell. 3. Juggler God, always fair, told the devil, " The heat must A professional juggler, driving to his next be affecting your brain, the game would be so performance, is stopped by the police. "What are one sided, don't you know all the 'good' players you doing with these matches and lighter fluid in go to heaven?" your car?" asks the police officer. The devil, smiling, responded "Yeah, but we've "I'm a juggler and I juggle flaming torches in my got all the refs'..." act." "Oh yeah? Let's see you do it," says the officer.