In the third class we watched clips from the movie “Signs”. We discussed signs of God’s presence in our lives and the fact that we are never “on our own”, we can always count on God being there. Just like we saw in the last movie, we all have a choice whether to believe this or not. We can either live as if life is all chance and we can only count on ourselves to get us through, or we can believe in a God who is near, a God who reaches out to us, not matter how far we stray. Please watch the following clips, read through the additional materials posted, and then submit the discussion questions in the Google Form. The password is smaconfirmation (no capitals, no punctuation).
Scripture Passages
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ – Luke 15: 1-6
The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. – Isaiah 7:14
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). – Matthew 1: 21-23
Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
Catechism Quotes
God, who “dwells in unapproachable light”, wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.By revealing himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, and of knowing him and of loving him far beyond their own natural capacity. #52
Movie Quotes
People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence; they see it as a sign. Evidence, that there is someone up there watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance. I’m sure that people in group two were looking at those 14 lights in a very suspicious way. For them, this situation is a 50/50: could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they’re on their own, and that fills them with fear. There are those people. But there’s a whole lot of people in the group number one, and when they see those lights, they’re looking at a miracle and deep down, they feel that whatever is going to happen, there will be someone there to help them, and that fills them with hope. So what you have to ask yourself is what type of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, miracles, or do you believe that people just get lucky?
Quotes to Ponder
Along the path of life we never walk alone. To remind us of this, God helps us understand that salvation is not a momentary event but a history that unfolds day by day, amid successes and failures, until the final encounter. – Pope Francis April 21, 2016
We have all, at some point, felt the frightening sensation of abandonment, and that is what we fear most about death, just as when we were children we were afraid to be alone in the dark and could only be reassured by the presence of a person who loved us. Well, this is exactly what happened on Holy Saturday: the voice of God resounded in the realm of death. The unimaginable occurred: namely, Love penetrated “hell”. Even in the extreme darkness of the most absolute human loneliness we may hear a voice that calls us and find a hand that takes ours and leads us out. Human beings live because they are loved and can love; and if love even penetrated the realm of death, then life also even reached there. In the hour of supreme solitude we shall never be alone: Passio Christi. Passio hominis. – Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI May 2, 2010
We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. – C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm
But, first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs. And secondly, I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. – C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair, Chronicles of Narnia
SMA Confirmation 