11.12.09~Readings for November 15th 2009

Please Note That Bible Study meets on Fridays 9AM -10AM in Mother Cabrini Rm

November 15, 2009

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 158Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel


Reading 1Dn 12:1-3

In those days, I Daniel, heard this word of the Lord:"At that time there shall ariseMichael, the great prince,guardian of your people;it shall be a time unsurpassed in distresssince nations began until that time.At that time your people shall escape,everyone who is found written in the book.
“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;some shall live forever,others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.


“But the wise shall shine brightlylike the splendor of the firmament,and those who lead the many to justiceshall be like the stars forever."

(1) Do we shine brightly (in daily) activities [in our lives here on Earth]?

Reading II

Heb 10:11-14, 18


Brothers and sisters:

Every priest stands daily at his ministry,offering frequently those same sacrificesthat can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offeringhe has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.


Where there is forgiveness of these,there is no longer offering for sin.

(1) Christ is at the right hand of God, but where are we?


Gospel

Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples:"In those days after that tribulationthe sun will be darkened,and the moon will not give its light,and the stars will be falling from the sky,and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.


"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'with great power and glory,and then he will send out the angelsand gather his elect from the four winds,from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.


"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,you know that summer is near.In the same way, when you see these things happening,know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you,this generation will not pass awayuntil all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away,but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

(1) We do not know the day or hour..


Responsorial Psalm

Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,you it is who hold fast my lot.I set the LORD ever before me;with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,my body, too, abides in confidence;because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

You will show me the path to life,fullness of joys in your presence,the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

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us conf cath bishop website Movie Review of film "2012," -->

2012—In the disaster movie to end all fiasco flicks, a doomsday cataclysm results in billions losing their lives as the earth's crust breaks apart, dismantling civilization and rearranging the continents. Director Roland Emmerich gives his special-effects wizards license to test the limits of the technically plausible and morally palatable, while asking moviegoers to take heart as the scenario affords a White House geologist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a divorced science-fiction writer (John Cusack) the chance to exhibit altruism, even as their exploits are interspersed with disturbing apocalyptic imagery, including the destruction of St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Considerable crude and crass language, much profanity, a rough gesture and a few instances of sexual innuendo. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009

Review

2012
In the disaster movie to end all fiasco flicks, a doomsday cataclysm results in billions losing their lives as the earth's crust breaks apart, dismantling civilization and rearranging the continents. Director Roland Emmerich gives his special-effects wizards license to test the limits of the technically plausible and morally palatable, while asking moviegoers to take heart as the scenario affords a White House geologist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a divorced science-fiction writer (John Cusack) the chance to exhibit altruism, even as their exploits are interspersed with disturbing apocalyptic imagery, including the destruction of St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Considerable crude and crass language, much profanity, a rough gesture and a few instances of sexual innuendo. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009


2012 (Full Review)
The entire universe could be destroyed more than once in the time it takes master-of-disaster director Roland Emmerich to rearrange planet Earth and dismantle human civilization in "2012" (Columbia).
To be fair, the two and a half hours pass quickly enough, and so the film's length turns out to be its least troubling aspect. What's genuinely disturbing about this disaster movie to end all disaster movies -- even taken as a popcorn flick engineered solely to entertain -- is the almost sadistic way Emmerich and his computer-generated special-effects wizards kill off billions of people.
"2012" probably has the highest body count of any movie ever made and, although the carnage isn't graphic, there's too much dissonance between the spectacle's inherent disregard for human life and the attempt to send a positive message about humanity's altruistic instincts and better nature. The limits of the technically plausible and morally palatable are both tested.
Emmerich has built his career on ravaging the globe in popular films like "Independence Day," "Godzilla" and "The Day After Tomorrow." Here, mankind is not at fault; instead, doomsday stems from an act of nature -- increased solar activity and the alignment of the planets -- that results in the overheating of the earth's core and displacement of its crust. As the Mayans supposedly anticipated, these events reach critical mass on the winter solstice: 12/21/2012.
The audience is asked to take heart since the end-of-days scenario brings out the best in two particular individuals. White House geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has been working with the scientific community and governments to predict the crisis and shape a response that includes an international plan to evacuate 400,000 fortunate souls. Exactly how they'll be spared has definite biblical overtones.
Divorced science-fiction writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), who has pondered this eventuality in a largely ignored book, happens to be camping with his two children in Yosemite, an epicenter of the catastrophe. He and his family are perfectly positioned to witness California falling into the sea and Las Vegas being torn asunder.
Back in the nation's capital, President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover) chooses to act selflessly before the White House is flattened by an aircraft carrier and the Washington Monument topples onto innocent citizens. The Himalayas then become the plot's focal point as floodwaters reach the top of the earth.
Along with false solemnity, the script is sprinkled with intermittently successful gallows humor. More often, though, hokey lines and corny cliches trigger unintended laughter, and the acting is predictably bad. Only Woody Harrelson, playing a pickle-eating radio prophet named Charlie Frost, and Oliver Platt, portraying cynical presidential aide Carl Anheuser, embrace the apocalyptic absurdity and have fun with their roles.
Despite a plethora of religious imagery and references to faith and prayer, "2012" has no theological substance. It posits an ecumenical disaster in that no denomination or belief system is given favored status. Yet its general theological glibness may rankle a minority of viewers of every creed.
Catholics should be forewarned that Emmerich dispatches the faithful in the Vatican with particular relish, collapsing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel onto praying prelates and dropping the dome of St. Peter's Basilica onto the reverent masses assembled in St. Peter's Square. He also goes out of his way to show Rio de Janeiro's statue of Christ the Redeemer falling down. After all that, it's difficult to feel hopeful -- let alone ennobled -- at the conclusion of "2012."
The film contains considerable crude and crass language, much profanity, a rough gesture and a few instances of sexual innuendo. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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The pertinent web page for this week is provided below:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/111509.shtml

Florida Young Adult Receives National Award For Efforts To Support Farmworkers
WASHINGTON—Brigitte Gynther, 27, coordinator of Interfaith Action (IA) of Southwest Florida, is the recipient of the 2009 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award for her role in supporting and empowering farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), as they pursue fair wages, improved working conditions, and an end to modern day slavery in the fields.

(1) Shall we invite her to St. Max to speak?