Who Wants To Make a God Decision?

Transcription

1 Unit 5 Skit Script page 1 of 9 Who Wants To Make a God Decision? Starring Saint Isaac Jogues, Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Monica, Saint Ignatius, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Benedict of Palermo, Saint Thomas Materials Saint Isaac Jogues: props/costume to show a Native American influence; a Bible; cue card with Respect in large letters Saint Martin of Tours: props/costume that designate a soldier; a Bible (real or fake) Saint Monica: props/costume that look grandmotherly; a Prayers for Mothers book Saint Ignatius of Loyola: props/costume that indicate a scholar; game show host note cards Saint Francis Xavier: props/costume to show an Asian influence; cue card with Respect in large letters Saint Benedict of Palermo: props/costume to show African influence; cue card with Respect in large letters Saint Doubting Thomas: robe and sandals; game show cards Studio Stagehand: earphones; large cue card with APPLAUSE in large letters Offstage Announcer Staging Two matching black music stands, placed back to back (the two screens) Quiz questions and answers on the music stands for Saints Ignatius and Thomas 2 matching chairs, ideally office swivel chairs Phone for Phone a Friend Large rope to form a circle around host and player (optional); downloaded music theme from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Logo overhead on stage reading: Who Wants to Make a God Decision? 3 large cue cards with the word RESPECT on each 1 card with APPLAUSE on it If possible, a PowerPoint version of the Millionaire game downloaded through an Internet search of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and projected onto a screen. (If audio visual (AV) setup includes sound, look for version with audio files embedded in the PowerPoint slides.)

2 Unit 5 Skit Script page 2 of 9 Stage area starts out concealed in some way: darkened or hidden behind a couple of large panels. A game show announcer s voice is heard, followed by game-show music and the stage unveiling (lights come on or panels part). As Saint Ignatius walks onto the set, a stagehand holds up a cue card that says, APPLAUSE! ANNOUNCER: (Offstage) Live, today, in the beautiful city of, from our studios at Church, it s Who Wants to Make a God Decision? (Stagehand lifts APPLAUSE cue card.) Please welcome our host, Saint Ignatius of Loyola! (Stagehand again lifts APPLAUSE cue card.) (Walks on stage, waving) Thank you! Thank you! Welcome back for another riveting edition of your favorite game show, where making good choices means making God-choices (In a flourish, Ignatius motions to the big sign overhead, as the theme music begins to play. Stagehand lifts APPLAUSE cue card.) (Referring to his note cards, as needed) Joining us today is an old friend of mine, soon to become a friend of yours the man who could be patron saint of Missouri, the Show Me state Doooubting Thomas!!! (Ignatius rises and waves his arm with a flourish to welcome Saint Thomas, as the theme music resumes and stagehand holds up the APPLAUSE sign.) Thomas walks onto the stage, smiling and waving, shakes Ignatius s hand, then both take their seats. Their scripts on the music stands have the look of the tilted monitors on Millionaire. Welcome, Saint Thomas! Remind our audience how you earned the nickname Doubting Thomas. Good idea! Well, you see, after Jesus died, he surprised his disciples with a visit. Peter and the others were so excited to see him. But me! As luck would have it, I was at the market picking up a few things for supper. I m sure Jesus missed you. I know! But I was so upset. They all kept saying, Thomas, Jesus really did stop by tonight! I answered, I don t believe you. What kinda trick are you trying to pull, anyway? And they said, No, Thomas! Really!

3 Unit 5 Skit Script page 3 of 9 You ve gotta believe us! I shook my head and said, Well, I ll believe when I see Jesus myself! But then Jesus did come back. Yep! I couldn t put my doubts to rest until I saw him with my own eyes. As they say, seeing is believing. So true. Well, Thomas, do you know how to play Who Wants to Make a God Decision? I have a few doubts, but I think I ll be okay once we get rolling. All right then! Let s get started! (Play theme music.) For $500, here s your first question: In the Old Testament, Moses received from God a set of ten rules called A: The Constitution? B: The Ten Commandments? C: Murphy s Law? Or D: Ten Pipers Piping? No doubts about this one. The answer is B: The Ten Commandments. Final answer. Ten Commandments it is! (Applause) Congratulations, Saint Thomas, you have $500. Now for the $1,000 question, listen carefully. Jesus gave us the Great Commandment. In it, he tells us to focus on two things: First is to love God with all your heart. What is the second? Is it A: Eat your vegetables? B: Tattle on your sister? C: Love your neighbor as yourself? Or D: Don t babble on and on, unless you live in Babylon? Oh, man. I m pretty sure I know this one. But because I m a doubting kind of guy, I want to use one of my Life Lines. I want to Ask the Audience. Okay. Audience, let s see if you can help Doubting Thomas. The Great Commandment tells us to love God with all your heart. It also says to what? Let s have a show of hands. Who votes for A: Eat your vegetables. Raise your hand if you think that s what Jesus said. How about B: Tattle on your sister? C: Love your neighbor as yourself? Finally, what about

4 Unit 5 Skit Script page 4 of 9 D: Don t babble on and on? (Pause) Well, Thomas, it looks like the audience is going with C. I agree. My final answer is C: Love your neighbor as yourself. Correct! Jesus said Love God with your whole heart and Love your neighbor as yourself! You re ready now for the $2,000 question, Thomas! Here it is: Jesus once told a story to show us whom we are to help. In the Good Samaritan parable, do we learn that we are to help A: Only our best friends? B: People who live in Samaria? C: Those who help themselves? Or D: Anyone who s hurting and needs help? Oh, boy. I really have doubts about this one. I d like to use another Life Line. I d like to Ask the Expert. Saint Thomas, my boy, you ve hit the daily double a new feature on Who Wants to Make a God Decision? That means you get the wisdom of TWO experts. And today, our experts are Saint Isaac Jogues, missionary to the Native Americans in the 1600s, (Stagehand shows the APPLAUSE sign as Isaac walks to the front of the stage and waves to the audience) and Saint Martin of Tours, a Hungarian soldier in the Roman army, who became a bishop of France in 371. Gentlemen, please join us in the expert s corner! (Stagehand shows the APPLAUSE sign as Martin jogs to the front of the stage, high-fives Saint Isaac, and both wave to the audience. When it s time to talk, they flip through their Bibles, keeping their crib notes concealed.) Hello! Good to see you! Here s the question I need help with: In the Good Samaritan story, Jesus teaches the lesson that God wants us to help whom? Is the answer A: Only our best friends? B: People who live in Samaria? C: Those who help themselves? Or D: Anyone who s hurting and needs help? Both Isaac and Martin open their Bibles and flip around until they find the page they re looking for. ISAAC: Here, I ve got it in the Gospel of Luke. Someone in the crowd surrounding Jesus asks, Who is my neighbor? Jesus answers with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Thomas, do you remember the story?

5 Unit 5 Skit Script page 5 of 9 ISAAC: MARTIN: I think so. A man gets robbed and beaten and left in a ditch to die. Two people come along and see him but don t stop to help, even though they claim to follow God. They mumble something about being too busy. Then a Samaritan comes by someone who s not only a foreigner but an enemy and goes out of his way to help the injured man. Exactly. Jesus tells the story to show us that our neighbor isn t just someone who lives across the street. For people who love and serve God, a neighbor is anyone who s in need. For me love your neighbor meant living among the Huron tribe with my brother missionaries learning their language, sharing the Gospel, building schools, and helping them better their lives. Saint Martin of Tours, what s your expert opinion? I agree with Saint Isaac. I ve used my Bible to look up a slightly different passage. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to help anyone who s hungry, thirsty, homeless, imprisoned, or in need of clothing. Taking care of others is like taking care of Jesus himself. When I was a soldier, I came across a beggar who was shivering in the cold. I took out my sword and sliced my cape in half giving half of it to the beggar. That night, I had a dream that the beggar was Jesus in disguise. It felt so real that I m sure it was true. So, Thomas, do you have your answer? Sure do! I say D. God wants us to reach out to anyone who needs help. Final answer. Isaac and Martin nod in agreement. And that answer is... ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! (Theme music plays. APPLAUSE sign goes up; Martin and Isaac hold hands, take a deep bow, and walk offstage.) Way to go, Thomas. You sure didn t sound doubtful that time! Now, on to our $3,000 question. Are you ready? Ready!

6 Unit 5 Skit Script page 6 of 9 For $3,000: Saint Paul writes a letter that describes the Theological Virtues. The greatest of these, he says, is love or charity. What are the other two virtues? Are they A: Faith and hope? B: Anger and jealousy? C: Singing and dancing? Or D: Being kind to animals? I m afraid I might be a little fuzzy on this one. I d like to use another Life Line. I d like to Phone a Friend. Good choice! Who would you like to phone? Saint Monica, mother of the great Church scholar Saint Augustine. Electronic touchtone sounds are heard as Saint Monica walks to a far front corner of the stage area, facing the audience as she holds a phone to her ear. MONICA: MONICA: MONICA: MONICA: Hello, is this Saint Monica? Why, yes it is. Saint Monica, this is Saint Ignatius of Loyola. I ve got Doubting Thomas next to me. He s playing Who Wants to Make a God Decision? and needs help with a question about the three Theological Virtues. Can help him? I m sure going to try. Ask away! In the Bible, Saint Paul describes three Theological Virtues. The greatest, Paul says, is love or charity. What are the other two? Are they A: Faith and hope? B: Anger and jealousy? C: Singing and dancing? Or D: Being kind to animals? Oh, that s an easy one! The answer is A: Faith and hope. Gee, are you sure? They sound like a couple of girl s names. Yes, I guess they do! More to the point, cultivating the virtues of faith, hope, and charity helps us make good, Godly decisions. The answer is A: Faith and hope. I know for sure, because I had to rely on these while my son, Saint Augustine, was a young man making a mess of his life.

7 Unit 5 Skit Script page 7 of 9 Thanks, Saint Monica! Saint Ignatius, my final answer is A: Faith and hope. Well done! And guess what? You ve just won another $3,000 for charity! (Theme music plays. APPLAUSE sign goes up. Monica bows, waves to the audience, then walks offstage.) Thanks! I couldn t have done it, though, without help. I m really grateful for the Life Lines. It looks like we re getting a little short on time. So, Thomas, we re going to move into a special lightning round and give you the chance to play for a whopping $75,000 dollars $25,000 for each part of this next three-answer question. Are you ready? (wringing his hands and wiping his brow) I don t know. That sounds pretty intense. Maybe I should just stop while I m ahead. (Aside) What do you think, Audience? Should I stop and take the money for charity or try to take it to the next level? (Wait for responses from the audience. If none or few come, Thomas says, I m sorry, I can t hear you. Stagehand walks about and signals with his/her arms, lifting them up and down, encouraging the audience to urge Thomas on.) Well, Thomas? Have you decided? (Sighing at first, then nodding to show he s decided to forge ahead) I m gonna go for it! (APPLAUSE sign goes up with stagehand shaking it to get even more response) Very well! You re going for a whopping $75,000 $25,000 for each part of this question: When talking about moral choices, the Church refers to three groups deserving of respect. Can you name them? (Fretting) Oh, no! Now I m going to blow it! I need help and I ve already used all of my Life Lines. (Laughing) Oh, Thomas, Thomas, ye of little faith! (Shrugging, making a confused face) Huh, I don t get it.

8 Unit 5 Skit Script page 8 of 9 Why, Thomas! Whenever one plays Who Wants to Make a God Decision? there are an unlimited number of Life Lines available! Didn t you know? Uh, I guess not. In this game as in real life we have all the Life Lines we ll ever need. Saint Thomas, my friend, you need not doubt anymore! Why? Because we have the Ten Commandments, the example and teachings of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as Life Lines, that s why. The saints too are ever ready if we need to Phone a Friend or Ask an Expert. And knowing that is far more valuable than a million dollars, don t you agree? Boy, I ll say! It looks like my doubting days just might be a thing of the past! But getting back to that RESPECT question, think you can suggest a few saintly Life Lines for me? You bet! Hmmm, let me think. (Ignatius cups his chin, pausing thoughtfully.) All right! I ll direct you to three saints for help on the respect question. Let s have you call upon Saint Isaac again. Also, Saint Francis Xavier he was one of my followers who served as a missionary to Asia. And Saint Benedict of Palermo a humble man who was forced to serve as a slave but then chose, when freed, to continue serving others. Gentlemen... (Isaac, Francis, and Benedict come onstage and go straight to Ignatius and Thomas, shaking hands and smiling. They stay near Thomas, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.) Okay, Saints, I really need your assistance on this one. Are you ready? (The three saints nod.) This is the $75,000 question: When talking about moral choices, the Church refers to three groups deserving of respect. Can you name them? The three saints motion Thomas into a huddle. After a few moments, they all nod and clap. Thomas returns to his seat. The saints each grab a cue card from the back of the set and position themselves in a line facing the audience. As each announces his answer, he holds up a card that says, Respect in large

9 Unit 5 Skit Script page 9 of 9 letters (or else the phrases Respect Families, Respect Life, and Respect Creation). Their scripts are pasted on the back of each cue card. ISAAC: FRANCIS: BENEDICT: Well? Thomas, did you get the help you need? Oh yes, without a doubt! I m going to let each saint give us his response and that s my final answer! Hit it, Saints! Number 1: Respect for FAMILIES. Listening to the wisdom of my parents and also of my brother Jesuits, I ve used the teachings of Jesus to live peacefully with everyone. Number 2: Respect for ALL HUMAN LIFE. Living and working in Asia, I learned that God values all human life a viewpoint we should all embrace and defend. Number 3: Respect for CREATION. I grew up with a built-in respect for nature. How could I not, when each day I woke to the glorious bounty and originality of God s handiwork? Jesus and the prophets urged us to take care of all people, for all are our neighbors. And today, thanks to the Church s teachings, we know that care of neighbor includes care of creation. After all, it s creation that takes care of us! Well said and well done, all you holy saints of God! And Thomas, as you requested, all your winnings will go to help those who are in need throughout this wonderful world of ours. So, until next time, remember: Let all your decisions be God decisions! Saints wave to the audience as lights dim on the stage. Stagehand holds up APPLAUSE card. Skit ends.