Destiny, Providence, & Free Will: In Memory of "Back to the Future Day" (Archived Post)

       One year ago, on October 21, 2015, 80's film enthusiasts and Cubs fans everywhere celebrated "Back to the Future Day," because it was the day to which Marty and Doc travel in the second movie.  In honor of this day, I shared the following reflection with members of the Catholic Illini contact list.

       “I’m your… density.”  These words spoken to Marty McFly’s (future) mother by his (future) father, point to a bit more than a nervous, unconfident teenager stuttering to speak to the girl he likes.  In a subtle way, they reflect the human wrestling with the notion of destiny.  So, what is destiny?  Is it real?  This seems to be a key question for these comedy movies, but also for our lives. 

       Ultimately, the popular notion of “destiny” is a secular attempt to make sense of a notion we all find attractive: that all things happen for a reason.  Yet, having accepted the false premise that faith and science can’t coexist, the Christian notion of providence seems impossible.  Thus, “destiny” is born – which ultimately ends up being an impersonal determinism for our lives.  The Back to the Future trilogy tests the theory by seeing how much changing one small detail of our lives changes the course of our future.  And all of these comical misadventures lead to what seems to be the real point summed up by Doc Brown at the conclusion of the trilogy:: “Your future isn’t written yet!  So make it a good one.”

            So, what is the alternative?  The key is this: yes, there is a plan for our lives! But, that plan includes your free will, because it is written by your Father who loves you and made you for happiness.  He respects your free will, because He gave it to you.  In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Free will, though it makes evil possible, also makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”  Free will reflects the image of God and makes this goodness and love possible.  So, the key is to realize that our actions do influence the course of our lives.  And yes, God can bring great good from our greatest sufferings and even our worst sins – this is called redemption.  But, He is not a puppet-master deceiving us with the notion that we have control of our lives.  No, the choice is ours what we do with our lives.  But, our loving Father, asks us for the humility – and offers us the courage – to believe that His plan for our lives really is the surest bet for our happiness.  Ask Him for the gift of believing this with greater courage today.    

If you don't get it, think about the whole Cubs winning the World Series part of the movie.