As this is the time of year, in my home diocese and in many places, when many spiritual fathers are preparing for a transition, and with Father's Day being just around the corner, I have the desire at this time to share this reflection on the role of Surrogate Fatherhood in modern movies, which was part of my farewell, upon leaving my first parish, three years ago. Some parts are more personal and specific to its original setting. Some of these parts have been adjusted accordingly. Others have been left as they were, as I think they can be applied to the experience of other people/priests/parishes as well.
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As if I haven't explained enough about why I consider these reflections on elements of truth, goodness and beauty in pop culture are relevant, let me share yet another perspective. Why choose this as my final lesson, final message? Well, that should be clear by the time I’m
finished if not somewhat already. But,
first why do this at all? Why use pop
culture, such as movies, to talk about the truths of the Gospel. Is it just a personal interest of mine. Sure, it is that. But, it is also more than that.
Especially as we begin the summer, often with more time for recreation,
I encourage you to be open to recognize meaning in all things. Don’t partition your lives, bracketing off
moments in your life that don’t have to have anything to do with your identity
as a child of God and as a Catholic. It
won’t rob you of the enjoyment of things like movies to consider meaning, to
recognize elements of truth, and also to be mindful of ways that it contains
false messages, so as not to be swayed. Rather, it will not only
help you to choose well where you look for entertainment and recreation, but it can also help you appreciate them more… and they may even
become helpful to you in life in some small way, if you learn to approach it with a discerning and critical mind. For more on this, see the Seven Principles, which I have already shared. But, today, I would like to
start with a different approach.
The first step toward what I would call a 'spirituality of story' comes from realizing that the Resurrection has made the whole world new. The
Resurrection is the climax of the greatest story every told - which happens to be a true story - and has
been influencing stories for so long that one need not intend to create a story that reflects the
Resurrection anymore, but simply to follow classic, traditions of story
telling, and end up giving us a glimpse of the Resurrection. Consider the Road
to Emmaus (a Resurrection story). On Easter Sunday, we meet two men who have heard stories of old, foretelling a Hero, a Savior, a
Messiah, a King. They thought they found
Him, but the story did not unfold as they thought. At the point of confusion and a hint of despair,
the Hero Himself comes to them and explains the point of the story. Beginning with the Old Covenant, there is one
story still unfolding, all leading up to the
Paschal Mystery (suffering, death, and Resurrection of Christ), the Climax of
the story. They begin to understand, and
they finally recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. Then, they begin to recognize where the story, still unfolding in their midst, is leading them. They turn around and go back to Jerusalem, to
share the Good News, and take up the mission.
One such example is the formula for a type of character, which I call the surrogate father, found in hero stories (including, but not limited to, those often called "The Hero's Journey"). Now, it is important to understand that the
idea of there being such a tried and true formula is not
a bad thing.
Quite the contrary, there is something very Catholic, and also very
human, about working within a tradition.
The question still remains, though, what will the story tellers do with that formula? How will they use it? That is where creativity comes into play.
When we take a closer look at this formula, we see that these hero stories often hinge upon this. “surrogate father." The Surrogate Father 1) Is with the hero at a key point in the hero's growth, 2) Teaches a valuable lesson, which becomes a paradigm for both the character and the story and finally 3) His death usually occasions a turning point and “awakening” of the hero. Let's look at a few examples from recent popular hero movies (incidentally, all Marvel, which was not intentional, but it worked out that way).
First, we have Dr. Abraham Erskine, the German scientist who helps Steve Rogers transform into Captain America. Ever more important than the formula which brings about the physical transformation, is the lesson he gives him the night before the operation. He begins with the contrast of the strong man lusting after more power, who is easily corrupted. Then, he continues, "A weak man knows the value of strength. And he knows compassion.." So, no matter what happens, "Stay who you are; not a perfect soldier, but a good man." This lesson proves to be central, not only to Cap's origin story, but to his whole character as the story evolves (more on that here).
Great Catholic and/or otherwise Christian story tellers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have reflected on the reality of the "True Myth," known as Christianity, which has influenced story tellers throughout the generations. The stories we tell, then, grasp at this One, True, Great Story and carry glimmers of it. For this reason, if we look at patterns and traditions that exist within story telling, we are likely to find echoes or shades of the One, True, Great Story toward which they are striving after.
When we take a closer look at this formula, we see that these hero stories often hinge upon this. “surrogate father." The Surrogate Father 1) Is with the hero at a key point in the hero's growth, 2) Teaches a valuable lesson, which becomes a paradigm for both the character and the story and finally 3) His death usually occasions a turning point and “awakening” of the hero. Let's look at a few examples from recent popular hero movies (incidentally, all Marvel, which was not intentional, but it worked out that way).
First, we have Dr. Abraham Erskine, the German scientist who helps Steve Rogers transform into Captain America. Ever more important than the formula which brings about the physical transformation, is the lesson he gives him the night before the operation. He begins with the contrast of the strong man lusting after more power, who is easily corrupted. Then, he continues, "A weak man knows the value of strength. And he knows compassion.." So, no matter what happens, "Stay who you are; not a perfect soldier, but a good man." This lesson proves to be central, not only to Cap's origin story, but to his whole character as the story evolves (more on that here).
So, a
fitting follow-up is the surrogate father of a hero that is a paradigm for
ongoing conversion. While the Iron Man
movies do have some content and so I advise mature audiences only, it is essential to the story that we should get the point that the immoral
behavior that he is frequently falling back into is not healthy and is standing
in the way of him completely growing into the hero he is made to be. So,
it’s fitting that the surrogate father of his origin story, Yinsen,
tells him, as he lays down his life so that Tony can escape, “This was always
the plan… Don’t waste it. Don’t waste
your life.”
So, what do all of these surrogate father-figures have in common? It is that the crowning of their fatherhood
is… Not the lessons learned, but in his passing out of the hero’s life. The call of a surrogate father is one of laying down our lives for our "children" so that they can
become the heroes. In the priesthood, we live as spiritual fathers and we understand that this is what we’re signing on
for. There is an analogous correlation between this "surrogate fatherhood" and the spiritual fatherhood we are called to live out as priests. We look to the example of Saint Paul and his companions in the New Testament and we see them moving from place to place quite frequently, just as Christ Himself often did. So, we understand what we're getting ourselves into... passing in and out of the lives of our children... yet, standing in the place of the Father. It is not a relationship of attachment or a cult of personality, but a total gift of self for the sake of our spiritual children. Consider the words of Christ: "I will not leave you orphans," He tells them just before He goes to His death. Yet, His death leads to Resurrection and His Ascension will prepare the way for the Spirit to come upon them and remain with them.
So, I
echo the words of Yinsen, as he passed out of the life of the
hero: “This
was always the plan. Don’t waste it.” If I
have had any positive impact on you in (my time with you), then God be
praised. I am humbled and grateful to
have been His instrument. But, if that
is the case… don’t waste it. Don’t stop
now. Otherwise, it will all be in
vain… as priests, we pour ourselves into trying to build up others as disciples of Christ and as leaders on that path of discipleship. And we can only scratch the surface. But, if
only people knew - especially young people - how you lead us closer to Jesus Christ, even by your
presence, by your willingness to give Christ and His Church these precious
moments of your lives, and by your openness to what He might be calling you to… your willingness to give Him your whole lives... how you can inspire your peers in ways you may never even realize… and help
them on the journey. So, I
beg you. Don’t stop now. “This was always the plan. Don’t waste it.” Because… this is your origin story, not mine. If I am the surrogate father, then you are the hero. Heroism is a vocation, a calling from God, to heroism, to holiness, to be an agent of the Kingdom, a servant of Victory, a Light in the darkness. When we understand the story, we can understand our role, hear the call, and embrace it.
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