Discerning the Spirits of the Force, Episode II: Finn, The Year of Mercy, and Life on the Other Side of the Tie Fighter

            I thought I would post the second episode of this little series sooner, rather than later, while the release of The Force Awakens, and more importantly, the newness of the Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis are both relatively fresh in our memories, not to mention the penitential season of Lent.  The last episode consisted of more thorough criticism (of both positive and negative elements).  This time, I wanted to focus on something very powerful and positive that struck me in The Force Awakens, namely the development and growth of the character Finn.  It may go without saying, but SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

            When we follow his progression through the film we see what looks like a step-by-step model for change and conversion:

1)      The Awakening: One of the most striking things about the title of this film is that there is more than one character in the film who has some kind of awakening.  Finn’s awakening begins at the very outset of the film, when he suddenly comes to the realization of the evil that he has become a part of – and is threatening to become a part of him.  Facing that evil and its consequences head-on, his awakening enables him to see clearly, “This is wrong.”  Plenty of other examples of this kind of awakening can be find in movies, including in The Avengers: Age of Ultron (see here).

2)      The Choice:  However, simply realizing a behavior (or pattern of behavior) is wrong can only be a first step.  We must then make a choice to take no part in it, to leave it behind.  This, however, as Finn realizes, can be easier said than done… 

3)      Reaching Out:  While a bit amusing, the scene in which Finn rescues Poe because he needs a pilot is actually quite powerful.  Poe enthusiastically proclaims, “We’re doing this,” as he realizes how mutually advantageous this arrangement is.  However, there is more to what Finn is doing than simply using Poe to escape the Star Destroyer.  He is taking the incredibly difficult and courageous step to reach out to someone who can help him in his effort to leave this evil behind.  For a Christian, the principle connection, here, should be drawn to the need to reach out to Christ, in prayer, but also through a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Still, many others can be persons to whom we ought to reach out: family, friends, counselors, or another trusted spiritual guide.  We are not meant to overcome these things on our own and will not have much success if we try.  The peril involved in the rescue and escape scene beautifully parallels how difficult it can be take this much needed and courageous step.

4)      The Discovery:  Upon first watching the movie, the first moment for me when I decided “Okay, I like what they are doing with this character,” was the scene in the Tie Fighter when Finn experiences the beginning of the stage I am calling the discovery.  In the process of escaping, they realize the need to learn each other’s name.  It is then that we learn that Finn doesn’t have a name.  And in a beautifully casual way, Poe gives him a name.  He shows him that he is a person with dignity, that however much this evil seeks to become a part of him, he is more than that evil.  He is not defined by it.  I love the disgust in Poe’s voice as he insists “Well, I ain’t using (the number the First Order has given you).”  This is an essential part of the process of conversion, when we begin to discover that we are not defined by evil, however deep we may have fallen into it.  This is why I love the quote of St. John Paul II: “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures.  We are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son.”  This simple act of affirming Finn and showing him that he can be the good man he was made to be is part of what shows the strength of Poe’s character, by which so many people have been impressed.  But, there are others along the way who assist in this process of affirming and encouraging Finn to begin to become who he was made to be, especially Rey, Leia, Han, and Maz.  Yet, part of what occurs in that Tie Fighter is an even greater discovery.  The fact that Finn is a person, not simply a weapon as the First Order sought to make him, makes him a part of a much grander design.  It means that it will not be easy for him to become who he is meant to be.  It is not as simple as running away, as he begins to realize when Poe insists on going back to Jakku.
       

5)      The Response: The response is what reminds us that, even after this newfound discovery, we still have a choice.  How will we respond?  Finn’s initial response is to run away, and he holds fast to it for a good portion of the movie, even to the point of manipulating people by pretending to be someone he is not.  The beauty of the scene with Maz is that she is inviting him to acknowledge his fear and overcome it, to hope and to become a part of the struggle for victory.  Yet, she still gives him the choice.  And it is when he begins to run away that the encounter with Rey happens, when he tells her the truth.  And her response is beautiful.  She does not reject him or chew him out for lying.  She simply calls him not to run away, reinforcing the affirmation and discovery that began with Poe in the Tie Fighter.

6)      The Game-Changer: Finn realizes he can’t just run as soon as the First Order attacks Maz’s place.  But, the moment that changes everything, when he clearly decides he can’t not be in this, is Rey’s abduction.  Whether this relationship remains a beautiful friendship or becomes something more, he loves her.  And rightly so. She is one of the key people who have shown him that he is more than his dark past.  He is still trying to see in himself what she sees in him.  He is now willing to fight to become that man because he is willing to fight for her.  Genuine conversion is spurred on by our love for Christ, our Savior, and all of those who have loved us, believed in us, and helped us to discover the goodness within ourselves, even when we thought it was lost or never knew it existed.  Once we have something (or someone) to fight for, it changes everything.   
 

 7)      The Mission Begins:  Yet, conversion is a process.  It’s not easy to make real change in our lives.  But, it is possible with grace and the help of good friends.  This is why Han’s hilarious line, “That’s not how the Force works!” is also quite meaningful.  Faith does not mean expecting easy solutions.  But, along the way, it is necessary for him to receive a series of further affirmations, just as we continually need to receive God’s love, grace, and forgiveness through frequent confession, prayer, and the encouragement of others along the way.  The first key example of this is his reunion with Poe, who greets him with sincere enthusiasm as a friend, and tells him “You’re a good man, Finn.”  It is even striking when he tells him to keep the jacket – dare I say, resembling the baptismal garment, the outward sign of putting on the ‘new man.’  The second key example is when he meets Leia, and the esteemed general cuts off Poe with a sense of urgency to speak to Finn, and then proceeds to thank and praise him for his bravery. 

 It is these many affirmations, from Poe, Rey, and Leia, that struck me most as being especially pertinent to the Year of Mercy. It has been said time and time again by priests reflecting on their experience from “the other side of the confessional” that we are always amazed, not at how greatly people sin, but by the courage and goodness of a person who wants to change, to be holy, to leave behind whatever evil is seeking to become a part of them and to become the good man or woman they were made to be. I can’t reinforce this enough. It is so deeply moving for me to be on the other side of that beautiful encounter, as a person reaches out courageously to the Merciful Heart of the Father. Yet, I am also saddened when I hear signs that someone doesn’t know their own goodness, their own beauty, the truth that the plan God has for their life was worth dying for. This often contributes to a fear some people may have even to take that step, to reach out, to seek mercy, to seek help – perhaps a bit like Finn, fearing to tell Rey the truth of who he is and the evil he is running from. Yet, like Finn discovers, it is the courage to change that we see, not simply the evil that you are seeking to be free from.

          Furthermore, it is such an encouragement for me on my own journey toward holiness, deeper into the Merciful Heart of the Father, who is still creating me into the man He made me to be.  I think part of the reason I am so struck by the scene of the escape in the Tie Fighter, is because I feel a bit like Poe.  I am the Resistance Fighter.  I serve a mission that is so much bigger than me and is as frightening and dangerous as it is important.  People come to me, believing that I can help them.  And I can.  Yet, I am every bit in need of the courage of the person who is seeking his/her own deliverance, as he/she is in need of me.  And together, we begin to discover and become who we are.  That is what life is like “on the other side of the Tie Fighter.”       

             So, the next time I’m asked if I can hear someone’s confession, I hope that person forgives me if I accidentally blurt out, “We’re doing this!”

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Love & Vulnerability in a Broken World: Heroines, Divas, and Lady Hope (Archived Post)

 

At the second Heart Speaking to Heart Symposium, in October 2015, at St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois, I gave the following presentation: 

   The rest of the videos from this symposium can be found here.

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Discerning the Spirits of the Force, Episode I: What Inside Out Gets Right and Star Wars Gets Wrong

I love Star Wars.  It is fair to say that I was born and raised a Star Wars fan.  And even though my interest in the series began to wane when I began to discover its weaknesses, as I studied philosophy and theology (plus, my general disappointment with the prequels and multiple edited re-releases), I still happily retain a great deal of the positive themes and elements that can still be found, as well as simply enjoying years of entertainment and inspiration.  I’d be lying if I said that my Christmas break (which I was blessed to have, as a full time college chaplain) did not include three viewings of The Force Awakens, many conversations with friends and family about it, and reading articles, reviews and analyses, ranging in perspective from spiritual (here, here), to psychological (here), to fan-speculation (here).  And I enjoyed them all thoroughly and equally.

Among the key themes that mark the imminent value of these stories, these three have often stood out most to me:

1)      The Link Between Faith & Vocation: We all have greater potential than we often know and were made to do great things in life.  Yet, realizing this great calling and becoming the hero we were made to be involves beginning to believe in and entrust ourselves to something beyond ourselves (although, we will discuss some important fundamental differences between Christian faith and that portrayed in Star Wars).  And as we see boldly in the latest installment, realizing that this faith is not a fantasy, but that “It’s all true” changes everything.

2)      The “Father-Wound” & Family Ties:  Many have observed and written about the “Father-Wound” in human experience, from both psychological and spiritual perspectives.  Its roots are found in Eden, when we rejected our Father and first became alienated from Him, but reflections can be found throughout life experience and almost ad nauseum in stories found in pop culture.  The importance of this to Star Wars goes without saying.  Furthermore, other family ties are very important to the story and to understanding the development and growth of the characters.  While the pain of how these relationships are broken is strong, equally strong is the pull these inescapable relationships have upon us.

3)      Hope of Redemption: For me, this is actually the thing that stands out most powerfully.  The story of redemption in Return of the Jedi still moves me to this day, and I could not have been more thrilled to see it as a theme running so strongly through The Force Awakens, as we begin to realize how much pain and tragedy our heroes have experienced since last we saw them on the big screen, yet they are moved forward in a beautifully stubborn hope that redemption is still possible. 

Amidst all of these positive themes, however, I think it is also important to note some important flaws in the understanding of reality presented, which I think has influenced people in ways that deserves to be talked about a bit more often.  So, while I continue to love Star Wars, I think it is important to take an approach that I call discerning the spirits of the force (consider 1 John 4:1).  It is always important to take a critical approach to what we take in.  Many stories and other works of art that are flawed in some ways still have great value that should not be discounted.  But, we have to be very careful about sifting out the good from the bad, especially if we are persons of faith.  Otherwise we may fail to notice that when we thought we were noticing similarities to our faith, we were in fact adopting notions that are actually foreign to our faith, philosophically flawed, and can have a negative impact when we apply them in life.  These flaws can actually be found quite often in Star Wars.  Much of the “wisdom of the Jedi” holds some truth that is worth heeding.  But, some of these famous maxims are actually quite problematic.  The errors essentially all flow from the essential differences between Christian faith and “using the force” (which constitute the reasons I’m always a little leery about comparing the force to the Holy Spirit or grace):

1)      The Force is Not Personal: Our God is not a mysterious force or mystical energy that we tap into and reach out toward.  He is our Father who endlessly reaches out to us, even when we neglect, resist or ignore Him.  He is our Savior, Brother, and Friend.  He is three Persons in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, perfectly united in relation to one another and seeking relationship with us.  This makes all the difference.

2)      The Force is Created: Some would contest this, and it may derive from inconsistencies in how it is explained in the movies, but if you listen closely to multiple descriptions in the movies, you are left with a distinct impression that the force is not the Creator, the Source of all being, but rather derives and flows from all living things.  This is quite different from our God, who is the Source of all creation and holds the beauty, order and design of reality, which He has imprinted upon it to reveal to us a glimpse of His own Beauty and Wisdom.

3)      The Force is a Form of Dualism:  I’ll be honest.  One of my pet peeves is when people reduce the symbolic and thematic value of adventure stories such as these by saying “it’s all about the struggle between good and evil” or “good always triumphs.”  This is not only because there are much deeper themes that are being overlooked, but also because sometimes it is precisely the “struggle between good and evil” that is being presented in a way that is sometimes very intriguingly nuanced and also sometimes very seriously flawed.  This is very true in Star Wars.  The force divides all of reality, including all reality that we may describe as “spiritual,” into light and dark, good and bad.  This is NOT a Christian understanding of reality.  It is my opinion that the majority of Christian commentators on these stories who neglect this point do so because they take for granted that people already understand this, as it has been pointed out time and time again.  Yet, I think it is a very subtle misunderstanding that creeps often unnoticed into our ways of understanding reality, including in Christian circles, leaving behind a trail of damage.  Reality is not composed of “good” and “bad.”  On the contrary, He (see point 1) created all things (see point 2) good.  Evil is a privation of, a lack of, or a departure from the proper good that God wills for all of creation, as dark is an absence of light.  Even Lucifer (Satan) was created good, but chose evil, by choosing to reject the good that is God’s will.  There are many problems with the dualistic understanding of reality.  Besides being an over-simplification that causes us to fail to appreciate the goodness and beauty of God’s creation, including the goodness and beauty of every person, however evil their actions, it can also cause us to fail to understand the subtlety of how evil actual works, as it leads to a failure to recognize lies as lies.  Inevitably, this dualism leads to an understanding that these two sides of reality are “held together” and destined to be “in balance”.  It becomes increasingly difficult to choose the truth and reject the lies, as these two realities begin to be revealed as simply opposed to one another – even though one is called “light,” neither one is actually clearly established as Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  Thus, this dualism also leaves one vulnerable to moral relativism. 

As I said, flowing from these essential differences, a number of flaws can be found in the so-called wisdom of the Jedi, while some other snippets are still quite good.  The most significant problematic statement is perhaps Yoda’s famous quote, “Once you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your destiny.”  Admittedly, this might be intentional irony purposefully built into the story, since Luke seemingly proves him wrong in Return of the Jedi, both by reclaiming his father and by the fact that even Palpatine doesn’t argue with him when he claims “I’ll never turn to the Dark Side,” after succumbing to the temptations of two Sith multiple times (not to mention that Jedi seem to be okay with telling their apprentices what they feel they need to hear, even if it is effectively a lie, which could also be an indication of intentional irony).

But, the example that I want to focus on – as I finally come to the point of the subtitle of this entry – is another insistence of Yoda.  Multiple times in different forms, Yoda tells us that fear, anger, hatred and suffering all lead to the Dark Side, that they belong to the Dark Side.  On the contrary, Christian faith teaches us the redemptive value of suffering, which we begin to understand more deeply every time that we meditate prayerfully on Christ upon the cross.  Furthermore, the notion that certain emotions are essentially dark and always lead to evil is neither a psychologically nor a spiritually healthy approach to our emotions.  Here, we find the dualism of the Star Wars universe applied even to one’s emotions.  Part of the journey toward the point when we can finally experience the redemptive value of our suffering is that we must give ourselves, or be given, the permission to feel what we are feeling, however uncomfortable or “negative” it may be.  We have to learn to not simply reject certain emotions, but to process them – acknowledge them, relate them to God in prayer, and perhaps to a trusted spiritual guide, and follow His guidance in how to respond to them in a healthy manner.  Furthermore, Catholic spirituality would promote virtue, in which we develop habits of moderating our passions (especially through temperance) and ordering them toward the Good, rather than simply rejecting those deemed as negative. 

U of I's team of FOCUS Missionaries (and friend) recreating Inside Out for Halloween

  Meanwhile, one of my other tasks for Christmas break was to start on the “Father, you should watch this” list.  This led me to finally watch the recent Pixar film Inside Out, which personifies our emotions in a way that is simultaneously charming, delightful and hilarious, but also incredibly meaningful.  Not since Up have I watched an animated movie and immediately thought, “I’m going to want to watch that again… often.”  The point that I think Inside Out gets right, where Star Wars gets it wrong, is that the film is a delightful little parable about learning how to understand and navigate our emotions.  At the beginning of the film, Joy wants to run the show, yet she also understands that Anger, Fear and even Disgust serve a purpose.  Even more strikingly, however, is the climax of the movie.  In the midst of a very difficult trial, and at a key stage of growth and development for the child, Joy begins to understand the purpose of Sadness, and it becomes clear that both of these emotional experiences serve a purpose and can coexist.  Beautiful!  This ability to allow Joy and Sadness to coexist, and the ability to understand the purpose of even our less comfortable emotions, and to navigate them accordingly can all be signs of both emotional and spiritual maturity.

How often do we have difficulty understanding and navigating our emotions?  If it’s more often than we would like, maybe we should ask ourselves what kind of view of reality we bring with us.  Is it possible that we are a little bit influenced by a dualistic worldview, like that of Star Wars?  If so, thankfully, that same story also teaches us the hope of redemption never dies!  May our Loving Father, who has made all things good to allow us to glimpse His Goodness, restore and heal whatever has been broken and lost, in order that we may better reflect His Goodness and Beauty to the world.                

Go to Episode II

Communio & Heroism: What the Avengers Have to Teach Us About Holiness (Archived Post)

      At the first Heart Speaking to Heart Symposium, in April 2015, at St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois, I gave the following presentation:    

  
        The rest of the videos from this symposium can be found here.

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Working Towards The Step Out That Door: Another Review of Avengers: Age of Ultron (Archived Post)

       With recent – widely varying – reviews on Avengers: Age of Ultron by Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Robert Barron, given the amount of conversations many of us had about it here at St. John’s Catholic Newman Center, I decided it was time for me to weigh in.  The only thing about Fr. Mike's review (here) is that I can't wholeheartedly say, "I thought it was great."  I really enjoyed it overall, and there were a number of things about it I absolutely loved.  Overall, I give it 4 (out of 5) stars and rank it as my 3rd favorite Marvel movie (after The Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier). And I think Fr. Mike has the right idea in that first of all these movies should be fun, and secondarily, they can be thought-provoking in how elements of reality are symbolized. Although, I would add that I do caution against under-thinking our entertainment; even if folks like me might be guilty of over-thinking it, it is far more dangerous to under-think it and completely miss that we are being fed lies that are effecting us in more ways than we often like to admit.  Well, let the over-thinking begin - and this is the point where I say WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.  

The opening night group pic with students from the Newman Center.

 

       There are at least three strong strikes against this movie that prevent me from loving it wholeheartedly: 1) Steve Rogers was not portrayed as a good man, worthy of respect, to the degree that he usually is, but as being more aloof and out of touch with reality, and eventually making little compromises in his integrity (this was bound to happen eventually, but it doesn't prevent me from hating it when it does - we need more good, moral examples to inspire us in movies, and when they show up, we should respect them and be challenged by them, not laugh at them). 

       2) Much of the humor (though not all) was raunchy, inappropriate, and sometimes directed against Christianity (they managed to keep the first one fairly clear of this, despite its presence in some of their other movies, like the Iron Man movies and Guardians of the Galaxy). 

       And lastly 3) the elements of Nietzchian philosophy seemingly proposed by the Vision and his role in the story, particularly in contrast with Stark and Ultron.  For this insight, I am grateful for the article by Fr. Barron (here).  He helped me put my finger on what it was that wasn't sitting right with me about the Vision, and his insights are important and noteworthy. 

       HOWEVER, I find his overall analysis of the movie to be a bit narrow and over-simplified (even frustratingly so).  One of the gifts of (director) Joss Whedon is to use the dynamic of each diverse character in the ensemble to offer different perspectives on themes of human life and society.  You should not look to a Whedon movie/show (or I would add to any good story) expecting that any one character has all the answers or is responsible for spoon-feeding us the message we are supposed to take from it.  I’m pretty confident that's not how Whedon operates, and I'm thankful for that.  That's what makes some of his works so interesting and well-crafted, and this is very true of Age of Ultron. 

       There are more interesting themes at work in this movie that are clearly intentional and important to his vision for the movie, before the Vision even comes into the picture (no pun intended).  Which leads me to WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT THIS MOVIE: beginning strictly from the perspective of a fan, one of the things I most wanted to see in this movie was some depth and characterization for Hawkeye, in a way that would also explain why we haven't seen or heard from him since the first Avengers movie.  Whedon pulled that off in a way that far exceeded my expectations.  The sequence toward the middle of the movie, which I will call "Hawkeye's Safehouse," looks to me to be the centerpiece of the movie; it becomes this beautiful collision point of each character's views on what "home" is, on how they understand the sense of belonging, purpose, and mission that they are striving for.  In this way, it becomes a point of reflection on the purpose of human existence in a deeper way than any Marvel movie to-date.  Furthermore, these are struggles that consistently underlie each character's motivations throughout the movie, and are woven throughout from beginning to end.  This is what I love about this movie. 

       Furthermore, I think even Fr. Barron's interpretation of the Vision himself finds its best response in the words of the Vision himself: "I don't think it's quite that simple."  While the "beyond good and evil" perspective that Barron warns against is seriously problematic and deceptive (and might be in Whedon's intentions and may or may not indicate where they go with it in the future), there is something very true about the notion that it's not always so simple as "Are you on our side?".  We must understand the difference between good and evil and be firm in our rejection of evil. But as Christians, we do ourselves a serious disservice when we lose sight of the messiness and fragility of the human condition, the complexity of our intentions, and the subtlety of evil.  It is true, in the context of this movie, that it's not as simple as "here are the good guys and here are the bad guys" ... and that's one of the reasons I think it reflects reality so well.  We all are made good, but broken, and we act out of that brokenness, sometimes... and sometimes we really mess things up.  Nonetheless, God offers us mercy, as well as the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, grow in grace and reset our hearts upon His saving mission, because we still have a part in it.  This is what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is for, because God loves us and made us to be His saints.  Thank God for that. 

        It reminds me of Hawkeye’s words to Wanda Maximoff.  We all may face times when everything has gone downhill very quickly, nothing makes sense and people we care about are hurting and all we can think is “This is my fault.”  But, at the end of the day (thanks to God’s mercy and grace, in reality), we have a choice.  We can succumb to our fear and shame, and remain inside as the evil, which we contributed to, assails those we love.  Or we can step out the door, and take up the mission of setting thing right (the mission of redemption accomplished by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in which we are called to take part, by virtue of our communion with Him).  So, as Hawkeye said, “You can stay in here if you want… but, as soon as you step out that door you’re” … a disciple of Jesus Christ and an agent of the Victory of His Resurrection.  Step out.  Let His Mercy show you who you are, so you can be the heroes this world needs. 

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Update: In repeat viewings, I have seen more value in the portrayal of Steve Rogers in this movie, which causes me to like the portrayal more and be less disappointed than I was when I wrote this review.  Although, I still think that his portrayal in each of the other movies is better than it is in Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Furthermore, further thought, discussion and repeat viewings have also caused me to become even more convinced that the notion that the Vision is simply a mouthpiece for Nietzchianism is an over-simplification.  Also, congratulations to Bishop Robert Barron on his episcopal consecration and appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, since this review was written.  This is, indeed, a great gift to the Church, especially in Los Angeles. 


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