Superheros!
Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
Have you noticed that the genre of movies today are often based upon super heroes or villains that are truly diabolical. I have been told this is due to an appeal by the movie companies to draw audiences from the huge market that exists in Asia, in particular China and India. It is interesting to note that these two countries have small Christian minorities. And as Christianity loses influence in our western cultures these movies are becoming more popular. It is as if we need some system to deal with the basic problem that exists all over our world, namely good vs. evil. The answer in Christianity is that good conquers evil through the passion and death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. In other words, sacrificial love is required to conquer evil. Whereas, if we have super powers we can overcome evil by force. In other words, fight fire with fire. I would like to posit that the super hero is not a new genre of this century, but rather a very old genre. Take a good look at Greek mythology. Are not the ancient Greek gods very similar to our present day super heroes? Each god has a particular power that is unique. The Roman Empire based their powers upon this same mythology, except that they changed the names of these Greek gods. However, interestingly, theirs was an attempt by the Roman emperors to claim that they were gods with power that was above the choice between good and evil. History has repeated itself over and over with despots who claim to be above it all. What the individual despot decides is good: such as the elimination of the Jewish race by Adolf Hitler. (By the way, the Nazi government supplanted Christianity with a "superior Nordic myth”). My dear people there is an objective criteria for truth in this world. And when we allow fantasy and personal perspective to trump the objective reality of truth we begin to look for answers in the wrong place and find the wrong people to lead us. To discover the truth is hard work. When you have some time, read the Gospel of John, in particular chapters 8 thru 15. We need true relationships that we can trust. This is especially sad when the present scandal in our Church leads to distrust. I always tell our children at St. John Vianney School ‘you must do your homework!’ And so my beloved parishioners, do your homework! Elections are only a few weeks away.
You are all in my prayers and heart.
May Mary, Mother of Flint, guide us to the enlightenment of our faith.
Fr. Tom
