[Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.    

The newly appointed Minister of Magic begins the movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1" with the words: "These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has perhaps faced no greater threat than it does today." Harry knew that he alone had the capability of removing the threat of evil from the world. He knew that Voldemort, the author of the evil had guaranteed his own immortality by the Horcruxes that he had placed throughout the world, and Harry must work at destroying them in order to destroy the evil. Harry's friends Hermione and Ron had told him that he will not face the problem alone because they will be with him. In the opening sequence of the movie, we see all three quite deliberately make the preparations to face the crisis. They give up everything in order to search for the evil that must be destroyed. Harry leaves his familiar home; Hermione wipes all memory of her from her parents' minds; Ron contemplates his future with adult thinking that went far beyond his young age. They knew that if they were going to accomplish their goal, they had to make the difficult decision to give up everything in order to pursue it. 

It was not uncommon for teachers around the time of Jesus to have followers who would learn from the teacher and then take the teacher's message to the world. Jesus apparently chose a number to follow him in such a way. One of them was a tax collector by the name of Levi whom most Scripture scholars say was another name for Matthew. Jesus chose him no doubt because he wanted to show that people in professions that were not popular, or even sinful, could be converted to the good way of life that Jesus was preaching. Levi's response was immediate and complete: as Luke describes it, Levi "left everything behind." Jesus' mission became so important for him that he gave up everything in order to accomplish it.

The message of the first part of the movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1" is easy to comprehend as we study Harry, Hermione and Ron. If they were to eradicate the evil of Voldemort from the world, they had to leave all of their personal desires and life behind in order to accomplish what they wanted.

They teach us one of the fundamentals of maturity: If we want to accomplish something that is really important, we probably have to sacrifice some things that we like. Whenever we want to accomplish anything worthwhile, whether it be something that shapes our futures, or corrects some bad habits, or changes our way of thinking, or the like, we must begin by giving up some behaviors that do not help us in our quest.

One further note. Harry and his two friends were interested in conquering some evil that was destroying lives. Levi too wanted to conquer the evil of his life and the world as he accepted the teaching of Jesus. Perhaps another lesson that can be learned here has to do with confronting the evil that is around us. Evil is quite real, and not at all easy to face. In order to do it, perhaps the people of our world must give up some of their selfish desires and thus enable them to see exactly what can be done about that evil.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, you call us to maturity, challenging us to prepare for a better way of life as we grow. Help us see that part of our maturity must be the ability to give up some of the things that are holding us back from doing what must be done. Be with us, we pray. 

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©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America