 |
||||||
Jesus
said to his
disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his
cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake
will find
it. What profit would there be for one
to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or
what can one give in exchange for his life?”
|
||||||
In
the final session of “Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of
the Clones,” intent on stopping the evil of Count Dooku, the
heroes Obi-Wan
Kenobi, Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker are captured and led into a
coliseum-type enclosure to be killed by ferocious animals. There
seemingly is no escape. Even though Obi-Wan and Anakin have the
powers connected with being Jedi Knights, it seems that their enchanted
lives
are about to come to an end. They were
willing to die for the cause of right.
|
||||||
|
Although
Jesus had the greatest respect for life here
on earth, especially seen in his care for the sick and ill, he
counseled a
certain detachment from life. As great
as this life is, there may come a time when a person has to give up
this life
for the sake of something greater. “Whoever loses his life
for my sake,” Jesus says, “will find it.” Life here
on this earth, Jesus says, is
expendable when one is seeking a greater good. In Jesus’
understanding, what might be called a “fulfilled life” must
be
the goal of a person here on earth. That
fulfilled life is awaiting the believer in the eternal life with God.
The heroes of the movie “Star Wars: Episode II—Attack Of The Clones” were willing to give up their lives for the fulfilled life of achieving what was right, namely defending the world against evil. Their earthly lives were important to them, but they were not as important as the ideal of working against evil. Our lives on this earth are important. We labor intently to keep those lives healthy and happy, and indeed we should. But Jesus points out, and we have many examples that direct us, even from the movies, that our lives here are expendable. It is the fulfilled life that we should seek, the life that comes from denying oneself, taking up the cross of the renunciation of too much pleasure, and following the directives of Jesus Christ. Such a life is what we have to work for, and if we have to give up our earthly lives in the process, so be it. Eternal life awaits us, an eternal life of happiness. |
||||||
|
THOUGHT
What is your understanding of a
“fulfilled life”?
PRAYER Good and gracious God, your Son
pointed out to us that our lives here on earth must be improved, and
that our
goal and guide is not so much what this life can give us, but the
fulfilled life of
heaven. Help us be willing to purify
ourselves, so that we can help our lives here on earth and to live
forever with
you in heaven. Be with us, we pray.
|
||||||
©2007 Capuchin
Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
||||||