“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

The person who personifies good in the movie "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" is a young scavenger known as Rey who lives on the planet Jakku. She is attempting to live her life as best as she can and unknown to her is one of the Force-sensitive individuals who will eventually be able to lead the Resistance to overcome the dark side of the Force. The dark side is primarily personified by Kylo Ren, who is attempting to follow the evil ways of his grandfather Darth Vader. Rey is a person who senses the evil of the First Order of which Kylo Ren is a leader and who are intent on ruling the galaxy by death and destruction. 

[Readers may be interested in the other meditation on this movie. It is presented in these meditations under movies as Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens 1*]
This is the legend of the "Two Wolves": The grandson asked his grandfather about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

The Cherokee legend of the "Two Wolves" speaks of the good person being able to feed the Good within them with a Force that leads to true happiness. Generally speaking, the Good that can be found in everyone can be labeled to be the ability to give of themselves to another. It allows the person to truly love, care for, respect and understand where the other is "coming from."

The Force-sensitive person for the good in the movie "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" is the scavenger known as Rey. She does not realize it as she begins her interaction within the politics of the galaxy, but she gradually comes to see it. Such a fact coupled with her natural ability to be kind to those who needed help enabled her to come closer to the full acceptance of the Force in her life.

You and I are not "Force-sensitive" in the sense of Star Wars fantasy, but everyone of us has the ability to accept God's Spirit within us. It is a Force that is not as dramatic as the one in the movie, but it is just as real, enabling us to be much more than our human natures naturally lead us. The gift of the Spirit leads us to be able to give ourselves totally to the progress of others, because the "other" is just as important as the founder of our faith, Jesus Christ, as Jesus tells us in his story.

One of the most important facts about the Force in the movie is that although it can work for evil or for good, it responds better to the Good. At the end of the movie, as Rey the exemplar of the Good fights with Kylo Ren, the person of Evil, it is clear that the power of Good is stronger than the power of Evil. It is an important fact to understand in the Star Wars series; it is likewise an important fact for those who seek the Spirit's grace in their lives.  

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your Son spoke of the Spirit while He was here on our earth, thus giving us a picture of a God who constantly responds to the Good that we desire in our hearts. Give us the grace to learn completely that Your Spirit is the true Force in our lives. Be with us, we pray. 

+++++

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

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