Ted

"...when I became a man, I put aside childish things..."  1 Cor. 13:11

Ted is certainly a raunchy adult comedy veiled in a most unexpected way:  through the heartwarming story of an adorable teddy bear come to life one Christmas night.

The movie asks the tongue-in-cheek question of "what would happen if the magic of childhood fantasy continued on beyond adolescence?"  When we were kids, many of us probably imagined our toys coming to life or being enveloped in a reality where all our childhood dreams came true.  Movies had been and continue to be made on this premise - but Ted wonders "then would would really happen next?"    

In this parable, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a young adult who once received his wish:  his beloved teddy bear came to life to keep him company when no one else would, and to comfort him when things got rough.  That same bear, though, is still around - all grown up alongside his human buddy John.

What we see is that in the intervening years, Ted (voiced as an adult by Seth MacFarlane) has enabled John to fulfill all his fantasies, including the ones where hard work and commitment can be avoided in lieu of rest, relaxation, and fun.

Now John is confronted with some very adult realities:  establishing a career and making responsible choices with his casual relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis).  Unfortunately, the temptation of avoiding these decisions is all the more amplified by Ted's presence and persistence.

At one time or another, all of us have been challenged to move from our cherished, sometimes nostalgic, experiences of childhood and adolescence to the new, and yes, sometimes harsh, realities of adulthood and maturity.

Some of us have made that move seamlessly, but others have had more difficulty with this transition.  Looking back can be so much easier and refreshing than facing ahead, especially if the outlook is unknown or uncertain.

To cope, we can cling to the people, objects, and perspectives we had when we were younger - hoping that they will carry us through in the next stage of life as they carried us through before.

John needed Ted when he was younger.  When the other kids excluded him and insulted him, he needed someone or something else to remind him of his worthiness and to build up his confidence.  But as he grew into adulthood, John no longer needed someone to comfort him (exemplified in a couple of scenes where Ted and John still huddle under the blanket in a thunderstorm); instead he needed someone to push him beyond his comfort zone.

What he needed now is the influence of Lori in his life; but as long as Ted continued to enable John, he would never truly be ready to move into the maturity he needed that Lori could provide.

Clinging to nostalgia and warm experiences from our younger days can seem tempting when faced with the cold splash of reality on our faces.  Sometimes it's good to remember our roots and to tap into our past, but to remain there is to bury ourselves in quicksand.

"When I was a child," St. Paul recounts in his own self-reflection in his first letter to the Corinthians, "I used to talk and think and reason as a child.  But when I became a man, I put aside childish things."  (1 Cor. 13:11)

St. Paul does not say that he extinguished the elements of his past; in fact, historians say, he retained the traditions of his Jewish roots to further inform and craft his Christian evangelization.   Instead, he put them aside when he needed to - and embark into adulthood with a willingness to enter into new situations, new understandings, and new opportunities, untested though they might be.  St. Paul then challenges us to do the same.

What are the "childish things" that we might cling to a bit too much?  What in our past do we rely so heavily upon that we can be blind to the world around us now?  Who are we comfortable listening to or hanging out with at the expense of others in our lives?  Where in our lives are we stuck - and could it be because we have closed ourselves off to the new and potentially wonderful possibilities right in front of our very eyes?

Reflecting on this can also open us up to examining the habits in our lives that are keeping us from truly maturing and growing.  John and Ted engaged in some really immature habits in this film from drug use and a disregard for women to poor work ethic to outright selfishness without consideration of others.

Are there things in our lives that need a re-examination?  Are there things we do that keep us from becoming the best we can be?  Are we truly, in our heart of hearts, comfortable with the person we are when we head down paths similar to John and Ted?

It's not to say that fun must be avoided or extinguished from our lives, but that responsibility and a commitment to selfless, positive actions should be incorporated in with them.  In that same passage from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul goes on to say that, when we truly integrate our past with our present, our childish tendencies with a mature appreciation, we will be more complete ("we shall know ourselves as we are fully known," 1 Cor. 13:12b).

Let us pray that we may continue to grow by putting whatever we have always clung to by the side, being open to new people, objects, and perspectives, and integrating all of this so that we may be who God intended us to be.  Blessings to all in that journey!

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

"Affliction produces endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character.  And character strengthens our hope - and that hope does not disappoint."  Romans 5:4-5a

As a fan of history and of action movies, I was very much looking forward to seeing Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter this summer. For me, this was going to be pure popcorn entertainment in a cool air-conditioned theater on a hot sunny day.

For the most part, it was a creative thrill ride, but after leaving the multiplex, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, tempered only by the fact that I was really trying to like what I just saw.

But the more I reflected on the film, the more disappointed I got.  From plot holes to its video-game editing, from lackluster acting to diverting from some really good story points in the original novel on which it's based, Vampire Hunter just wasn't what I had hoped it would and should be.

At some point in our lives, all of us have been disappointed by something or someone.  Whether it's a day that didn't go as planned, a weather forecast that was completely wrong, an encounter with a person that derailed, or finding out that someone in our lives made the wrong decisions or said the wrong things... we run into disappointments more often than we'd like.

The under-appreciation of a summer popcorn flick is nothing compared to other, more critical events in life that might disappoint us - but it illustrates the point that, every now and then, we will face realities that run counter to our hopes and expectations.

We can often view disappointments as punishments from God, or at the very least, see them as personal attacks upon us as we shout out, "Why me, God?  Why now?"  They are not a curse like the bite of a vampire, but an occasion to rise to new heights.

Despite its flaws, the film itself shows how Abraham Lincoln (played as an adult by Benjamin Walker) struggles with his mother's death (by a vampire in this retelling) - first in sadness, then in vengeance, but ultimately in strengthening his resolve to end suffering, oppression, and slavery in any form.

How we respond to our disappointments and struggles is what is important, not the intensity of the suffering that spurred us on.  Life has plenty of sadness and frustration, but if we stop there, it only grows.  We can choose to wallow in disappointment, lament our present circumstances, and tell others of our hurt and anger; or we can move towards something better.

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul tells those of us who will encounter bad days in our lives: "Affliction produces endurance.  And endurance builds strength of character.  And character strengthens our hope - and that hope does not disappoint." (Rom. 5:4-5a)

We will all face affliction of some sort at some point in our lives, from sickness to disappointment to outrage.  For a time, it can be comforting to stay in that place and seek sympathy from others.  It can be tempting to build strength through proclaiming our status as a victim.  But this is not real strength for it keeps us grounded in the negative, and often inspires divisiveness against those who initially disappointed, angered, or hurt us.

Instead, we are, as St. Paul says, to endure (not suffer through), strengthen our character (not strengthen our argument), and to work towards hope and reconciliation (not hatred or bitterness).   When we do that, in any circumstance, our disappointments will begin to fade away.

This process also helps us to see the good in the worst of circumstances.  Even though Vampire Hunter was far from the best movie I have seen so far this year, it did have some moments that I did enjoy and for which I am grateful that I had a chance to see on a hot summer day.

It reminded me that the real life Lincoln had a strength of character to overcome his afflictions and adversity that didn't require wielding a silver-coated axe or fighting vampires in the South.  It reminded me that Lincoln was an action hero that conquered with incredibly moving words and a firm commitment to the best principles of the nation.

This real Lincoln was the one who once said that, despite the fact that half the country hated him and the Republic, we must still act "with malice toward none, with charity to all."  So much of his fractured nation had disappointed Lincoln, but he chose not to wallow in that frustration or act out of spite against those people; instead, he pointed us towards forgiveness, compassion, and love of neighbor.

On our worst days, or when we are incredibly disappointed by another person or circumstances beyond our control - or even by our very selves, would we stand up for those gospel values as Lincoln so boldly did, and as Christ so clearly defined for us?

In God's eyes, it is not so much how or why we fell down or who or what pushed us to disappointment - but rather, how we rose up again - and how we found His goodness despite the worst.

Let us all pray that frustration and failings will never have the final word, for with God by our side, in our hearts, and through our actions, the hope we offer will always conquer disappointment.

Brave

"Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you, my mother.  For wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God my God."  Ruth 1:16

Brave is the enjoyable tale of Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), a fiesty young Scottish princess who defies convention, hoping to chart a new course in life, independent of her family and the expectations that come with royal living.

One of these expectations that is that Merida must marry one of the firstborn sons of three other Scottish clans.  Her father, King Fergus of Clan DunBroch (voiced by Billy Connolly), arranges the Highland Games - so that the winner of these competitions can take the hand of his daughter.

Of course, being independent-minded, Merida is not only dissatisfied with the choices, but downright mad at the fact that she has so little choice in this arranged marriage ritual.

In an act of defiance, Merida sneaks into the competition and, since she is also a firstborn, plays for her own hand.  Already a skilled archer, she easily wins the Games.

While her father is somewhat tickled by the warrior-like daughter he has raised, Merida's mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) is furious.  After her little trick at the Highland Games, she drags her daughter away for a scolding - telling Merida how she embarrassed the family and make a mockery of tradition.  Being just as angry, Merdia lashes back at the queen, tears the family tapestry, and runs off into the wilderness.

Aside from the castles and royal bloodline, Merida's family is not unlike many of our own.  Expectations and time-honored traditions are often met head-on with independence and untested ideas.  Emotions run high when family members run counter to either side of these arguments, whether intentional or not.

And like the royal household of Clan DunBroch, as we get more frustrated with one another, we dig in deeper:  one side solid and unwavering in their devotion to tradition, the other side ablaze with the unquenchable need to break free.


Brave, however, gives us a wonderful parable to caution all sides before things get out of hand.

Following the will-o-the-wisp on her escape from the castle, Merida discovers a witch hidden in the forest - from whom she asks for some spell to change her mother.  All she wants to do is make her mother see things her way, and she hopes the witch has an easy remedy for this family disturbance.

SPOILER ALERT:  In short order, the witch gives her a cake that does indeed change her, but not in the way that Merdia had expected; Elinor transforms into a bear, the very creature that has vexed the DunBroch Clan for years.  Merida immediately regrets her decision, and helps her mother escape the castle before Fergus finds out and accidentally kills his wife in the process.

On the run, Merida and Elinor, despite the horrible circumstances, get the chance to spend time together - and learn more about each other with each challenge that confronts them.  In the process, they also start to see the world through the others' eyes.  Merdia begins to trust tradition, Elinor begins to respect independence.

NO MORE SPOILERS:  It's amazing what a little time together can do for us.  In our quick-paced society, where we have but a moment to spare to connect with one another, we rarely get time to really get to know those around us, including our family and friends.  Our relationships become very surface-oriented because we have little time or energy to go deeper.

Even at the worst of times and up against a deadline, Queen Elinor and Merida get to carve out a wonderful opportunity to spend time as mother and daughter.

What would happen if we had the same chance with the family, friends, and strangers in our own lives?  What if we could put aside our mountains of tasks and expectations for a moment, and spend some quality time with the person we say only a few words to each day, or even the family members closest to us who are actually so far from our everyday reality?  What if we could shut out the noise and distraction so that our world could just be filled with one other person for a few hours?  Imagine what we would discover.

In the Scriptures, the ancient story of Ruth comes to mind.  In this Hebrew tale, Naomi, an Israelite woman, must make a lonely journey across the desert to her homeland after her husband and sons have died in a foreign land.  But Ruth, her foreign daughter-in-law, insists that she must accompany her on the journey, too.  Even after Naomi protests, Ruth chooses to stand by her side.

"Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you, mother," Ruth says.  "For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16).  Like Merida and Elinor, Ruth and her mother-in-law will go from being foreign acquaintances to a real family.

But time together is the key factor here.  How little time do we spend, even with those closest to us?  We are often so caught up in our daily tasks, our independent spirit, or our devotion to our own traditions, that we lose sight of the people around us.

Let us walk a mile in another's shoes, simply by walking a few miles with them on their journey of life.  Let us carve out some time to get to know people beyond the simple pleasantries.  It's amazing the spells that can broken by taking a few moments with another human being.

If we find ourselves too busy to do this, let us re-examine our priorities.  When the stuff of life and our reliance on our own perspective is greater than the connections we have to the people God has placed into our lives, something is off.  This is the path that Merida and Elinor were on at the beginning of this film - and it got them into serious trouble.  Let's learn a lesson from this Pixar parable and curtail our own blindness before things get really bad.

Finally, let us pray for the end to all divisions in families and among friends and neighbors, whether locally or globally.

There is too much division in our world, and not enough spending time with each other.  Just imagine the possibilies and hope that can emerge from a world when we walk in each other's shoes for a moment or two.

Let us keep that image of the Kingdom in prayer as we move forward in our own ways at mending the brokenness closest to us.      

Prometheus

"When I behold your heavens, the work of your hands, the moons and stars which you have set in place, I ask: What are we, then, that you should be so mindful of us?  Who are we that you should care so much for us?" Psalm 8:4-5

Prometheus is not seeking to be a mindless summer popcorn movie.  This is a film that, instead, asks a lot of deep questions... BIG questions like "what is the origin of life and why were humans created?"  Not something you'd normally expect in the midst of mega-blockbusters in cool air-conditioned multiplexes.

The movie is set almost a century into our future (the year 2093 to be exact) when the spacecraft Prometheus is sent to a distant solar system that our human ancestors painted on cave walls thousands and thousands of years ago.

Finding a link between the future and the past, between planets light years away and our own earth, is what motivates archaeologists like Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), the scientific leader of the spacecraft's crew.  It is also what compels business industrialists like Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) and Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), and their self-motivated android David (Michael Fassbender).

Questions and curiosities like the origins of the universe and the act of creation have been on humanity's mind for as long as we could think and reason.  And when there is some indication that a few of those questions might get answered, like the crew of Prometheus, we are often ready to jump in feet-first.

This is where the movie takes a dramatic turn from being an exploration of deep theories to a story of survival.  Whether planned or accidental, the crew find themselves faced with uneasy answers and certain danger as they land on planet LV-223.

Yet through all the catastrophes, aliens, and infections that result from this interplanetary expedition, Dr. Shaw remains the stalwart force behind the crew, continuing to ask the tough questions and stay true to her beliefs that our origins have purpose and meaning.

Shaw stands as a testament to those who persistently pursue the discovery, knowledge, and understanding of the meaning and relationship of life, the universe, and the divine.

Too often, we live in the here and now, forgetting grand philosophies and theological truth in favor of surviving whatever situation we find ourselves in.  From time to time, this is okay to do so that we don't become aloof and distant from the world in which we live.  However, to push it off the side altogether is foolish and shortsighted.

For the most part, the crew of Prometheus was overly concerned about their survival and protecting their own self-interests - and ultimately paid the price for it (though I would expect no less in a science fiction horror story like this).  In the film, for instance, two characters (a biologist and a geologist who should be excited by the new discoveries in their fields on LV-223) run scared of the dark, get themselves lost (despite one being the mapping expert of the crew, but I digress), and make some fatal mistakes with alien slime, due in large part to their myopic focus on survivalism and their dismissal of the new discoveries that could await them.

Dr. Shaw, on the other hand, clearly shown with her cross necklace around her neck in most scenes in the film, kept her eye on and her faith in something far more important.  

She reminds us of the psalmist whose eyes are fixed on creation and the Creator: "When I behold her heavens, the work of your hands, the moons and stars which you have set into place, I ask: What are we that you should be mindful of us?  Who are we that you should care so much for us?" (Ps. 8:4-5)

As an archaeologist and a person of faith, Dr. Shaw knows how incredible the gift of life and humanity are.  She seeks to know more about the universe and the origins of the life she holds so precious.  She travels across the stars to find answers, and when they offer her more questions, she continues to pursue those, too.

It is this dedication and pursuit that keeps Dr. Shaw alive.  Nothing, even an alien infection, can divert her from the truth.

In our lives, do we act like the disposable crew members and focus all our energy on surviving our daily grind?  Or do we, instead, act like Dr. Shaw, keeping our eye on the ultimate prize?

One can imagine the psalmist in the Scriptures looking up at the night sky above him, breathing in the breadth and majesty of creation and his Creator.  How often do we do the same?  While unpacking the questions of humanity's existence and purpose might seem like a job for philosophers, theologians, scientists, and explorers, God calls us all to go deeper, "to put out into the deep and lower the nets for a catch" (Lk. 5:4).

Even though summer is often a time to rest the mind and body, and relax in an air conditioned movie theater, we cannot stay idle for too long.  It's good that movies like Prometheus want to pose fascinating and challenging questions of us.  It's also good that we don't go through life without really exploring big questions.

Let us take into prayer more than our everyday anxieties and worries.  God has created our lives to be bigger and more important than those fleeting concerns.

God has mapped out an entire universe to explore, yet at the same time, cares for the smallest parts of his creation.  Why is that?  How is it possible?  These are the questions that the psalmist poses, that Dr. Shaw has shot off into space to discover, and that each of us is worthy of exploring in our own way.

Blessings on your own exploration, and we all look forward to whatever new frontiers you may yet unlock.

(though do be careful in the very unlikely event that you do run into any creepy aliens... but as this movie shows, even then, you can still make it through if you're truly focused :-)  

Snow White and the Huntsman

"I am not afraid... I was born to do this."  St. Joan of Arc

Snow White has come a long way.  No longer a soft cartoon character, this reinterpretation of the timeless classic shows us a new kind of woman: unafraid in the face of danger, unwavering in her single-hearted perseverance, and unwilling to let evil have the find word.

Snow White and the Huntsman surprises us not only in its revisionist storytelling, but also in the way it connects its two titular characters.   One might imagine that our heroine (Kristin Stewart) would spend a movie with a title like that pining over the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) sent to kill her; instead, right from the beginning, the two becomes comrades in arms - with Snow White in the lead.

It's a refreshing take on the action adventure genre, typically dominated by men in the hero's role.  Even more impressive is that the other major person of interest in this tale is the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron), who takes the prize as one of the most villainous characters to be seen on screen.

In a sense, the huntsman, despite his name on the movie poster, becomes a minor player in this drama - as do most of the other male figures in this film.  This one, then, is all about the women.

In this retelling, the height of Snow White's journey is her evolution into a Joan of Arc-like soldier, leading her troops into battle against all that is evil in an outfit that resembles most of the statues, paintings, and movie costumes we've seen of the popular French saint.  She rides upon her horse at the front of the charge towards the castle, inspiring the dwarves and townspeople alike to take back their kingdom and undo the injustices of a tyrannical regent.  And just like St. Joan in her own trial, this Snow White pauses for a moment in her prison cell to recite The Lord's Prayer in an appeal to her Creator.

Another group of female characters shine brightly in Huntsman:  these are the women of the village in the woods we meet halfway through the film who have taken it upon themselves to disfigure their faces so that Queen Ravenna cannot grow more powerful (backstory: she drains the age and beauty of young women to keep herself young with each passing year).

And despite escaping from the queen's grasp and hiding out in the wilderness, these refugees are anything but weak. They possess a wisdom and strength that the visiting huntsman can only hope to attain.  They also realize that the value of a woman goes far beyond their appearance, standing up to and fighting the evils of vanity and narcissism (embodied in a witch who stares endlessly into a mirror) through the values of self-sacrificial action and self-giving community.

For a pleasant change, it's great to see a film where women truly steal every scene.  They aren't dependent upon the men to save the day, which seems to be the case in many other films, especially in this genre.

So for me, this movie called to mind all the strong women in my life.  I thought about those women who serve as role models not just to other women, but to all people, who defend and protect those in their care, and who take on the mantle of leadership with both humility and confidence.

It also stands as a testament against the objectification of women.  Too often in my own moviegoing experiences, women are relegated to being the "damsel in distress," the "temptress," or the "arm jewel" to the male protagonists.  Not that all these depictions are trying to objectify women, but they don't leave a lot of room for women to be seen above and beyond these supporting roles.

In a fairy tale originally focused around the "fairest of them all," it seemed of all the characters on screen, the fairest were actually the ones who disfigured themselves.  They remind us that true beauty is found in those who stand against the evils of selfishness, corruption, and belligerence.

Who are those women in your life who possess the strength, conviction, and leadership that inspire you?

Who are the women who look into the face of conflict and evil today, and say, "I am not afraid... I was born to do this," like St. Joan of Arc?

Who are the people who embody the spirit of strong women of faith like Mary Magdalene, Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of Sienna, Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta?   Who act like historical female leaders and role models like Empress Theodora, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Catherine the Great, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller?

In my life, I think of my wife and mother, strong women who have inspired me by their words and actions throughout my life.  I think of several teachers in high school, college, and graduate school who have not just opened my mind to new frontiers, but taught me life's most important lessons.  I think of my colleagues in ministry and in the church who have stepped forward despite the obstacles and out of a deep love of God and others.  And I think of my friends, family members, classmates, and others whom I have encountered over the years who have made an impact on the world that I can only hope to emulate.

Let us pray for all those wonderful women in our lives who stand out in their own right, dependent only upon the grace of God in all they do.  Through the intercession of strong saints like Joan and others, we look forward to all that they continue to do to illuminate our universe.

Men in Black III

"Let your patience be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:4

In our instant access culture today, we want everything at our fingertips - and we want it now.  The "Google phenomenon" allows us to know all we ever wanted to know about just about anything, and with our various devices and technology, we can connect to that information anytime, anywhere.

At first glance, the story and the experience of watching Men in Black III fits perfectly into that world.  Like its predecessors, MIB3 is fast-paced, quick-witted, and is set in a secret government installation that, because of its work with locating and monitoring extraterrestrial life on earth, can get access to just about anything, anyone, and any place its agents need to find.

First glances, though, can be deceiving... and more often than not, because a "glance" goes by so quickly, those initial impressions lack the depth that lies within.  What's called for, then, is patience.

For fans of this film series, it has taken a lot of patience since the first movie was released in 1997, the second five years later in 2002, and the third ten years after that in 2012.  

In the story of the film itself, the passage of time is acknowledged as Agent J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) talk about the fact that they've been tracking aliens and intergalactic threats as MIB partners for the past 14 years.  In our seemingly disposable and easily bored culture we live in, it's refreshing for a film (albeit a comedy) to feature people who have been consistently working in their field for as long as that.

But the real test of patience in the arc of these three films, it turns out, rests on Agent K.

Quick backstory of the movie:  the latest alien bent on destroying earth, Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement), has decided to go back in time from 2012 to 1969, so that he can stop a young Agent K from stopping him in his plans to invade the planet.  In a singular moment in the present day, Boris' time travel plot seems to have worked, as the Animal's Boglodite species begins its destruction of the earth and there is no protection since Agent K supposedly died over forty years ago.  It is up to Agent J to save the day.

In short order, Agent J travels back in time and meets up with the younger incarnation of his partner K (played here by Josh Brolin).  Together they work at stopping Boris before he can alter history.

Under all this quick-witted action, though, is the relationship between Agents J and K.  In present day, J has always been annoyed by K's reluctance to engage with him on a personal or even conversational level.  Above and beyond the extraterrestrial menace they must stop, J is most interested in discovering why his partner is so closed-off to him.

"I promised the secrets of the universe, nothing more," Agent K tells J in the present day, indicating (we eventually come to find out) that his silence is based on not revealing secrets that go beyond the facts and intricacies of space and time... or what we of faith might call the secrets of the Kingdom of God.

Because of this (and I won't reveal more for fear of spoiling the movie), Agent K has had to patiently wait over 40 years to reveal those other secrets, and Agent J has come to learn the patience he has rarely had in his work at MIB.  Good things come to those to wait.

Patience can be difficult for all of us, especially in our postmodern culture where, even though we are living longer and have more time available to us due to the conveniences of technology than previous generations had, we want to know everything - and we want to know it all right now.  Because we can quickly access when Men in Black III will be playing at our local theatre on our mobile devices, we think every aspect of our lives should be so accessible and quick.

It would do us well to learn the art of patience.  As St. James says in his letter, "Let your patience be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:4), indicating that the more we learn to wait, the more we will ultimately know - quite opposite of conventional wisdom today.

Agent K could have revealed his inner secrets to J over 14 years ago when they first started working together, but it wouldn't have had the impact necessary when the time was right for J to know those secrets.  We, too, must trust that God knows the plans he has for us (cf. Jeremiah 29:11).

The journey is just as critical as the destination, and if we rush down the road towards the end of the line, we miss all the opportunities along the way.  "See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.  You, too, must be patient.  Make your hearts firm, because of the coming of the Lord is at hand." (James 5:7-8)

What is it that we are anxious about?  Which of God's secrets do we want to know right now?  Perhaps where we will go next?  Who we will meet?  What our purpose or direction in life might be?  When we try to rush those answers, we can find ourselves in a situation later when we wish we could go back in time like Agent J and change things.  More often than not, we might tell our younger selves to be patient and to put aside our anxieties, because good things will come to those who wait.

We need a bit more patience in our lives.  The next Men in Black movie might not come out for another 20 years or more. Maybe never.  We may never know, but what is required is patience and trust.

Let us trust in God that the road upon which we walk is worth the destination.  Let us not pester God and others in our lives, as J pestered K all those years, to reveal the secrets of the universe (and beyond) to us right here and now.  Let us, instead, be patient - and in our patience, as St. James says, we will truly be perfect and complete.    

The Avengers

"Where two or more are gathered together..."  Matt. 18:20

The Avengers brings together a unique collection of characters, assembled from Marvel Studios' superhero films over the past few years:  Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner (in this version, Mark Ruffalo), with newcomers Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner).

This motley crew is brought together by the secret government agency known as "S.H.I.E.L.D." to defend the planet earth from an alien invasion brought on by the Asgardian Loki (Tom Hiddleson), who also happens to be the brother of Thor.

Because the threat is so severe, no one superhero would be able to contain the invasion; in response, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., assembles the team from across the world.

At first, things don't go so smoothly.  Each of the players of the Avengers collective thinks they have it within them to single-handedly take on Loki and his alien army.  And when they do encounter one another, their personalities clash and verbal and physical fights ensue, further adding to the tension.   With the Avengers at each other's throats and with every superhero lacking all the skills necessary, they face failure early.

Tony Stark finds Steve Rogers to be a naive boyscout, while Rogers thinks Stark is anything but noble. Natasha has unresolved emotional feelings for Barton, but Hawkeye has unfortunately been brainwashed by Loki to work against the Avengers.  Thor thinks all humans are incapable of any effective defense, and they all find him a bit over the top.  Everyone fears the unpredictable ferocity of the Hulk, yet Dr. Banner just wants to keep everything calm and cool so "the other guy" doesn't emerge from within himself.

These tensions mirror any situation where we are forced to interact or work alongside people we don't know or don't consider friends or friendly.  From classrooms to workplaces, neighborhoods to churches, commuter trains to movie theaters, there are so many times when we must rub elbows with strangers and get along with less-than-desirable working partners in order to accomplish a task.

Our initial reaction might look very much like an early meeting of the Avengers.  We bicker and fight, or talk about the others behind their backs.  We form loose alliances with little emotional foundation, and back out when the going gets tough.

Yet for some reason, we were called to come together.  For the Avengers, it was an extraterrestrial threat.  For us, it might be because it's our job or a class.  It might be because we all want to see the Avengers movie in IMAX 3-D and we are stuck for 45 minutes in a line that stretches out the door with fanboys and families on all sides of us.  No matter the reason, sometimes in our lives, God puts us in uncomfortable or awkward situations with people we don't normally know, like, or care for.

"When two or more are gathered together," Jesus said (Matt. 18:20), "there I am in the midst of them."  God is present wherever community occurs, whether that be a loving family, old friends, or... amongst complete strangers and co-workers with irreconcilable differences.

What we must do, then, is put aside our individuality, our wants, and our righteousness, and humble ourselves in service to the greater good - and to one another.  God brings us together because we each possess gifts, but alone those gifts can only take us so far.  Captain America's shield can deflect any weapon or force, but he can't fly like Iron Man into the skies.  Hawkeye's archery has pinpoint accuracy, but he lacks the brute force of the Hulk.   So when we come together, we must be aware of our strengths, our weaknesses, and how we can all work as one team. God brings us together because the combination of His people can be greater than anything we can do alone, isolated, and separate.

From the twelve tribes of Israel and the mixed assembly of men and women who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the College of Cardinals and the people of New York City after 9/11, people have come together over the centuries for a greater cause than themselves.  They haven't always known or liked each other, but they got the job done.

Sadly, in our nation today, we find more solace in being around like-minded people of our religious, political, racial, economic, or social perspective than "crossing the aisle" to network with those who differ from us or have different skills, experiences, or political and religious understanding.  When we choose the route of surrounding ourselves with only those we like or know, we end up looking like our superheroes in the first half of the Avengers movie:  sloppy, irritable, ineffective, and incredibly defenseless in the face of trial, temptation, and evil.

Before his death, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for the disciples, who were themselves a motley crew of first-century Galileans:  "...that they may all be one as we are one: as the Father is in me and I am in him and in you..." (John 17:21)   By this passage, we know that Christ rejects divisiveness, especially among those who are brought together for a common cause.

In our jobs, let us pray that we can work together with colleagues and supervisors to do the job well.  In our classrooms, let us pray that we will come together to learn as fellow students on the academic journey with us.  In our neighborhoods, let us pray that we will break down the walls of silence and ignorance and come together around the place we call home.  In our churches, let us pray that we will not be so divisive and angry at other believers, and that we can pray as one, sing as one, and love as one. Finally, in our society, our nation, and our world, let us pray that the political, economic, social, racial, and national boundaries may be softened so that we can come together in peace more often.

We love watching the Avengers when they put aside their differences, when they honor and respect each other, when they extinguish their selfish pride, and when they work as one in service to the greater cause. In the same way, God loves watching us when we do the same with all those He so lovingly created.