Luke, I am your father.

One dresses as a man to save her homeland.
One swims through a aquarium filter to find his father.
One eats mysterious grub in the forest with two sidekicks.

But these characters each make up movies with one central theme:

FATHERHOOD.

It turns out, each of these characters disobeyed their fathers:
Mulan cut here hair, dressed like a man,
and fought in her father's place.
Nemo swam out to touch the "butt"
(also known as "boat") against his father's will.
Simba "deliberately disobeyed" Mufasa by
taking Nala into a bad neighborhood.

But, in each of these, there is an important aspect that one cannot miss:
THE RETURN!

There is always the forgiveness of the father, the welcome home with open arms, the prodigal son.

And perhaps we must admit that Disney doesn't have it all wrong, for this takes us right back to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus says:



"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Jesus teaches us how to say, "YES!" just as Mary said for Him to enter this world. "THY kingdom come! THY will be done!" He acknowledges that even the Father's most difficult desires for our lives are possible if we would only surrender our wills to Him. May that be our prayer as we prepare for Lent--that there might be more of Him and less of us.

Can you speak whale?

You ever feel like no one understands you?

You ever feel different than everyone else?

Or misunderstood? Or looked down upon?

Well....

Welcome to the Christian life! 'Aint it great? Take a look around!

Oh, you can't see it?

Well, this is awkward...

     To make a long story short, folks, sometimes a guy can feel downright alone in this world. Even (or, especially,) in a house filled with dozens of holy men, a person can feel incredibly misunderstood. But--aha!--there is a bright side! There is a silver-lining! What is it?, you may ask. Well, I'll tell you: the bright side is that innumerable men and women of God have come before us. And let's just say the Catholic Church hasn't always been welcomed by everyone. Ergo, these innumerable ancestors of ours experienced the same problems and hardships we do.

     But how did they get through it?, you may ask. How did they remain holy? The answer is simple--the Church. They found a support group. They bound themselves to that which led them to salvation, to persons who had the same goal as they did. And, in this, they found their strength. All for one, together, united--they each chose to rise up for the Lord and give of their very lives for His Kingdom.

     Though we cannot see them, they are with us. They are helping us. They are praying for us to intercede! They are all around us. It's a little bit like this:

     So, today, I challenge each of us, especially myself, to die to ourselves for the Lord.  Even though we may falter, may we never lose our souls! AMEN! So be it!

Finding Joy. Thank you, Nemo.

After a long weekend of pouring forth the gifts the Lord has given us onto those we are called to minister to, we now begin a new week of classes. This is a joy, greater to some than others, for we are able to reunite with our brothers and sisters outside of the seminary (for us Seton Hall-ians) and to immerse ourselves in our school work.

On days like these, one can't help but look to Nemo for our example. Though all signs around him are warning him not to attend school, he is ever ready to explore the world! How much could we affect the world if we saw it as a continual adventure? How great is our God that gives us so many gifts and so many ways to pour forth unto the world!

Take a quick breather in your day to watch this quick clip of true Christian joy and hope of the Kingdom of God. May it challenge us to live more authentic Christian lives:

Thank you fellow Pixar creators for giving us great examples of Christian virtue, whether it was intended or not.

Posted by: Jared R.