Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Previously, we saw the Cackling Cannoneer get trapped in the darkness of the 1000-eyed Krill before being saved, all during the final quest in Sky’s Season of the Abyss. Now the Cannoneer, along with your player, head back to the rest of the treasure hunters in this part of Sky. When you return, the Cannoneer sheepishly places the treasure found by the 1000-eyed Krill on the table. The Ceasing Commodore instead stops the Cannoneer and embraces the spirit. This is not unlike the end of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, though that story is slightly different than this tale. The Prodigal Son asks for his inheritance before his father dies and then squanders it in frivolous living in the world. He returns home broke and destitute. Yet even though he did the wrong thing at every turn, his father welcomes him back with open arms. The Cannoneer hasn’t lived the same sort of life as the Prodigal Son. The Cannoneer only got jealous for a moment and made an unwise decision. Yet this spirit too is welcomed back not for any prowess in gaining treasure but simply for returning back safely. God looks at us the same way. Even when we mess up like the Prodigal Son or just do something unwise like the Cackling Cannoneer, God is ready to embrace us when we come back with loving arms, just like the Ceasing Commodore does at the end of the Season of the Abyss in Sky.
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Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Previously, we saw how the Crackling Cannoneer's pursuit of treasure led to her, and the player character, getting eaten by the 1000-eyed Krill. Once inside this monster, reminiscent of Jonah in the Whale, there are blooms of darkness. As throughout the entire kingdom of Sky, you take your candle and cleanse this darkness. Inside this darkness bloom, though, there is a trapped manta. Once freed, this creature gives off a powerful light that the 1000-eyed Krill cannot contain. As a result, you, the Cannoneer, and all others trapped in the 1000-eyed Krill are able to escape. At the beginning of the Gospel according to John, the Beloved Disciple tells us: The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This Light, as we see throughout John, is Jesus. Jesus, as the Light, conquers the dark. While the light of the manta is not quite the same, it shows that ultimately Light, whether the Light itself or simply a light, will overcome even the deepest darkness of the Abyss. It shows us that Light and Good will, in the end, prevail. We know this to be true in our world because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in the worst darkness, the abyss of a 1000-eyed monster even, the Light will prevail. We learn this lesson from Scripture, and the Season of the Abyss in Sky helps remind us of this truth. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Last time, we saw how the Season of the Abyss leads your player character to free the 1000-eyed Krill from the depths in Sky. Now we see the consequences of that action.
At the start of the final Abyss quest, the player character is asked to look for the Cackling Cannoneer, the Abyss spirit who has found the most treasure in the deep... until your work finding all the treasure in the 1000-eyed Krill's prison. It turns out the Cannoneer has gone out to a dangerous spot for treasure, likely in hopes to at least match your last haul. This has led the spirit to become trapped and swallowed by the 1000-eyed Krill. In trying to help the Cannoneer, you get caught by the monster too. The Cannoneer unfortunately has put all stock in the treasure this spirit is so adept at finding. As Jesus reminds us in Luke 12:15, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." The Cannoneer is learning that lesson now. A part of me wonders if part of the Cannoneer's actions stems from jealousy at your player character's one-upping her in the previous quest. Paul speaks to this kind of jealousy in Galatians as one of "the works of the flesh" to be avoided. In the same passage, Paul also speaks of the fruits of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." There is a better path forward away from the things that hold us back. The Cackling Cannoneer serves as a reminder of where something simple like greed, jealousy, or envy can lead us to a path not just of danger, but being consumed by darkness. We are called not put all our stock in treasure, but keep our sights heavenward. We are warned in examples like the Cackling Cannoneer not to let ourselves be trapped, even eaten away, by the darkness. We must also remember that what happens to the Cannoneer started with the work of the player character in the previous quest. We have to be mindful of our actions because they might not just impact us. Our actions can have unforeseen consequences for others. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. In the past Season of Abyss in Sky: Children of the Light, there was the opportunity to help a group of spirits find treasure in the sea below. In the penultimate season quest, however, there was a catch. You're given a new location to search for treasure. This time, unfortunately, you get sent to an area that serves as a prison for the Krills, giant Dark Dragons that will knock away your light, the power that gives you flight, if they catch you in their sights. It is nothing new in Sky that Krill gather together in certain areas looking for innocent players to attack. This time, though, there is a Giant 1000-eyed Krill ready and waiting. To complete the quest, you must free the 1000-eyed monster. This is a reminder to us that our actions have consequences. We see this throughout Scripture, all the way to the first act of sin in Genesis. We also see that sometimes our actions can release greater evils in the world, again dating back to the start of Scripture. In all our deeds, we are called to remember Jesus' words in the Two Great Commandments, a summary of the Law given in Torah. Jesus tells us to "Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind" and to "Love your neighbor as yourself." In everything we do, we are to think about what the consequences will be for God's mission and to all around us. The quest to free the 1000-eyed Krill in Sky reminds us that we cannot always immediate see how our actions will impact others. Yet with some like this multi-eyed monster, it is doubtful there won't be greatly negative consequences. No treasure found in the deep is worth that impact! Please note, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is rated TV-14. Aside from the nod to the actual Nativity scene (albeit with a lot of confusion from Mantis and Drax), The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has a great deal to offer. While the love of Mantis for Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, was sweet and showed what our focus should really be on for Christmas, Kevin Bacon was the star of this production. Please watch the special before proceeding. Many thanks! It might be easy to say, at the end, that Kevin Bacon’s reaction to Kraglin was Stockholm Syndrome, though it clearly was not. After Mantis and Drax kidnap the actor in a very misguided attempt to cheer Quill up (please do not try at home!), Bacon shows more than a little enthusiasm about leaving Knowhere and returning home. Yet on hearing Kraglin’s story, he realizes he needs to stay just a little bit longer to help teach Quill’s friends the meaning of Christmas (so to speak). Bacon’s reaction wouldn’t be possible without the ability to forgive, which is really what Christmas is all about. God came into this world as Jesus to forgive us for our sins. God came to show us a better path, even after all the times we humans messed up and did the exact wrong thing. That’s what Bacon is doing now. He’s helping the inhabitants of Knowhere, and the Guardians, learn a better path after they have done a great wrong against him personally. He does so with the hopes they can change for the better. It's also important to note what Kraglin tells Bacon as they get ready to leave, that Quill always told stories of the various roles Bacon played in film. These movies inspired Quill to be a hero and even use a dance-off to save the universe. He followed Bacon’s example to do good, even if those examples were just fictional characters he played. Scripture and the Tradition of the church have many examples for us to follow, the chief of these being Jesus. We ourselves can be examples to others of how to live a life of Faith. Doing so can be one of the most rewarding things possible. Stories can also give us examples of how to be better in our quest to serve God and our neighbor. That is the chief hope of Gospel according to Superheroes. These stories, though fictional, can help us better live out our Faith. As the Season of the Nativity comes to a close this year, I hope you can be an example to others leading back to Jesus. In doing so, try to forgive others their wrongs so that you can help turn them to what is right, as Kevin Bacon does in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Please note, Batman: Noël is rated T. Spoilers!!! Batman: Noël is a story framed around Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Like Scrooge in the Dickens tale, Batman is struggling to stay connected with the humanity, the same humanity he has sworn to protect. As he chases a down-on-his-luck father forced to work for the Joker, Batman fails to see this father himself is suffering and is capable of redemption. Fortunately Kal El, Superman, shows up to help Batman, just as the Ghost of Christmas Present does for Scrooge. He points out that there's a better way Batman can do things. Kal reminds Batman that he needs to look as closely at those he saves as he does with the criminals he takes down. Superman has this conversation with Batman in the context of "Lions" and "Lambs". This is a great reminder for those of us in the church. In John 10, Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd protecting the sheep from any animal that may wish to harm them. Those of us who are leaders in the church, no matter what our role may be, are called to look after our Lord's sheep for Him in this world. We are called to follow Jesus' example in tending to the sheeps' needs with tender care, just as we are called to protect them from danger, like Batman. Shortly after his encounter with Superman, Batman is caught in an explosion and captured by the Joker, who buries him alive. This acts as a type of Baptism for Batman. Part of Baptism is "dying to sin." Batman does so through a vision, his version of the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Batman sees an image of a Gotham without him. In this world, Gotham is torn apart by those who follow the Joker and those who follow the Bat. His legacy is people destroying Gotham in his name instead of saving it. Batman realizes the truth of Superman's words at this point: that there is a better way. He accepts the call to "feed the lambs", just as Jesus calls us to do. He accepts that there is a better way as he digs himself out of his own grave. Baptism helps us realize the same, that there is a better way through Jesus. It leads us to a new life. We die to sin and death and rise a new being in Christ Jesus. Batman ends by taking down the Joker and offering the down-on-his-lick father a new path, not one out of fear but one of redemption. He acts as an example of what to be. Jesus gave us an example of how to live in His own life. We are called, in turn, to be an example to others in our own change, just as we see in Batman. Batman: Noël shows the same sort of change we see in the recent film The Batman. In both, Batman realizes there is a better way than fear and vengeance. Hopefully we can learn this lesson too. |
Please note, there maybe Spoilers in the Posts below!
The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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