Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. In the past, we've seen how Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, gave her life so Clint Barton, Hawkeye could live and be with his family. Like Jesus did for us, she gave her life freely in spite of the fact Clint had a lot to repent for, as we've more recently seen. When Clint is in a tough spot in his journey to redemption, he goes back to where the Avengers first gathered and talks to Natasha there. He tells her: I do my best every day to earn what you gave me. The same is what we are called to do. As Paul says in Philippians 3:12, Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. We know we are not perfect, but we strive to be better because of the love Jesus has for us. We strive to be better because we know the gift of Grace we have received unearned and undeserved, just like Clint. Clint's way of talking with Natasha is common, and even healthy, in times of grief. It is not something we should limit to the dead though. We should also find places where we can best and more easily speak with God because in those places, if we listen with the right state of our hearts, we might be able to hear what God has to say back to us.
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Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. Previously, we spoke of Hawkeye's need for redemption. We also saw, to some extent, the impact Barton's need to repent has upon him. There are real consequences for Clint's activities as the Ronin post Thano's snap, or "The Blip" as it is known in the MCU. In his grief over losing his family, Clint broke and began a murderous reign as the costumed Ronin taking down gang members around the world. In the Hawkeye series, Ronin's gear pops up in a black market auction, paving the way for Ronin's enemies to reappear for vengeance. Clint knows he needs to do everything he can to prevent innocent people from getting hurt, including his family. That means Clint has to send his kids home early from their vacation in New York. He misses a lot of their pre-Christmas traditions as he tries to settle his past business in time to make it home by December 25. Because of his need for redemption, Clint can't do the things he wants to do. There are real consequences for his actions. We see this throughout Scripture as well. Many people do the wrong thing, and it has an impact on them and their lives, sometimes in the lives of others as well. Even Moses, deeply beloved by God, cannot escape the consequences of his actions. The same is true for us in our own lives. How many times can we say we've faced some consequence for doing the wrong thing, even if it came years later or even if it was just the impact of a guilty conscience? Our Faith teaches us that we are forgiven, and that is true. It is true for Clint as well, which we will see in the future. However, our actions do still have consequences. We still need redemption. We still need repentance. As we turn back from our own ways and return to our Lord, we need to keep in mind the ways we may still have to atone. At the very least, we need to take the time to think before we act. Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. Kate Bishop is the first person we see inspired by Clint Barton who didn't start out as a super-person, yet she enthusiastically supports him and wants to help promote him to the world. Clint emphatically disagrees. He says he is not a role model. On one hand, it is easy to see how this is the case. Clint spent time as Ronin killing people. Granted, those people were criminals and murders, but that doesn't wash away the blood from his hands. Clint's quest in the entire Hawkeye show is redemption. He's having to atone for his past as Ronin. It impacts his life and the lives of others, especially that of Kate Bishop. It even means he has to miss the lead up to Christmas Day with his family. Paul is a great example of what Clint is going through. He once stood by as Deacon Stephen was stoned to death. He traveled around, trying to find and kill the followers of Jesus. Even when he did start to repent, it was a process. He had to regain his blinded sight. He had to gain the trust of Jesus' followers around him. It took time for his repentance to bear fruit. All of us find ourselves in need of repentance from time to time. It is not an easy process, but it is a necessary one if we want to find ourselves on the other side, the better side of life. Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. Kate Bishop is the first person we see Hawkeye inspire before she became a super-person. She also is the first person to try to convince Clint Barton to build his brand, much to his resistance and chagrin. She does so with great enthusiasm, to the point of even drawing a costume idea Clint hates (ironically based on his original comics uniform). For Kate, Hawkeye was the first person to make her realize she didn't have to be afraid. She wants others to have that feeling too. She wants to improve Clint's brand so that feeling can be shared with all others. There's something similar going on with us and Christ Jesus. While Jesus is certainly beyond just being a hero, and is more perfect than any human person can be, like Clint He does help us feel better and safer. Jesus gives us assurance of life beyond this one in the Resurrection. Jesus provides us hope that this new life will be a better one than we can even imagine. Jesus is there to renew and restore us and to make us whole once again. That is why evangelism is so important in our Faith. We don't want to keep Jesus, His Message, His Love, and His Grace to ourselves. We want everyone to experience what Jesus has to offer. For this reason, we go out and spread the message, the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even if we just tell someone what our Faith means to us, we will have done something good and powerful. Our hope too is to live our lives in a way that shows the transformation that Christ Jesus has given us. Clint is hesitant to what Kate is doing, for reasons we will discuss in the following weeks. Yet in all she learns, Kate still sees the power of the good that comes from Barton's example. How much more good, then, will we see when we share what we have received from Jesus? Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. In the MCU, Clint Barton serves as a mentor to a lot of heroes. He's the one who got Black Widow to join the good guys. He later does the same for Wanda with the Avengers. In this way, he is similar to Ananias for Paul during his conversion. Clint also serves as an inspiration to many in the public through his role as an Avenger. We see this at the start of the Hawkeye series with Kate Bishop. As a young girl, Kate was in New York during the attack in the first Avengers film. She lost her dad that day. She almost lost her life. When she looks out from the rubble, though, she sees Clint out there with a bow and arrow keeping her safe and making sure things don't get worse. The first thing Kate does after this is take up her own bow and arrow and learn archery. She gets so good to the point that even Hawkeye admits she actually is one of the best out there. At the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus calls on the Disciples to go out and make other disciples of "all nations". Those Disciples, in turn, appoint others, such as the Deacon Phillip, to continue to share the Good News. Phillip himself reaches out to an Ethiopian Eunuch to explain the Scriptures, continuing the cycle of bringing others to know our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus we are all called to be examples leading others to our Lord. Our example is meant to help others in turn bring further people back to God. Clint does the same for being a hero. He helps Kate realize she can be a hero too, which has a huge impact for the rest of her life. Hopefully we can be Clints to others too as we try to help others deepen their relationship with God. |
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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