Please note, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne is rated T. Previously, we saw Batman’s final showdown with Darkseid when he was hit with the Omega Sanction. The result was Batman’s journey through time while his friends and Batfamily all thought he was dead. As Batman has travelled from the past to the future to the present, he built up radiation from Darkseid’s Omega Sanction that threatens to destroy the world. As a result, if the world is to live, “Batman must die”, as Diana Prince puts it.
As seen in the previous post, the Justice League does this by freezing Batman to a clinically dead state. They literally put him in water to enact a sort of death. This is very similar to Baptism. While Baptism itself is all about our joining the Body of Christ, part of that initiation is renouncing the ways of evil, the world, and our own selfish desires before talking on the responsibilities of following Jesus. In Baptism too, we go down into the water as if drowning or dying to sin. We then rise up as if to new life in the Resurrection of Christ Jesus. Batman does something similar here. He is placed in the water to the point of death. In that death he is purged of the evil that comes from Darkseid. He rises again to new life taking on the mantel of the bat once again. Yet Batman already had an initiation of sorts into his life combating evil. Grant Morrison reminds us of Batman’s beginning often in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. This is a new sort of beginning then. We have something similar in the church. While we can only be baptized once, we all find ourselves in need of renewal of our Faith. Holy Eucharist serves as a weekly reminder of our Baptism, our continued need for growth, and the everlasting love and gift of God’s Presence that our Lord offers to us. However, there may be times, like the Prodigal Son in Luke, where we find ourselves in need of a special service of renewal. This is where Reaffirmation comes in. The service of Reaffirmation grants us the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to our Baptismal Vows. This is not a necessary service for all. As the old adage goes, “All may, some should.” Yet it should give us hope that this service is there if we ever feel that we need it. At the end of his journey fighting the greatest evil of his world, Batman rededicates himself as a crime fighter and superhero. He is reinitiated and reborn. There may be times when we need to do the same, and we are able to do so, just as Batman did. Disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, the majority of images produced here are not owned or created by me. Commenting is encouraged. Please use discretion leaving comments below, letting the love of God guide you.
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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