Please note, Pokémon games are rated E. Professor Oak chastising his grandson for forgetting what really matters in the first set of Pokémon Games (here with the Yellow Version) The power of Love is at the center of the Gospel. We hear it most in the words of John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Since the first Pokémon games came out, the message of love has been at the heart of the games. Your victory at the end of the Red, Blue, and Yellow games comes, as Professor Oak tells you, because of your character's bond with your Pokémon. Oak's grandson, your rival, on the other hand, looses because he didn't have this same love and connection. The more recent Pokémon games have enhanced this sense, even adding a game mechanic of love that super-powers your Pokémon when they like you a lot. It's also been great to see the rivals become more of your friends and companions, as I have noted before. However, this did take out the edge of the main lesson in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. As in the original games, you face your friend/rival to become champion of the Elite Four at the end of the game. However, unlike in the original games, your rival isn't a jerk. In fact, he's so sweet and caring to the Pokémon around him. It's hard to imagine that he, like Oak's grandson, needs a lesson on treating his Pokémon better. When you do beat your friend/rival, Oak acknowledges this in a weird way. Oak basically tells your friend/rival that he's treated his Pokémon well, but that maybe his kindness towards them held him back in this final battle. At the same time, Oak acknowledges your character's bond with your Pokémon helped you win in the end. While it's nice to have a rival who is kind and a true friend, it is also sad that the original message of being kind and loving got nerfed a bit in the Let's Go games. At the same time, it is nice to see the trend of kindness and love extending in the Pokémon to more than just your own Pokémon. It helps remind us of the importance of love which we see in the Gospel too. Final scenes in Pokémon: Let's Go Eveee
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Please note, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is rated PG-13. One of the defining characteristics of Shuri in Wakanda Forever is her willingness to talk and make peace with Namor's people in Talokan (Atlantis in the comics). She first shows this by being willing to sacrifice herself to protect Riri Williams, an MIT student Namor is hunting because she invented a vibranium detector. Shuri's willingness to talk fits her role as a scientist. It also matches many who have come before in Holy Scripture. The Israelites at various points had to make nice with other nations and even work with them. We see this in Joseph's serving under the Pharaoh of Egypt in Genesis. This saved Egypt from famine, and helped many other nations and tribes around them, including Joseph's own family. This lasted until generations later when the Egyptians forgot the good Joseph did for them and became fearful of the Hebrew people. Even later, when Israel was exiled from the land God had given them, the Prophet Daniel served in Nebuchadnezzar's court in Babylon. Daniel gave the wisdom God offered him, even to one who might otherwise be his enemy. Daniel continued to do so, even when it put his own life in danger. Thankfully God continued to watch over him. Jesus, though he was not shy about speaking out against the religious leaders of his time, also invited conversation. We see this in the talks he had with people like Nicodemus, who was friendly and curious towards Him. We also see this in more confrontational conversations, such as in Jesus' famous statement on taxes. While Jonah was reluctant to prophesy to the enemy of his people, the Ninevites, God was ultimately trying to show him that Nineveh was not so bad and were deserving of mercy too. It is important to be willing to work with those who might otherwise be our enemies. We see this with the example of Shuri, not to mention the examples we have throughout Scripture as well. Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. We’ve gone through the journey of redemption with Clint Barton since the Christmas Season. Now it’s time to see the next step on the journey: Evangelizing. Yelena Belova, Natasha Romanov’s sister, has been after Clint for a long time, thinking that he killed her in Avengers: Endgame. At the end of Hawkeye season 1, she’s now planning to get her revenge. Before she takes out Barton, she wants to know what happened. Clint finally gets a chance to tell her the truth: Natasha sacrificed herself to save the world. Yelena doesn’t believe Clint, and even asks why he deserved to be saved. Clint admits that he doesn’t. He also uses a sign, something only Yelena and Natasha would have known. This finally convinces Yelena of the truth and that maybe Barton doesn’t need to die by her hand. One of the things we are called to do in our Faith is to Evangelize, as we learn at the end of Matthew. Another way to put this is we are called to tell the story. When we tell the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have to be humble like Barton. We didn’t get this news first because we are better. We aren’t servants of God because we deserve it. We don’t. Yet we are called to tell the story anyways. Not everyone will be ready right away to hear us, just as Yelena wasn’t. That’s why tools, like the Gospel according to Superheroes, are so important. They help us connect the Gospel message with something known and loved by others. They help make that connection so the Gospel can resonate with others. Our hope is that all the Yelenas of the world can hear Jesus’ message and truth. Until then, we stay in the game like Clint in hopes that one day we will reach others with the gift of Love and Grace that comes from our Lord alone. Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. We've been discussing Clint Barton's need and path to redemption a lot the past month. This past Sunday, I was reminded of another aspect of Clint's reluctance to immediately get a Hawkeye costume and build on his own public heroic legacy. It comes from Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:5, For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. There's a humility that is needed in order to put Jesus first before ourselves. That is something Clint has shown he is able to do. Part of this comes from starting out as a spy for S.H.I.E.L.D. He is used to working behind the scenes. Clint's humility also comes from his recognition of the Good. He's able to put the importance of being a good role model over any desire he might have to get his name out there. Kate Bishop shows a similar humility as well. She wants to be a hero, but her first focus, after helping Clint, is proclaiming him over herself. We are called to show a similar humility to both our Hawkeyes with Jesus. It isn't about proclaiming ourselves. Instead it is about proclaiming Jesus and doing our best to serve Him as we bring those around us closer to our Lord. Please note, Hawkeye is rated TV-14. Last time, we talked about Natasha Romanoff's sacrifice for Clint Barton in Avengers: Endgame. There, Clint tells Natasha, in spirit, that he has tried to do his best to earn what she gave him. Clint ends his talk with Natasha's spirit by saying how much he misses her and, in his words: I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do. Clint apologizes because he is getting ready to wear the Ronin costume again to confront Maya Lopez, a stealthy fighter causing trouble while looking for Ronin. The Ronin identity marks the depth of Clint's sin, and he sees it as a failure that he has to don it again instead of leaving it fully behind. Natasha's death was meant to help redeem him. Jesus does the same for us. Yet we too struggle with the sins of our past. We too struggle with continuing to sin. Like Clint with Natasha, we have to continue to ask forgiveness for our sins. Many of us do this in our worship. We need to do it in our lives as well. Just because Jesus has forgiven us our sins doesn't mean we are perfect yet in this life. Like Clint, we often still struggle with our past actions and our sin. As we see in Clint, though, we can start making the steps to repent and find forgiveness. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:12, we still keep pressing forward towards the heavenly prize to make it our own because Christ Jesus has made us his own. 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. 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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