Amazing Spider-man

[Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) had been beaten up, and made fun of earlier in the film by Flash.  Now that Peter Parker has power (becoming Spider-man), it is his turn to turn the tables.]

Have you ever been in a situation like this?  Have you ever been where you have the upper hand, the power to change and hurt the aggressor that had hurt you earlier?  If so, what did you do? I think this reveals the true nature of our character.  When you are being bullied, and the roles are reversed, what would you do?  Are you going to respond as the bully did to you?  

This makes me think of a powerful quote: "There but by the grace of God, go I."  That quote reminds us that we should not be so quick to judge, and so quick to state that they deserve what they got.  Does Flash really deserve the humiliation that Peter does to him?  When we are placed in the same situation as the bully are we going to be a worse bully?  It really does make me stop and think about what I would do if I had the power to shape the world as I see fit.  

Another quote that is so often associated with Spider-man is, "With great power comes great responsibility."  Do we hold to that?  Do we acknowledge that those who have more power, those placed in positions of authority have a responsibility?  "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly" James 3:1

Footloose

[Ren (Kevin Bacon) was  challenged to a chicken race with tractors.  He is new in town and hasn't earned his dues yet. So the local hot shot challenged him, and Ren does not know how to drive a tractor.]

We can think about this clip in two different ways. I enjoy the theme of Providence, and I have drawn this message from a lot of the movies I discuss. This movie is no different. It is Providence that allowed his shoe string to get stuck.  It is what ended up taking the former hot-shot and instituted Ren's acceptance into this crowd of young adults.  Providence is that wonderful thing when by happy chance something good comes that would have otherwise not happened.

Another way we can look at this clip is how it demonstrates that our culture holds up fame and fortune as worth. Imagine if Ren had not won the race, would he still have worth in that group of people?  We don't often hear about the quiet hero, but rather we are told that we have to succeed.  We have to be the one who wins the day.  Is our value as a human only summed up by chance, if something fortunate happens, devoid of our choices?  Or is it simply that if I succeed then I am wanted, and valued?  Does it not instead come from the very fact that I am made in the image and likeness of God?  It doesn't really matter if I "fail." In the eyes of the world, Christ failed by being crucified. We are called to enter into that same suffering, to recognize that the lowest among us has value, not because of a fortunate circumstance, or because I have succeeded in gaining recognition for my accomplishments.  Take the time this day to pray for somebody who is less fortunate than you, somebody who is not successful, that they might know their value as a person before God. 

When the Game Stands Tall

[Chris Ryan (Alexander Ludwig) is on the road to win the most scored touchdown record in California.  His dad, Mickey, has just come from the store. He plays at a Catholic school.]

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Mt. 23:12 This student wrote a paper understanding this verse well, since he has taken the time to consider other things besides football.  He knew that football while fun is not his defining aspect. His father has been pushing him and thinking of only that record.  It is an amazing dynamic to watch over the course of the film, the understanding of what the son has to go through, but learns being a man from coach, not his father.

So what am I drawing out from this clip?  To be a good father to your children and be focused on more than just sports?  Close. I am speaking to the point, do we listen to our children?  Do we listen to what they want, what are their hopes, their dreams?  And do we recognize that as much as we compartmentalize in this world, that our children, are full, free human beings.  They have hopes beyond football, or school for that matter.  As the coach looks at Chris he sees a person becoming a man, not so much because of his efforts on the field, but really actually because of his effort off the field.  

I also use this clip to speak to our sports worship we have in our society.  Think about it for a second, what are you willing to sacrifice to make sure your kid gets to that sports practice, that game?  Why is it that Catholic schools practice/have games on Sunday when public schools almost never do?  There seems to be a trend in Catholic schools, as well others, that sports seems to be the most important thing in people's lives.  Ask a kid who his heroes are, they will tend to be sports figures...why?  I think it is because we ourselves spend so much time absorbed in sports.  I am not saying that sports aren't good, or worth doing.  But we have to ask at what place have we put them in our priority list?

Count of Monte Cristo

[the Count of Monte Cristo (Jim Caviezel) is decided to come to the rescue and give the speech for Albert, the boy he saved in Rome.]

Albert is a boy who is looking for a strong male role model.  This is something that we most desperately need in our culture today.  He looks to the Count with gratitude for the speech and looks up to him because he seems to be prepared for every situation.  

Over the course of his speech he ends up stating the very nature of resolve, and what shows us who we are.  It is when the chips are down, when you are in a storm that it is clear to see who you are.  You are not defined only by that experience, but there is something to be said for that experience.  When you have been stripped of all those comforts, or lies you have told yourself and have to face the stark reality that all you have is yourself and your actions that is a powerful moment.  Are we able to take the time, though we may not be in that storm, and face that darkness?  Can we really come to grips with the best and worst parts about us?  

Invictus

[Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) is the captain of South Africa, he stares out the night before the game of the world cup. His wife comes and talks to him.  He is thinking about the life of Nelson Mandela, his president.]

First I apologize for having been gone so long.  I am learning to balance work and being a father.  

So what can we learn from so short a clip?  About the power of one man to change a country.  One man, Mandela, comes out of prison ready to forgive the very people who put him them.  That kind of forgiveness, that strength of soul has a way of moving men beyond themselves.  This is exactly the reason why, on the night before the greatest event for this athlete he is not thinking about the sporting event, but something that moves his soul.  Most people would be thinking about the world cup that he will be playing in the next day, but inside he cannot stop thinking about this amazing man he met, Mandela.

I am always surprised that so many people in the Church do not have a relationship with Christ, they are never truly meet this man who is present before us.  If we but open our eyes to the fact that there is a Face, a Person, who moves us in a way that even before the greatest event in the world like the World Cup, and we were focused on the witness of a Man.  I often hear that people think Christ was something that happened 2000 years ago, and that He was, but He is not regulated to the past unless you put Him there.  He moves through those men and women that we were so touched by this person that they could not help but pursuing and live as this man lived.   

Air Force One

[The President of the United States (Harrison Ford) has come to Russia to celebrate the victory over a dictator who had been captured and put in prison by the US military.]

If only we had a president like this!  It would be nice for a change to have a president who gets up and states what should be said, rather than what is the politically correct thing to say.  The President speaks not from some well crafted speech, but from his heart.  Politicians should take a lesson from this movie.  You might be wondering if I am only going to spend this time going on about politics, but that is not my aim.

What the president did in that speech took courage.  You have to stand up to bullies, not give in to their demands, even if you get beat up.  You show them up by your resilience, I will still be here tomorrow and the day after that and the next day.  To remind them that you will not give up simply because they have power.  Granted, through the course of this movie there are terrorists who rise up and challenge the very courage the president stated.  It is a matter of courage, not just spoken, but lived out.  

Is there anything wrong going on in your world that you had sat idly by while it happened?  "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke. It is our job as Christian, but also simply as human beings to stand up for what we know to be good, right, and true.