Man of Steel
Originally published 7.26.13
At the Ragged Edge again. Post break up life: cafe, cafe, more cafes. I just hate not knowing how his brother’s visit went, or not being able to fill him in on the Royal Baby, and not being able to tell him that one of my best friends is considering calling off her engagement.
Last night was menfolk time. Unintentional though, but nice to take a break from beautifully compassionate girlfriends. I met three guy friends at the cheap theatre to watch Man of Steel. I hated this movie the first time, and I hated it just as much the second time, simply because of all the overdone explosions. I contemplated for about a day whether or not I should have a section on this site where I ‘review’ books and movies, but it’d be fruitless because I recommend movies based off of the pretty clothing and amount of warranted smashing.
"Lemme touch your bicep, Man of Steel."
Anyway, the only time Man of Steel completely blew my mind was when the pastor said the following to Clark: Sometimes you need to just take a leap of faith. The trust part comes later.
How true. How completely, wholly, and utterly true. The desire to know what to expect, wanting details, that’s ok and that’s natural, but sometimes we simply just won’t know. And we don’t need to know.
But what threw me tonight watching the movie for the second time was the stained glass window behind Clark’s head when the pastor said this. I wanted to throw up a little bit, because it was the exact photo (granted, it’s a famous one) of Christ during the Agony in the Garden that I painted on an envelope to 'him' when I left for New Jersey. (I went through about a three day phase when I was determined to get rich by selling Catholic stationary). And what does Christ say in the Garden, where man first fell and where man will be redeemed?
Not my will be done Lord, but your will (Luke 22:42)
It’s the scripture verse I write under every autographed book of mine. It’s a powerful prayer and one of the few verses I have memorized. Fulton Sheen said that when our will, which runs horizontally around the circumference of the earth, intersects with God’s will, which runs vertically towards the heights, towards heaven, we draw the paradox of our own Cross. If we just give up our will and follow Christ’s, our burden will be lighter.
If we truly seek God’s will with a pure and humbled heart, we can more easily take that leap of faith and face our own Kryptonian soldiers and maybe find a Clark Kent along the way.
(*Side note: Was anyone else baffled why Christopher Nolan used OH-6 Houes to fight General Zod? Houes? Of all the attack helicopters he picked houes? This is the pilot-child in me.)