Amos 5:14-15, 21-24; Mt 8:28-34
I’m a film buff. Love the movies. Not surprisingly, one of my favorite activities in the community house in Austin, where I lived before coming to Chile, was movie night. Every Friday night, a number of brothers would gather in the TV room and watch a movie together.
Since I am a movie aficionado with wide ranging tastes, I was often consulted about possible selections for the up-coming week. I remember being really taken with one movie I saw in the theater, which was later nominated for an Academy Award. When the movie came out on DVD, I made sure that it was chosen for the next Friday night. I went so far as to promote the virtues of this film, ensuring a larger than usual crowd for the screening.
One detail that had escaped my attention during my promotion of the film was its harsh language and violent content. The brothers, who are sensitive souls and, largely, of a rather mature age, did not quite appreciate this aspect of the film. I could see and feel their discomfort. While many agreed that the movie was interesting and had something to say, they could not relate to the characters, and thus the film, due to the violence and language. They had rejected such traits from their own lives and were bothered by seeing and hearing such things in the film.
The brothers are the opposite of the demons in today’s Gospel. The demons are so disturbed by Jesus’ presence that they long to flee. They even ask Jesus to be driven into a herd of swine. They have a visceral reaction to the presence of Jesus and what he represents. Likewise, the brothers had a visceral reaction to what they witnessed in the film. They felt the conflict between their values and those of the film.
The experience with the brothers and the film raised questions inside of me. Why wasn’t I so bothered by the film? Where was my visceral reaction? Am I so accustomed to such language and televised violence that I am unaffected? If so, what does that mean? These are good questions that I am still working with.
Today, I ask for the grace to be viscerally aware of my faith and my values. I pray to grow in spiritual sensitivity and to conform more of my life to the model of Jesus.
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