Of Gods and Men
Finally, I got to see the much looked-forward-to movie, "Of Gods and Men", today. It is a very slow moving and a very deep movie. There were parts of movie where I was almost screaming, "Can't you folks walk a little faster, please... you are wasting my time". Then there were scenes especially the reciting of the creeds, reading of homilies etc... where I was, "Oh... slow down guys, this is too much, too deep and too fast. I need a little more time to allow my mind to dwell upon this meaty matter". This movie is the real-deal. It is about a group of French Monks living in Algeria facing the possibility of obliteration by the Islamic radicals. In 1997, these monks got kidnapped and then killed by the militants.
Walking out of the theater, I realized that, though there were many interesting aspects to the movie worth pondering about, I had to zero in on one and do justice to it. As I was at Starbucks pondering what the theme of the write-up should be I realized that the one Monk I liked the most in the group was Brother Luc an old, fragile, very kind-hearted, yet clear-minded Physician. When the Monks ponder leaving the Monastery in fear of being killed by the militants there is multiplicity of opinions. Brothe Luc though, is consistent throughout. At one point he says, "I will not leave, to leave is to die". At at a later juncture he says, "I am a free man, I don't fear death". The old Brother 'Luc' (pronounced 'look' but as though with a single 'o'), is my hero. I want to write about how the hunch-backed Brother Luc ends up being the towering beacon amidst the tension in the group as the Monks struggle to find their identity and figure out if they should hold their ground and face death or make good their escape.
If the theme of the entire movie has to be encapsulated in one word, it would be the word 'sacrifice'. Monks are people who are the most sacrificial. They take up a celibate life and help the poor. One might think that it would be natural for such sacrificial folk to face the prospect of the ultimate sacrifice with sober courage. But one couldn't be more wrong. Monks chicken-out too. I was wondering why some Monks didn't flinch and others balked as the prospect of Martyrdom even though both live seemingly equally sacrificial lives. I realized that the key difference between the two groups of Monks lay in what comprises the 'basis' for their commitment to be sacrificial living.
The recurring theme among the Monks who say that they need to leave is that to die holding on to the Monastery would be pointless. It would make better sense to go else where and serve the people there. A young Monk laments that he sees not a 'Purpose' in this martyrdom. He says that ever since he was a kid he wanted to become a missionary, but given the prospect of such an oblivious martyrdom, the question to him is, "Why should I do this?." When probed further he says that when he prays he hears nothing.
This is a sharp contrast to the emphatic statements of Brother Luc. Thankfully, the movie gives at least one clue into Brother Luc's heart that would be sufficient evidence to prevent anyone from concluding that Brother Luc said what he said because he was a brave and noble soul that was bound to go beyond the call of duty. Brother Luc was not impelled by a call for duty. His was a different call. The scene giving a glimpse into Brother Luc's heart comes right at the beginning of the movie. In all of the movie, there is only one scene that appears incongruous to the monastic themes and alludes, a wee bit, to the idea of romantic love. It is a conversation between the grand fatherly Brother Luc and a charming young girl from the village.
The girl and Brother Luc are sitting on a bench leaning on the sun-baked walls of the Monastery. It looks like it is dusk. Both of them are facing the Sun. The girls face beaming in the golden rays of the Sun as she is lost in the idealism of romantic meditations. Brother Luc with a kind face, affectionately hunched next to her, slightly bending towards her, attentively listening to her reveries.
The girl asks, "What does it feel to be in love?". Brother Luc replies, "When you are near the person if your heart beats itself out of your body and the knees buckle... etc you are in love" (this is a paraphrase, I don't recall the exact words). The girl still beaming thinks, cocks her head and asks, "Have you been in love?" Brother Luc chuckles, and replies, "Ooooh... many times... again and again. Until I found the greatest love of all and I RESPONDED to that 60 years ago".
Bingo!!! There you have it - the BASIS for Brother Luc's willingness to gladly make the ultimate Sacrifice. The basis for Brother Luc's sacrifice is a response to the greatest love of his life - the Lord for whose glory he had become a Monk 60 years ago.
The difference between Brother Luc and other monks is that the others sacrificed hoping to find their identity through their own sacrifice. They would sacrifice everything except their identity. They did not have an ulterior basis for their sacrifice, outside of themselves. When they realized that their sacrifice would result in the very loss of the self-identity the sacrifice became pointless. In fact, the very basis for their sacrifice began to work against the zeal for sacrifice. In contrast, Brother Luc's sacrifice was a RESPONSE to a love from outside of him. It was something he couldn't help but RESPOND to. When he knelt down, unlike the young Monk who heard none, Brother Luc felt his heart beat itself into an ecstasy and his knees buckle itself into a posture of penitence. Such was the love that captivated him and set him apart.
I couldn't help but ponder how modern Urban Christendom is so different. What is lost among modern Urban Christians is this sense of sacrificial RESPONSE to the greatest love of all. We are so filled with knowledge of Scriptures and self-seeking-spiritual zeal, that there is little space for Christ and the response of love toward him, consequently no space for sacrifice either. No wonder popular culture thinks of modern Evangelical Christians, irrelevant.
Walking out of the theater, I realized that, though there were many interesting aspects to the movie worth pondering about, I had to zero in on one and do justice to it. As I was at Starbucks pondering what the theme of the write-up should be I realized that the one Monk I liked the most in the group was Brother Luc an old, fragile, very kind-hearted, yet clear-minded Physician. When the Monks ponder leaving the Monastery in fear of being killed by the militants there is multiplicity of opinions. Brothe Luc though, is consistent throughout. At one point he says, "I will not leave, to leave is to die". At at a later juncture he says, "I am a free man, I don't fear death". The old Brother 'Luc' (pronounced 'look' but as though with a single 'o'), is my hero. I want to write about how the hunch-backed Brother Luc ends up being the towering beacon amidst the tension in the group as the Monks struggle to find their identity and figure out if they should hold their ground and face death or make good their escape.
There is a scene where the Monks are discussing their options with the poor villagers they support. There is a beautiful metaphor and play of words, I need to make a note of at the risk of digressing, for there is much beauty in it. The monks tell the villagers that they are like a 'bird on a branch' trying to decide whether or not they need to leave. A sharp lady replies, "We are the birds, you are our branch, if you leave, we lose our footing".
If the theme of the entire movie has to be encapsulated in one word, it would be the word 'sacrifice'. Monks are people who are the most sacrificial. They take up a celibate life and help the poor. One might think that it would be natural for such sacrificial folk to face the prospect of the ultimate sacrifice with sober courage. But one couldn't be more wrong. Monks chicken-out too. I was wondering why some Monks didn't flinch and others balked as the prospect of Martyrdom even though both live seemingly equally sacrificial lives. I realized that the key difference between the two groups of Monks lay in what comprises the 'basis' for their commitment to be sacrificial living.
The recurring theme among the Monks who say that they need to leave is that to die holding on to the Monastery would be pointless. It would make better sense to go else where and serve the people there. A young Monk laments that he sees not a 'Purpose' in this martyrdom. He says that ever since he was a kid he wanted to become a missionary, but given the prospect of such an oblivious martyrdom, the question to him is, "Why should I do this?." When probed further he says that when he prays he hears nothing.
This is a sharp contrast to the emphatic statements of Brother Luc. Thankfully, the movie gives at least one clue into Brother Luc's heart that would be sufficient evidence to prevent anyone from concluding that Brother Luc said what he said because he was a brave and noble soul that was bound to go beyond the call of duty. Brother Luc was not impelled by a call for duty. His was a different call. The scene giving a glimpse into Brother Luc's heart comes right at the beginning of the movie. In all of the movie, there is only one scene that appears incongruous to the monastic themes and alludes, a wee bit, to the idea of romantic love. It is a conversation between the grand fatherly Brother Luc and a charming young girl from the village.
The girl and Brother Luc are sitting on a bench leaning on the sun-baked walls of the Monastery. It looks like it is dusk. Both of them are facing the Sun. The girls face beaming in the golden rays of the Sun as she is lost in the idealism of romantic meditations. Brother Luc with a kind face, affectionately hunched next to her, slightly bending towards her, attentively listening to her reveries.
The girl asks, "What does it feel to be in love?". Brother Luc replies, "When you are near the person if your heart beats itself out of your body and the knees buckle... etc you are in love" (this is a paraphrase, I don't recall the exact words). The girl still beaming thinks, cocks her head and asks, "Have you been in love?" Brother Luc chuckles, and replies, "Ooooh... many times... again and again. Until I found the greatest love of all and I RESPONDED to that 60 years ago".
Bingo!!! There you have it - the BASIS for Brother Luc's willingness to gladly make the ultimate Sacrifice. The basis for Brother Luc's sacrifice is a response to the greatest love of his life - the Lord for whose glory he had become a Monk 60 years ago.
The difference between Brother Luc and other monks is that the others sacrificed hoping to find their identity through their own sacrifice. They would sacrifice everything except their identity. They did not have an ulterior basis for their sacrifice, outside of themselves. When they realized that their sacrifice would result in the very loss of the self-identity the sacrifice became pointless. In fact, the very basis for their sacrifice began to work against the zeal for sacrifice. In contrast, Brother Luc's sacrifice was a RESPONSE to a love from outside of him. It was something he couldn't help but RESPOND to. When he knelt down, unlike the young Monk who heard none, Brother Luc felt his heart beat itself into an ecstasy and his knees buckle itself into a posture of penitence. Such was the love that captivated him and set him apart.
I couldn't help but ponder how modern Urban Christendom is so different. What is lost among modern Urban Christians is this sense of sacrificial RESPONSE to the greatest love of all. We are so filled with knowledge of Scriptures and self-seeking-spiritual zeal, that there is little space for Christ and the response of love toward him, consequently no space for sacrifice either. No wonder popular culture thinks of modern Evangelical Christians, irrelevant.