Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius July 30, 2017 Spiritual Ponderings Faith & Film Kung Fu Panda 3
This past month we have explored five different stories from movies. I hoped that reflecting with me on the positive and negative spiritual insights in these movies has helped you grow not only in your faith but also in your ability to pick up different philosophical, and theological ideas that may be hidden within the special effects and stories.
Kung Fu Panda 3: In the Spirit Realm, Grandmaster Oogway’s (the turtle from the first movie) eternal peace is disturbed when he is attacked by an old enemy named Kai. Kai steals Oogway’s chi (soul) and uses it to enter the realm of the living. Meanwhile Po (the Panda that became the Dragon Warrior) is given the task of teaching his fellow Kung Fu masters. This is a task that he fails miserably at. Before he can understand Shifu’s advice about just being himself, Po meets his biological dad Li. Fast forward a bit and Po must train his fellow pandas the art of Kung Fu in order to defeat Kai who is coming to destroy the Pandas and their village. Po finally realizes that teaching is not about molding them to fight like him but rather it is about helping them to develop their own abilities. In the end, Po and the Pandas defeat Kai.
Spiritual Insight 1: The Real Art of Teaching Throughout the story, Po has a hard time teaching because he tries to mold everyone to be like him and the furious five. Toward the climactic battle, he realizes that a good teacher is one who helps others develop their own strengths. He therefore helps the Pandas take things that they are good at and teaches them to turn them into Kung Fu moves.
As Catholics, we do not believe that God is trying to make us all the same. If He wanted us all the same He would have made us that way from the beginning. Our God does want us to use the gifts and talents that we have to best of our ability. St. Irenaeus of Lyon stated that “The Glory of God is a person fully alive.”
Spiritual Insight 2: Becoming a Teacher There is a part in everyone’s journey in which they become a teacher (or should become a teacher) but not necessarily in an academic sense. For example, an alcoholic in recovery reaches a point where he or she becomes a sponsor (a teacher) and thus model the life of sobriety to a person in need of a mentor. In my work with Project Rachel, I can tell that a woman has taken a turn for the better in her relationship with God when they take time to help another woman through the healing journey.
Spiritual insight 3: Adoption All three Kung Fu Panda movies carry with them a very pro-life message because they are all pro-adoption. At first Po thinks his parents gave him up for adoption because they did not want him but Po discovers that his parents gave him up for adoption because they loved him and wanted him to be safe. Men and women who give up their child for adoptions show a great love for their child. There are some cultural of death myths that state that adoption is cruel because it lets the child wondering who he is or that his or her parents did not love them. This is sadly all smoke screen and lies by the devil to encourage abortion (which ends a life). Children who have been adopted go on to live ordinary lives. In fact, sometimes when they are old enough and situations are right they reunite with their birth family and thus become doubly blest as Po end up being with having two dads in Kung Fu Panda 3. I know many wonderful families who are hoping to adopt children.
I think I will end today’s reflection with a prayer for families trying to adopt. I invite you to pray with me.
“God, you do love adoption. You’ve adopted us into your family, giving us all rights and privileges of family. We are heirs and co-heirs with Jesus of all your treasures. We pray today for those seeking to adopt a child. Many children in the world do not have mothers and fathers. Many men and women do not have children. God, bring them together. Create the perfect match. Provide resources. Provide perfect timing. Give endurance and emotional strength through the grinding details. Give wisdom for them to anticipate ahead how to prepare practically for the coming change. Strengthen their marriage ahead of this coming gift. Heal any past disappointment. Parental love is nature. Adoptive parental love has to be SUPERnatural. Give a miracle of love and bonding. May nothing stand in the way of you accomplishing a completion of this match – child to parent. In Jesus!”