Opinions Expressed in "Rants," while informed by Catholic doctrine, are merely the opinions of the author.
Going to Church is like Watching Star Wars
My love for Star Wars is no secret – in fact, I’ve seen Episodes 4, 5, and 6 so often, I could probably tell you the entire scripted story, word for word, from memory.
Making me the Alpha-nerd.
Now having said this, I must be clear – the Star Wars Saga is far from perfect (although Empire Strikes Back comes close). The acting is bad, the dialogue sucks, sometimes the story trips over itself and doesn’t make sense, other times its so formulaic and predictable its painful – there are parts of Episodes 1, 2, and 3 that I literally can’t stand to watch – thank God for DVD’s.
And forget about Jar Jar Binks. For all the re-mastering George Lucas likes doing, why hasn’t he come out with a Jar Jar free version of the pre-trilogy? It would make him another billion dollars.
Still, for all of its weaknesses – and there are MANY – I still can’t help but be drawn to Star Wars, the overarching story, the lightsabers, the father/son dynamic, the Force – there’s something universal about this tale, something that is imprinted on our very psyche – so that if I’m flipping channels and happen across one of the Star Wars movies, I stop and watch, every time. There’s something there in that story – that feeds my soul.
In a lot of ways, going to Church is the same. Sometimes the preaching is bad. Sometimes the music is bad. Sometimes the congregations participation is pathetic. Sometimes the priest is as annoying as Jar Jar Binks. But there’s something going on in that 2000 year old ritual, something that feeds the soul. We need it – even those of us who only darken the church door once or twice a year know – we need it.
So I think I’ll go get ready for mass this weekend – and watch Star Wars.
If you wanna learn more about the psychological/mythological significance of Star Wars, go to my article on the website, HERE.