One of the criticisms about the movie Avatar is that it pushes a pantheist (Pan=all Theo=God, Pantheist=all created beings are manifestations of God) agenda. I disagree. Yes, there is an indigenous tribe that follows a this animistic faith, but James Cameron is a man of detail.  All indigenous tribes, especially those in an environment only of other similar tribes, as in the movie, are pantheist. The movie gives an accurate description of such faith as it would exist on another planet in such an environment, or even as it existed on our planet prior to the call of Abraham.

That said, there is an interesting line in the movie to look at: although we are not pantheists at all, there is a basic foundation that is common to all forms of spirituality. You cannot understand any of it, if you don’t know this element.

One of the Na’vi says to an Avatar: “No you cannot learn. You are full; you need to be empty.” What she was talking about is the difference between arrogance and humility. The arrogant can learn nothing, the humble will see God.

That same principle exists in our faith: It is the humble who learn of Jesus; the arrogant never do. If you go see the movie, before you dismiss the indigenous religion, look at the how the Na’vi are humble before their god as they understand her. Do you think you could find the one true God, Jesus the Christ, if you are not the same way?

Now, I want you to look at the second reading. Look at the words of St. Paul:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:12-21 NIV)

We are living at a time where, as in the movie, there are those who are gripped by arrogance in the name of human progress who want to eliminate our faith because we stand in their way. It was exactly the same type of argument leveled against the indigenous population in the movie Avatar.

There are many who have the respect of those who seek progress who come against us in a spirit of arrogance. Remember, our wisdom is faith infused human reason, whereas they work with a human reason that rejects faith. They  will ultimately fail, but not after they do much destruction. Remember, their method is to lie, destroy and bring down everyone in their way, especially Catholics, in the name of an agenda of human progress against inspired wisdom. It is a wisdom that they will never know or appreciate.

How do we experience this wisdom? We seek the virtue of Christian humility, not only in our own lives, but in those of our families. We become people who pray, we develop that relationship with Christ, act on it in humility, wisdom and love. That is how we live our faith, that is how we grow in the wisdom the leads us to life.

That is the only way we can live Paul’s commands to the Colossian Christians. We must be a people in a deep relationship with Christ who are transformed by Him in our lives, our Catholic families and our Catholic parishes. We must be humble before the Lord so that we may see Him acting in our lives, and we must understand that He is a life and wisdom that the arrogant, who act in the name of silencing the wisdom of Christ, will never understand. But as on the fictitious Pandora neither will they succeed in their plans to eliminate religion from the faith of the Earth.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph embodied this wisdom as they lived as the Holy Family and although the bible does not address this, you can assume they too lived with much opposition in the daily lives. But they lived Jesus’ later teaching that the Kingdom of God was within. This gave them the wellspring of wisdom to let them be as the bible teaches like trees beside a river. The river of wisdom would have been their source of strength and life. For us we live by the tree of wisdom, the cross, that teaches us what so many will never know for they know neither the river nor the tree. They know only the materialistic agenda, and like in the movie, the demands of faceless stockholders or self-aggrandized academics.

Today is the day for families to reconnect with this tree, with the wisdom from it who is Christ, our salvation.

Photo Credits:

Top: 20th Century Fox (fair use)

Top Middle: New Kingdom Media

Bottom Middle: Paravion

Bottom: Pierdelune