How I Live Now Part VI Lent Edition

**Spoilers Alert!*** In this post on the movie How I Live Now, a connection will be made between the last post about fasting and the post about Daisy's dialog.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirror_of_erised/9627836210/meta/

During the movie, Daisy went through a transformation in three main steps. Daisy said, "Before the war, I used my will power for stupid stuff like not eating chocolate." During the war, as was mentioned in the last post, she had to give up many things to help the war effort. In the post with her dialog, she gave things up for the sake of Eddie.

In Lent, many of us give up "stupid stuff" like chocolate, sweets, or ice cream. This is a good start, for to get to the last stage like Daisy did, it has to start with the small things. It may seem stupid in the beginning, but with reflection, it may turn out that it wasn't so stupid after all.

Since we are corporal beings ("embodied souls"), quite often it takes corporal actions for us to realize things. For Daisy, it could well be the case that the "stupid stuff" was actually a jumping off for her next challenge during the war that is shown in the image above, namely, taking care of her cousin.

In a similar way, even though our motives may not be the best for fasting from whatever we gave up, we may eventually realize in a more profound way what the fasting is for (like in the last post).

From there, as a final goal, fasting during Lent will hopefully lead us to reach out for Our Lord as Daisy reached out for Eddie. "Now I use my will power to wait for you Eddie."

May we use our will power to (1) love God and neighbor and (2) wait for the Lord at His second coming for, "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." Amen.

How I Live Now Part I
How I Live Now Part II
How I Live Now Part III
How I Live Now Part IV
How I Live Now Part V Ash Wednesday Edition

How I Live Now Part V Ash Wednesday Edition

Collect [for Ash Wednesday, First Day of Lent]

Grant, O Lord,
that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirror_of_erised/9624592747/meta/

In the How I Live Now movie, during the war, Daisy and her cousin had to eat only rations. Rations were only eaten because most resources had to be used for the war effort. People back home had to sacrifice for their long-term safety and prosperity. Their weapons were "self-restraint" to strengthen the chances of victory on the battlefield. All of this was done so that all could go home in peace, so Daisy and Eddie could meet again "at home".

In a similar way, "holy fasting" is a necessary course for the "battle against spiritual evils". We personally and corporately (Church) battle against forces who want to separate us from God. All of this is done so that we can go home to peace in heaven.

How I Live Now Part I
How I Live Now Part II
How I Live Now Part III
How I Live Now Part IV

How I Live Now Part IV

***Spoilers Alert!*** As was mentioned in the last post, Daisy and Eddie were de facto married in the marital relations scene.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirror_of_erised/9624599585/meta/

This will come into play for the comments below about Daisy's ending monologue.

Before the war, I used my will power for stupid stuff like not eating chocolate. I think I thought if I could control myself, then maybe the world around me would start to make sense. I guess I was pretty naive back then.

During the war we stopped looking for reasons why things happen. We don't know what happened to Eddie [in the war] -- what he saw, the things he had to do. ...

Now I use my will power to wait for you Eddie. To care for you. To love you. I have to believe that one day you're going to get better. It was like I said to you all that time ago. If the world doesn't end, I wanna be here ... at home ... with you. And that's how I live now.

She's wedded herself to Eddie. She now yearns for him.

It seems as though he is far off, but she is still caring for him like he is there. If it is correct that this movie can be seen as a Christian allegory, then there are two things that can be gleaned from this monologue's corresponding actions.

First, she is loving Eddie by taking care of him even though he does not seem to love her back as he used to. She is essentially taking care of someone else.

Quite often, Christians (like Mother Theresa) take care of people because they see the face of Christ in them. So, when they are taking care of sick and/or distressed people, they believe that they are taking care of Christ. Mother Theresa often said by using her five fingers, "You did it for me." This comes from Matthew 25:37-40.

Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:37-40

It was easier for Daisy since she could actually see Eddie's face, but in a way it was not the Eddie who she once knew. Nevertheless, whatever she did for the new Eddie, she did it for the Eddie she once knew and hoped would see again.

As she said, Daisy used to use her will power for herself. But at the end of the movie, the will power that Daisy used was for her Love, her husband, for Eddie's sake. That's how she lives now.

The second thing about Daisy's dialogue will be in the next post.

How I Live Now Part I
How I Live Now Part II
How I Live Now Part III

How I Live Now Part III

So, in the last post, the swimming scene in the movie How I Live Now was explored. ***Spoilers Alert!*** In this post, the wedding scene between Daisy and Eddie will be looked at.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirror_of_erised/9627836862/meta/

If you saw the movie, you may be wondering when the wedding scene was. Well, it was the scene where the marital relations take place between Daisy and Eddie.

Before any religion or society, marriage was naturally taking place all the time. No vows were taken, just two people who consummated a marriage and usually raised their children (or adopted children) for life were living it out. In this movie with "no rules" (as the kids at the house said), the natural law rule of marriage still took place. From that intimate scene on, Daisy and Eddie were married, in what is called a de facto marriage, or natural marriage.

As was said in the first post on this movie, I saw this movie as an allegory of the Christian mysteries. This particular scene between Eddie and Daisy can be seen as the marriage between Jesus and the Church. After recognizing the beauty in Christ, whom Eddie represents, and then the life changing act of letting go in the swimming scene (baptism), Daisy who represents a Christian or the whole Church is nourished in the relationship with Eddie. She desires this nourishment wholeheartedly.

For Christians, when Jesus gave his entire self, his entire life up for the Church (those who where baptized in the "bath of water"), he was mysteriously marrying the same Church. When we receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist at mass, we remember and participate in this saving act. We desire to be intimately joined to Christ.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So [also] husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man shall leave [his] father and [his] mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband. Ephesians 5:25-33

How I Live Now Part II

In the last post, Daisy's encounter with beauty was discussed (comes out in the video below in one "somehow" moment 3:25). ***Spoilers Alert*** In this post, the scene where Eddie and the children push Daisy into the water will be examined.

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirror_of_erised/9627821236/meta/

The pushing-into-the-water scene seemed to be the point when Daisy changed. She was so hesitant to let go of all the weight she put on herself. It was the act of being plunged that seemed to drown all that weight. She was free.

This is much like baptism through water where the Holy Spirit does the pushing and the changing in the sacrament. The Holy Spirit takes all of our sins and baggage away so we can be free.

How I Live Now Part I

I just watched How I Live Now with Saoirse Ronan. ***Spoilers Alert!*** This movie could be a Christian allegory. I seem to be seeing a lot of movies recently through the eyes of faith. I wonder if it's because I'm doing more of these movie/music/TV commentaries?

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirror_of_erised/9624589945/meta/

The first thing that stuck out was how Ronan's (main) character Daisy, the "I" in How I Live Now, turned from a punk to a lady when she was first introduced to her future love interest.

This reminds me of how people respond to beauty. When we are faced with beauty, we tend to be more open to reflect on the beauty itself and the amount of it in ourselves. When Daisy saw him, she knew that she needed to shape up.

When have you thought the most about Christianity? Was it from a piece of art or music? How did it change you or your outlook?