Friday, August 14, 2009

A Reinterpretation of Pirates of the Caribbean III...

Alright, so I have to say before I begin this post that the IDEA for this post came to me a few weeks ago, but I just haven't sit down to write it out until now.

That being said, about a week ago, I went to Mass at St. Paul's and had a little under an hour before Mass started to just meditate on the Eucharist. What struck me about the tabernacle, though, was how it was shaped like a wooden box, which reminded me of that time I saw a rich depth of meaning to Pirates of the Caribbean III, but couldn't sort out exactly what that meaning was.

Please bear with my feeble attempt at making a brave analogy, here!! :)

So, I realized as I was meditating on the Eucharist within the tabernacle, that the cutting out of Will Turner's heart and placing it in this box was done of love, just as Jesus' ever-present love was concretely located in the Eucharist contained within the wooden tabernacle in front of me. A bit of a stretch, but I think it works.

Granted, the movie contains a LOT of other things that don't jibe with Catholicism/Christianity, yes, but I think that the part about the wooden chest is at least salvagable. The chest is called the "dead man's chest," and you can read more about its use in the movie here.

As a side note, I am rather astounded that there is actually an entire wiki subject devoted to this movie. But that's besides the point.

Davy Jones cut out his heart because he was scorned by his love, Calypso, so that he wouldn't have to feel the emotions of love again, and he became a monster. Consider this the sin of Adam and Eve. Davy Jones was meant to ferry souls to death at sea, but instead became a perversion of himself and forgot his purpose, his meaning. Enter Will Turner.

Will Turner's relationship with Elizabeth Swann characterized the entire Pirates of the Caribbean movie trilogy. His love for her was all-encompassing, and he loved her beyond every obstacle presented, from first movie (the fact that he was the father's swordsmith), to the last (the fact that they had grown distant from one another). It was HIS hand that stabbed the heart of Davy Jones, and after his death, his father cut out his heart (to save him from death) and placed it in the wooden box, delegating the responsibility of ferrying souls to his son, but also causing him to make the ultimate sacrifice in only being allowed to set foot on land once every ten years - the only time he could see Elizabeth.

Is it just me, or does this completely sound like the Crucifixion and Resurrection, with a little bit of Revelation thrown in!?! Jesus' death was a death of pure love for humanity - He redeemed man by stabbing the heart of Satan, the heart of sin, by His sacrifice. He gave us His heart, through the Eucharist, a sacrifice which Our Father called Him to make. He gave His heart to us fully that He might live eternally with Our Father in Heaven, and we await those long ten years until He can return to us, the waiting lovers of Our Dear Lord.

When I look at the tabernacle, I am reminded of the love of Jesus Christ in His sacrifice for us. I think of the suffering He endured, and the longing He must have to see us again, just as we long to see Him. His Mother remains with us on land, doing His work among us, but we await the coming of Christ like Elizabeth Swann - eager to see our lover, eager to spend that day with Him that will be for us the rest of eternity!!!

And, with that, I pray that we all might feel the longing of a lover for Jesus Christ, that we all might await His coming with the same tenderness and compassion that He showed for us in His death on the Cross and His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven!!

Fides, Spes, et Caritas Christi per Mariam,
Christina :)

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