In Empire
Strikes Back, we find our heroes on the run.
Having found a base on Hoth, they are now living solely for the
opportunity to survive and spread their message. Luke receives the message that he needs to
leave his friends for a little while to receive training in the Jedi arts. After the evacuation of Hoth, he leaves for
Dagobah without any reservation. It is
there that he is given knowledge that he never even knew to ask for
before. He is illuminated with a
knowledge that was kept safe from all harm.
It is a knowledge of the deeper mysteries of the universe. For the Church, " Only in the state of
illumination does divine grace makes possible the
contemplation of the divine light. The
hidden truths of Holy Scripture are
not revealed to everyone, since
illumination comes through the special divine
gift of revelation. For this reason in the early Church, the holy Bible was read only in the Church and only by a charismatic person. In the Orthodox Church, we have never experienced "bibliolatry" or "worship
of the Book," as in some sects. The Church holds fast to the unadulterated
spirit of the Bible as it was delivered to the Saints, and through them, to us (An Introduction to Orthodox
Spirituality at www.goarch.com)."
The final step of spiritual maturity in Luke's life is
shown to us upon his arrival at Jabba's palace.
A confident man, even one who is not quite able to master his new found powers,
arrives to confront the gluttonous one oppressing his friends. He is clothed in the garb of a Jedi. He is powerful, and is using it for good for
those who cannot help themselves. This
man is no longer selfish, but selfless. He
is one with the Force. He is open to the
other and receives it willingly. He
passes it on for the betterment of his friends.
In the life of a spiritually mature Christian, we see the same
dynamic. Having gone through purification
and illumination, the interactive part of the Christian life begins in
earnest. This is known as deification,
or theosis. Here is a good example of it
in the Star Wars universe: Obi-Wan says "If
you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." And when Luke is in the Emperor's Throne room
on Death Star II, he says "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You have
failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." He knows that, even if he were to die, it
would be an act of selflessness that would unite him with the Force. It is only when this life is not lived for
itself, but for the life to come, that one has begun to work on
deification. Like I said, I am
young. This has not happened for me
personally yet. I still fear death, but
only because I fear that I have not achieved the spiritual heights that the
Lord has asked of me. Luke overcomes
evil, saves his friends and millions of others, all out of his belief in the
other (the Force) to bring the right things into being. We believe that God does all things through
His people. It is the utter adherence to
this belief that will be a hallmark of someone who has made some progress on
the path to unity with our God.  |
| I'm glad Lando isn't trying to clap here. |
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