In the Eye of the Storm

Filmable #1 (film-a-bul; a modern day parable/spiritual lesson taken from movies.) Star Wars Episode 1 Let's sprinkle a little holy water on this one. Especially on the character Jar Jar Binks. I'm not sure George Lucas was actually lucid when he wrote in that character. Anyhoo, the scene I'm recalling has a powerful lesson on prayer if we look closely. The Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi Wan are facing off in a terrific lightsaber battle with the evil Darth Maul. It takes them through a series of corridors that continue to be sliced in half by forcefields, occasionally blocking their attacks on one another. In a pivotal scene, a shield drops down between Qui Gon and the enemy. With this mandatory pause in the battle, we find two different reactions in the warriors. Darth Maul begins to pace back and forth behind the flickering shield, like a ravenous beast in a cage. Qui Gon, the Jedi, bends to the earth on one knee and closes his eyes, gathering his will and focusing his energies into a moment of rest. What a lesson in prayer. In the midst of our daily battles with selfishness and pride, with the barrage of demands that come upon us sometimes from all sides, how important is that moment of recollection, often in the middle of the fight!