Lent and the Lion King
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish
- Feb 20
- 3 min read
“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
My dear family in Christ,
One of the most powerful scenes of all time (in my not-so-humble opinion) is ‘Mufasa’s Ghost’ from the 1994 Disney film ‘The Lion King’. If you haven’t seen it, or if it’s been too long, I give you permission to temporarily break whatever Lenten media fast you have made to remedy this as soon as possible. There is no need to send me a thank-you card after, just pay it forward and remember me in your prayers.
Simba is supposed to be the King of Pride Rock, but ran away as a young cub after he was blamed for his father’s death by his evil, usurping uncle, Scar. In Simba’s absence, under the tyranny of Scar, everything and everyone has suffered. In the meantime, Simba has found friends and has been living a life of ‘no worries’. But, one day, guided by the wise baboon, Rafiki, Simba encounters the ghost of his father:
“Simba, you have forgotten me. You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life. Remember who you are. You are my Son, and the one true King. Remember who you are. Remember.”
I didn’t know why that made me cry at 4 years old, but I know exactly why it makes me weep at 34. The readings for the first Sunday of Lent capture this so perfectly, and I’m going to try and unpack this more thoroughly in the homily.
In the first reading from Genesis 2, Satan tempts Eve and then Adam by convincing them that God is not their father, someone they can trust, but rather, that He is a tyrant, in competition with them, withholding good things from them- and they Fall for it. The second reading from Romans 5 points to the New Adam, Jesus, who undoes Adam’s disobedience by His own humble obedience because He remembers who He is. The Masterpiece in Matthew’s shows Satan once again tempting a son of God: Jesus has just been baptized by John in the Jordan, and He has just heard the voice of the Father, “You are my son, the beloved. With you I am well pleased.” TWICE, Satan attacks Jesus precisely there, at His identity: “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD…” If. If. What a cunning temptation.
My brothers and sisters, I dare say that every temptation we face is in some way the temptation to doubt God’s goodness and love for us, to doubt our dignity and identity as His beloved son or daughter, and to grasp at whatever we might replace Him with. This is Satan’s chief aim- to separate us from our Father.
But you, too, were baptized. (If not, please contact the office and we will make it happen) At that moment, you were ransomed back from the tyranny of Satan, and claimed for Christ. Like Jesus, the Father has declared over you, “You are my son, my daughter, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” And it is the vows of your Baptism that we will all renew together at Easter.
All of our sinfulness comes from forgetting that we are children of God. May this Lent be a time to break through the lies of Satan, and listen to the voice of Our Father: Remember who you are.
God love you,
Father Daniel
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