I finally gave in and watched KPop Demon Hunters because many of my parishioners kept talking about it and asking what I think about the movie, especially for parents who have not watched but are a little bit concerned about the movie’s name, theme, and potential dangers. Overall, it is a cute animation movie… but I do not think there is anything outstanding or marvelous that is deserving of any special awards. It draws inspiration from Korean mythology and popular culture references. However, there are parts in there that I believe could shed some light on our fight against evil, especially how evil manipulates, twists, lies, and divides us, and how we can overcome it by not allowing it to control and eat us alive.
Without going too much into the storyline, Hunter appears to be a member of a girl band group, but they have hidden powers and are given a mission to destroy demons who are jeopardizing the world. One of the three girls, Rumi, has a hidden side of her that she is not proud of and is trying her best to ignore and hide from being known by others. Unfortunately, that secret is used and manipulated by the evil force. It creates a wedge between her and her two partners, Mira and Zoey. She pushes them away, even feeling all alone and isolated at one point.
Nonetheless, they come together to have her back when she faces Gwi Ma, the evilest demon of them all. They sing a beautiful song that has a very meaningful lyrics: “So we were cowards. So we were liars. So we’re not heroes. We’re still survivors! The dreamers, the fighters. No lying, I’m tired, but dive in the fire and I’ll be right here by your side!”
I think we can relate to those words a lot… There were times when we were too cowardly to face the truth because we were afraid of how people might think of us, judge us, or potentially look down on us. Sometimes we think too much about ourselves that we push other people away and only care about how things would only benefit us, or create a facade of what we think others will like or want from us, and we have forgotten our true identities. Other times, we are too ashamed of who we are because we think that we are not good enough or should become someone else to be liked and accepted. But those things enslave us and keep us bound in our own self-created hellish miseries! We must not forget who we are… and what will make us strong is that we are survivors.
We will survive this world and overcome all evil attacks, not with our own abilities but with His grace! We cannot do this alone, and that is why we believe in the communion of saints and intercessory prayers. We must lean on one another and ask the holy ones to intercede, defend, and teach us how to overcome evil attacks from those who manipulate, twist, divide, and sow despair. We are not perfect. Some of us have dark pasts and secrets we feel like too ashamed to share because we think people would look down and think less of us. However, we are survivors and overcomers when we choose not to allow our sinfulness and mistakes define us, or guilt and shame eat us alive, but to rely on God who heals, loves, and calls us to a greater mission as one of His own.
Sunday‘s Gospel reading reminded us that the Lord used the parable to teach His disciples — which includes us, too — about the necessity to pray always without becoming weary. (cf. Luke 18:1-8) I do not know about you, but I am guilty of this many times. I love and trust in God, but sometimes other voices, especially the lying, accusatory, and discouraging ones, make me lose focus on Him. Sometimes, I allow them to rob life from me and make me lose heart. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the wonderful people who were with me at those times to encourage and keep me focused on Him. As many times as I strayed away from Him, many times I had to return because He has always been faithful and loving me in spite of my unworthiness.
The last question in the Gospel reading brought a lot of contemplation and reflection as the Lord asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” Unfortunately, as I contemplated this question, I must be honest in saying that I am afraid because many people do not take their faith seriously or give up too easily when things do not go their way. Some might profess Him with their mouths, but their faith is too shallow and fragile to withstand the storms and attacks. Furthermore, many are now only thinking about themselves and have dismissed God in their lives. Some even turn to the occult and evil to get what they want, thinking that they are in control or willing to do anything and everything to get their hearts’ desires, but they forget that evil spirits are out there to manipulate, control, and enslave because it is a real spiritual battle for souls. I pray for those who are lost, those who do not know, hate, or reject Him to find their way back. I pray for those who are being stricken by fears, anxieties, depression, or addiction to seek His healing love. I pray that the world comes to know Him and return to the faith… but most important of all, as I reflected upon those words, I pray that I might persevere and not grow weary, remain faithful and abide with Him until the very end, even despite my human weaknesses and struggles. Perhaps I cannot change everyone or affect their decisions, but I can choose to love Him, and hopefully encourage others to seek Him as well.
Furthermore, we must rely on others to lift us up, just like Aaron and Hur, who supported Moses as his hands grew tired and weary from the long battle. (cf. Exodus 17:8-13) We need people to intercede, guide, and support us because we cannot fight on our own or overcome evil by ourselves! As a matter of fact, the evil ones love to feed on our ego and pride to make us become too dependent on ourselves or think of ourselves too much that we push others away and end up being isolated from everyone. We must overcome the manipulative lies and deceptions to turn to our brothers and sisters in the faith, especially the wise and holy ones, to hold us accountable, focused, and faithful on the Way.
Furthermore, St. Paul asked us just as he asked St. Timothy, his spiritual son and closest collaborator, to remain faithful to what we have learned and believed, because we are confident in the faith that has been handed on to us through generations by the numerous witnesses and courageous heroes throughout the ages. We must learn and continue to fall in love with Sacred Scriptures and use the truth to refute the lies, lovingly correct sinners, teach those who are lost or confused, and remain righteous and honest with God. May our good work glorify Him, and may our love for the faith continue to encourage us to learn more and deepen it each day to become competent witnesses of the Good News. Thus, he charged us to proclaim the word, be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient! (cf. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2)
As military members, we remember our charge as we take the oath and recite the creed. We are reminded of our duties and responsibilities, as well as our call to lead by example and care for others, because this is what is expected of us, especially as non-commissioned and commissioned officers. Therefore, I charge you as Christians, to heed what St. Paul taught… to preach the Gospel, whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is popular or not, whether the government opens or shuts down, whether people accept us or look down on us, and no matter what we feel! Proclaiming the truth does not require us to be eloquent or effective speakers, for we speak louder with our very own lives and enlivened faith. As a matter of fact, our lives of faith, commitment, and love for the Lord give more testimony and bear more weight in this noisy, egocentric, and distractive world.
The Good News is worth proclaiming because Christ is our hope! The Good News frees us because we are not worried about what the world thinks of us or what we think we need to be for others. The Good News keeps us genuine and humble because we are reminded of who we are in Him, especially our instrumental roles as people of faith instead of someone who draws attention to ourselves. The Good News is necessary in a world of noisy, fake, fading news that bears no real substance or life-giving. Therefore, let us not forget our baptismal vocation and solemn charge to proclaim, share, and live the truth, whether it is convenient or inconvenient. We must not wait, expect, or want others to do something that is required and asked of us… all we have to do is be patient, humble, trust, and allow Him to use our brokenness and imperfections as genuine testimonies of that deep, life-giving, freeing, and transformative love that this world has not known and has been missing and searching for a long time. May we learn to be the conduits, instruments, and witnesses so the Good News is enlivened and full alive — beginning with each and every one of us.
— (The picture of the characters “Gwi Ma” and “Rumi” is taken from the KPop Demon Hunters movie by Sony Pictures Animation) —
I Thirst (John 19:28) with Father Khoi 