BATMAN BEGINS. . .
Theme: Embracing the Call
(Psalm 139:14-16; Matthew 17:1-5; Luke 9:25; 2 Timothy 1:1-7)
Scene to Watch: Bruce is visited in prison
We first encounter the adult Bruce Wayne in an Asian prison, where he is met by Ducard, a self-styled advisor who introduces the idea of a transcendent call: “If you devote yourself to an ideal, then they [forces of injustice] can’t stop you. You become. . . a legend.”
Q1: What is appealing in Ducard’s declaration? Is it true? Is so, what are some examples?
Q2: What ideal is Ducard offering Bruce? What’s the end result?
Q3: What would it mean to be called to be a legend? What larger purpose would it serve?
Theologian Soren Kierkegaard argues that “the one who desires the Good. . . for the sake of some reward also fails to will one thing. He is double-minded. . . The person who in truth wills the Good thinks only of the Good, not of some resulting benefit. For the Good is its own reward.”
Q4: What do you think Kierkegaard means? In what sense is Ducard’s offer an appeal to double-mindedness?
Q5: Read Luke 9:25. Jesus cautions against self-worship while warning his followers of his coming trial and execution. How does Jesus’ call contrast with the call Ducard extends to Bruce here?
For more study of Batman Begins, join us for Life Teen on Sunday’s after the 5:00 pm Mass in the Education Building.
