I caught the last half of Return of the Jedi tonight on Spike, and I have to say that I can't remember being so entertained by it, at least not in the past 15 years. Somehow I was able to enjoy the movie the way I did as a small child. It wasn't a conscious decision to watch it with the eyes of a child -- it just happened. And, even better, I caught myself really digging the movie at the moment Luke raises Threepio into the air through the Force. All at once I was able to feel how deeply I was drawn into the story, and also recognize the reason for it. That got me thinking about the element of trust in matters of faith.

Jesus tells His disciples to "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." It's sometimes so very difficult for me to accept that the Creator of the universe desires to have such a close relationship with me. I read something once by Pope Benedict XVI, on the topic of the Eucharist, that we don't want God that close to us. We aren't comfortable with a God who needs us. I think it's our pride that gets in the way. Although most believers, myself included, have glimpsed the beatific vision, pride remains our biggest enemy to living the beatitudes. As one of my favorite priests, Father John Corapi, says: Your momma wears combat boots. God is our Father and Mary is our mother. Who do we have to fear? Pride is our worst enemy, at least it's mine. It's the temptation to be my own god that keeps me from trusting in God the way a child trusts a parent.

Even though the experience of watching Return of the Jedi from the trusting eyes of a child can't compare with the beatific vision, what became clear to me tonight is how much more pleasant it is to believe in something than it is to think about it. That simple scene of Threepio floating in the sky reminded me that I complicate my faith too often. What's so beautiful is that God desires it to be this way, to trust Him fully as a child.