My Redeemer Lives - Job 19:25-26

I think that Job’s assertion is a statement of faith: in the face of extreme suffering, his hope of release and vindication is his lifeline. Job knows that his own actions cannot save him, and neither do his friends seem able to help him (indeed their efforts only compound his suffering). But while Job cannot understand or explain his suffering, he is convinced that God exists, and he believes that God, who is both benevolent and omnipotent, will redeem him in time. Job cannot conceive of giving up hope of salvation while God exists: God is good, and everything will work out in the end.

Like Job, I experience occasions and patterns of suffering in my life, some of which are brought about by my dogged determination to do the right thing, and some of which are entirely beyond my understanding. Even so, I have no intention of admitting an aversion a Deo, of revoking my fundamental option, that deep-seated inclination that I have towards God. I am convinced that despite my unworthiness God will come to my aid and will save me from distress. My vindicator will help my enemies to understand what I have been unable to articulate in all of my dealings with them: that I’m just a soul whose intentions are good, O Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood *.

Unlike Job, I live in a world where Christ has already come, and his perfect work of redemption has already been concluded. There is no need for God to “Just Do It” because it has already been done. In some respects this makes it both easier and more difficult to be a person of faith: easier because I know that it is finished, salvation has been achieved, and failure or inaction on God’s part is no longer an option post-Christ; and more difficult because I need to make sense of a lived experience of suffering in the face of completed redemption, and have patience with the ‘always only becoming’.

My best analogy for this experience of redemption is to say that it is like watching a film that is based on a true story: we know how it must end, but we watch it anyway, because the telling of the story and the creative use of imagery and music and the interpretation of the characters by the cast are all as valuable as the storyline itself. Simply outlining the plot does not come close to doing a proper job of telling us what happened; we need to see and hear and feel the spirit of the story.

Monsignor Andrew Borello once suggested to his theology students that judgement day might be like sitting next to God while you watch the movie of your life, and then together you make an assessment of how you spent your time on Earth and how you used your freedom: judging by what you know is contained in Scripture. When judgement has been made, you will then be shown mercy †.

I am a big fan of cinema, and I quite like Borello’s proposal, it works for me. So I get out of bed every morning wondering how this day’s scenes will play out. I ask myself what choices my freedom will offer me, and what decisions I will make. How will the characters (especially mine) develop in terms of what motivates them and how they interact with each other and how they respond to, or drive, plot developments? How will the plot progress? Will the cinematography and the score come anywhere close to capturing the beauty that I see and hear all around me? And, most importantly, will God enjoy watching this movie with me, when it’s finished and done? (In a manner of speaking, God is the Executive Producer and owns the rights to my film: if He dislikes it, I have a problem!)

Of course, I know that in the movie of my life, some of the scenes will be ugly and regrettable and I’ll be tempted to excuse myself and go to the ladies room while those bits are on screen. But all is not lost: while I’m the lead character in my own doubtful movie, I’m also a supporting character in my friends’ movies, and I have walk-ons and cameos in literally hundreds of other people’s life stories. I’m hoping that if my biopic is not a winner in and of itself, I’ll be redeemed by the majority of my appearances in other people’s films. If I have brought life and hope and humour to most of my fellow beings, and if my presence in their lives has enriched the telling of their stories, then hopefully my body of work will have endeared me to my creator, my redeemer and my inspiration, even though my character is flawed and my overall performance has been variable and sketchy, morally unconvincing in parts, and compellingly villainous in some of my roles.

* B.Benjamin/S.Marcus/C.Caldwell wrote the lyrics of Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. First recorded by the sultry Nina Simone in 1964, it was vamped into an unforgettable Latin disco hit by Santa Esmeralda in 1977. There’s also an expressive 2006 version by Yusuf Islam – aka Cat Stevens.

† Monsignor Borello taught us that in the Greek icon-writing tradition, Christ Pantokrator (i.e. Christ Almighty) holds the book of the Gospels in one hand and makes the sign of blessing (or mercy, in some interpretations) with his other hand. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, during confession penitents kneel before an icon of Christ the Teacher, a variant of the Pantokrator, that depicts the Gospels held open to reveal the Word of God by which our lives are to be measured.

Interesting Snippets and Fun Facts

In Music
Monica Sinclair, the inconspicuous British operatic contralto who performed I Know That My Redeemer Liveth to critical acclaim in the 1959 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recording of Handel’s Messiah under Sir Thomas Beecham (available on RCA Classics label), had a great gift for comedy and was married to a former Covent Garden horn player. As talented as she was, she had no need to blow her own trumpet.

In Movies
Thomas McCarthy’s 2003 film The Station Agent has a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Canavale and Michelle Williams: all of whom are well known for brilliant low-profile roles in many other productions. They interpret their roles with emotional depth, warmth and humour, and their onscreen presence is almost always uplifting and hopeful.

Thomas McCarthy

Peter Dinklage
Patricia Clarkson
Bobby Canavale

Michelle Williams
Peter Dinklage

Thomas McCarthy’s 2008 film The Visitor also features an ensemble cast of mostly unknown actors apart from Richard Jenkins, who comfortably fits the same profile as the character actors cast in The Station Agent. The newcomers in this later film all have the potential to grow into the profile.

Richard Jenkins
Haaz Sleiman

Danai Gurira
Hiam Abbass

Richard Jenkins
Hiam Abbass

While none of these actors is a big headline star, their consistent appearances in a wide range of film and television productions is what makes them memorable. Eventually the viewer begins to make the connections and say “Hey, where have I seen this person before? There is something so familiar about them, they’ve got real heart. They’re grappling with the first-order questions of life in the way they portray their characters. What else are they in, and where can I see those films?”

In my circle of friends, whenever someone reminisces that this or that now-deceased person was a “real character”, my response is always that I hope that people will one day say the same about me!