This homily is based on Mt 5:1-12.
Believe it or not, one of the most spiritual movies I’ve seen is “The Matrix,” which came out in 1999. Written and directed by brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski, this futuristic science fiction film is filled not only with great special effects and some fascinating action sequences, but also with a lot of religious and philosophical symbolisms. Its two sequels have managed to surpass the special effects and the box office earnings of the original, but when it comes to depth of meaning, in my opinion, they don’t even come close to the first.
Early in the first “Matrix,” the central character, Neo, played by Keannu Reaves, is offered two pills, a red pill and a blue pill. According to Morpheus, the red pill will reveal the truth, while the blue pill will allow Neo to go back to blissful ignorance and “business as usual.”
Neo asks Morpheus, “What truth?” “That you are a slave, Neo,” Morpheus tells him. “LIke everyone else, you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for your mind.”
Neo decides that he wants to know the truth, and he chooses to take the red pill. To his horror, he sees things as they are: The real world is ruled by machines that farm humans in vats, using them as a source of power. Everything Neo has known in his world has been nothing but illusion, the effect of the false sensory information that a giant virtual reality computer has fed into him and all the people in the world. The world as he has known it and the life he always thought he lived are but illusions created by the Matrix.
In many ways, we live in the Matrix. The safe daily routines of our lives, our familiar and comfortable surroundings, the numerous possessions we accumulate, as well as our accomplishments—all this can create a very comfortable illusion for us. If we’re not careful, we can get attached to all these things. We can get carried away and end up believing that we can have everything and we can live forever.
Today our Lord teaches us something that’s totally inapplicable and irrelevant to our lives and the world. In the Beatitudes, he invites us to become “poor in spirit.” Biblical scholars tell us that being poor in spirit means that we depend on God and primarily or only on him–not so much on ourselves, not on other people, not on riches and material things.
We’re all happy to claim that of course we depend on God. We believe this, but I think only in our head. We accept this but I think only intellectually. If we look at our usual lives, we live as if we don’t need God at all. Our world has a way of lulling us into believing that we can control our world and we can run our lives. Even if we know that we need God and that he is more important than anything else, we usually don’t feel it, and because we don’t feel it, we usually forget. We live happily with this illusion in our own version of the Matrix.
More dangerously, we hear–and without knowing it, fall for–the messages bombarded to us daily by the prevailing culture in our society, by media, that it’s cool to be rich and famous and to do whatever feels good even if it’s not necessarily right as long as you can get away with it. If we’re not careful, the Matrix we live in has a powerful way of convincing us that all this is true.
The Beatitudes is the red pill that the Lord is offering us—a pill that can cure us of our illusions. Make no mistake about it: It can be quite a bitter pill, one that’s hard to swallow. That’s why most of the time, we choose not to take it, preferring the blue pill offered by this world. After all, it’s a much sweeter pill–to be in denial, to delude ourselves that everything is all right and will be that way forever.
But if we want to see the truth and be freed from our illusions and attachments, we have to take the pill our Lord offers. The Beatitudes is medicine for the soul; it will reveal to us the truth. If we choose this red pill, we will begin to see things as they are: brief, ephemeral, and temporary. If we choose this pill, we will also begin to see ourselves as we are: fragile mortals totally dependent on God’s mercy.
That’s the beginning of becoming poor in spirit.
Is it difficult for you to choose the red pill–i.e., to accept the Beatitudes? Why so?” Think about it, and share a thought, a feeling, or a question.
(image: from “The Matrix”)
6 replies on “REMEMBER THE MATRIX?”
In this Pandemic, I do not find taking the Red Pill as difficult. It is a pill that I accept wholeheartedly. I have realized that the acquisition of Material things is nothing compared to the value of Family. I almost lost my 71 year old Dad to Covid (with co morbidities of diabetes & hypertension) I sacrificed my sleep (together with m my husband Carl) to rush daddy to 3 ERs just to save his life. Aug 6 all hospitals had no hospital rooms but because my Dad & brother have friends in the Energy Industry, Makati Med Accepted him no questions asked. He got worse, Remdesivir wasnt working anymore so we had to scramble to find B+ convalescent plasma at a very hefty price from the Red Cross but it saved his life (intubated 16 days at the MMC Neuro ICU) with the Blessed Tilma of Our Lady of Guadulupe wrapped around him, given to me by my Everest Academy Co- mom who also enjoined me to pray the Everest Academy Daily Rosary with the rest of the EAM community, i found strength. And with the whole community praying for Daddy, he got extubated by a miracle (tracheal tube malfunctioned so they put a hi flow cannula & was breathing & conscious after. But the quarantine from our Son for 16 days & the family drama that ensued due to the trauma of retrenching all employees of family company took a toll on my mental health. Dear Fr Johnny Go, please pray that i get better. I am on month no 3 of a full blown bipolar1 episode, and also daddy is still bedridden, breathing thru hi flow cannula but can walk 62 steps & is being cared for by a 24 hour care giver . I sacrificed my mental health for daddy and now i am paying the price for if. But like Our Lady of Sorrows, i carry my heavy cross with Joy?. The beautitudes are a beautiful reminder fir us to live more simply during this pandemic and though the red pill is tough to swallow for others, i take it because it is the truth & the way of life Jesus intends for us.
Personally, I love Matrix. The blue pill has taken its toll on me or for most of us; blinded me to what truly matters and essential at every moment. Sadly, this pill has a tremendous impact on me that I haven’t noticed like numbness, indifference, and self-absorption. Why is this so? Because I have overdose intake of the blue pill. The Gospel for today and the reflection above have awakened me once more of the invitation to take the red pill and be a red-pill incarnate especially now. When everything has been stripped off, when the blue pill does not bring comfort and blindness as it should be, the red pill comes into the scene. Jesus entering the scene once more, giving his assurance that he will always be with me even in the most bitterest taste of the red pill.
I have not seen the Matrix because I thought it was just one of those senseless science fiction stories. The pandemic through no choice of mine has been a red pill because it has made feel total helplessness and realize the truth -without God’s grace there is really nothing I can do.
Right now, Rolly, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2020, is outside my window. His “eye” already looking in, already fanning round my feet, already making noises behind the wall. With Covid 19, Rolly does not need to be the strongest typhoon around. It takes so little to top my bucket of fear and anxiety. I feel so weak, poor, in spirit “so fragile, totally dependent on God’s mercy”.
Thank You Fr for your reflections.
In this Pandemic, we suddenly found ourselves taking the red pill ~ What really matters In our life here on earth > not the position we hold in our jobs, not the fancy cars we drive , not being loaded with cash …(most of what we enjoy stopped operations) what is important now is but Life itself, how do we preserve it ⁉️ Its those around us that matters, they help us preserve our body, mind & spirit. They ate the everyday workers who serve & sustain us ~ they represent Jesus in our lives whom we have lnot bern mindful of because we were intoxicated by taking in the “blue-pill” ….
Lord let your Spirit be with us as we continue to see the meaning of the Truth ? in this trying time.