Is anyone disposable? Is anyone inherently evil? These are key questions unexpectedly addressed in Despicable Me, a phenomenally clever and captivating computer-animated film starring Steve Carrell. Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.despicableme.com/itrailer/DMTrailer.html
I saw Despicable Me on the way to the March for Life, which was quite provident, given that it involves three orphans (i.e., unwanted children) who are nefariously used by Gru, an unrepentant super-villain bent on
one-upping his rival villain. Is Gru 100% depraved? Well, from a Catholic perspective, although Gru suffers the effects original sin (a severe wounding of the human soul via the rejection of God's goodness by our original parents), he also bears the "imago Dei," the image of God.
In their song "Economy of Mercy" the band Switchfoot says "we are bruised and broken masterpieces, but we did not paint ourselves." That's it! The question is whether even Gru--cunning and uncaring--is a "masterpiece"? The filmmakers do a fine job of showing the layers of Gru's soul in order to better understand him and what might be an avenue of redemption in his life.
And what about us? Are we fundamentally "despicable" due to our turning from God, or are we fundamentally glorious due to who we are as God's beloved sons and daughters, adopted in Christ Jesus? I'll paraphrase what I once heard a Jesuit priest say about the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession): people don't go to Confession because they are bad; they go to Confession because deep-down they are good. Moreover, I'd add they go to Confession because God is SO GOOD.
Despicable Me is an uncannily privileged encounter with Goodness. As Jesuits, we seek to "find God in all things." Grace turns up in unexpected places (even especially in the least among us, such as unwanted children), and that grace can be totally transformational if we will cooperate with it.
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