The movie Sister Act is a great movie. I know there maybe some who would not agree. And that would be alright. I have watched the movie many times over the last few years. There are a couple of scenes in particular that really speak to me as it relates to faith and the living out of faith.
Because Whoopi Goldberg is the main character, it would be easy to think that the movie is about her. It is not. The movie actually revolves around another nun, Sister Mary Robert. She befriends Goldberg’s character, Sister Mary Clarence, and makes an interesting confession on Mary Clarence’s first night at the convent. You can see it here in the following scene.
*It’s the first 3 minutes of the video.
We All Have Something To Offer
Here is the specific two lines.
“All my life everybody seems to be doing or catching on to things a second faster than me… I’ve always felt there is something inside of me, that — that I want to give, something that is only me and nobody else. Does that sound like a terrible thing? Like Pride?”
There are so many people who believe that they have nothing to offer the world. Let alone their friends and neighbors. This is a terrible shame. We all have something to offer. We all have been given talents and gifts that we can share with the world. There is not a single person that has no value. What we do is not who we are. But, we may become what we do if we do not chose to walk a different path. Paul tells his son in the faith, Timothy, that he needs to stir up the spiritual gift that was put in him because when we do not use our gifts we are giving in to fear.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:6-7, ESV)
A Gift Stirred Up
The second scene is the fulfillment of the first. It has always struck me as interesting/strange/odd that the scene reflects what Paul said to Timothy. The gift of God is fanned into flame by “the laying on of my hands.” In this scene the gift of Mary Robert is revealed. It is a wonderful and unique gift. From that moment on, her demeanor changes and her place in the world is identified.
I do no know if these rather deep spiritual themes were intended, but they are captured so beautifully in the movie. The power of faith and the courage of trusting those around you are two attributes that make this a compelling story. If you have not watched the movie, go watch the whole it. You will not regret it.
(I may come back to this movie in a future post. There is another scene that really gets me. Watch out for that.)
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