by Chase Hawkins
One of my favorite movies of all time is Disney’s “The Lion King”. Classic movie. The movie is about a young lion named Simba who is anxious about one day becoming the king of the land, like his father. However, Simba’s evil uncle, Scar, also wants to be the king. The only way Scar can be king is if both Simba and his father, Mufasa, are out of the picture. SPOILER ALERT. But when Simba and Mufasa attempt to escape from a stampede of wildebeest, Scar fakes trying to save Mufasa. As Mufasa clings to the edge of a cliff, Scar starts to save him before intentionally letting him fall to his death in the canyon. When Simba sees his dead father, he becomes scared. Scar tells him to run away so that the other animals won’t blame him for his father’s death. Simba leaves for years trying to recreate himself until finally returning to defeat Scar for the crown.
One of the great scenes of this movie shows Simba speaking to a wise baboon named Rafiki. Rafiki leads Simba to a pond, where Rafiki instructs Simba to look into the water:
One of the great scenes of this movie shows Simba speaking to a wise baboon named Rafiki. Rafiki leads Simba to a pond, where Rafiki instructs Simba to look into the water:
Rafiki: “Look down there.”
[Simba looks down into the pond and sees his own reflection]
Simba: “That’s not my father. That’s just my reflection.”
Rafiki: “No. Look harder.”
[Rafiki touches the pond and Simba’s reflection slowly transforms into Mufasa’s reflection]
Rafiki: “You see? He lives in you.”
View this short scene with this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_OMPrqhA_4
“The Lion King” was so successful that they created a “Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride” and a “Lion King 1 ½”. In the opening scene of “The Lion King 2”, there is a song called “He Lives in You”. This song, performed by an African choir, is a reminder to Simba that his father lives in him and a reminder to Simba’s daughter that Mufasa lives in her. It is also a direct reference to Rafiki’s wise words in the original movie. In the sequel, Mufasa can be seen looking down upon Simba from the Heavens just as he appears to Simba as a group of stars in the first movie.
Rafiki’s quote and subsequent song reminds Simba that his father is always with him. It can also be a reminder to us that God is always with us.
God reveals that He is with us several times throughout His Sacred Scripture. An instance of this is in the Old Testament when God appears to Moses as a burning bush:
“The Lion King” was so successful that they created a “Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride” and a “Lion King 1 ½”. In the opening scene of “The Lion King 2”, there is a song called “He Lives in You”. This song, performed by an African choir, is a reminder to Simba that his father lives in him and a reminder to Simba’s daughter that Mufasa lives in her. It is also a direct reference to Rafiki’s wise words in the original movie. In the sequel, Mufasa can be seen looking down upon Simba from the Heavens just as he appears to Simba as a group of stars in the first movie.
Rafiki’s quote and subsequent song reminds Simba that his father is always with him. It can also be a reminder to us that God is always with us.
God reveals that He is with us several times throughout His Sacred Scripture. An instance of this is in the Old Testament when God appears to Moses as a burning bush:
“…[T]he angel of the Lord appeared to [Moses] as fire flaming out of a bush. When he looked, although the bush was on fire, it was not being consumed…
When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called out to him from the bush: Moses! Moses! He answered, ‘Here I am.’…
But the Lord said: I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them up from that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey… Now go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.
But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’
God answered: I will be with you; and this will be your sign that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God at this mountain…” (Exodus 3:2,4, 7-8, 10-12).
In the Old Testament, God commands Moses to lead His people out of slavery, but Moses does not feel qualified to lead this tremendous task. What Moses doesn’t realize is that God does not call the equipped; God equips the called. The only reason Moses was able to lead God’s people out of Egypt was because God was with him.
From the very beginning of the New Testament, we are again reminded that God is with us. In Joseph’s dream, the angel says to him, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:23). One of Jesus’ titles – Emmanuel – is a reminder in and of itself that God is with us. Not to mention that Jesus’ incarnation allowed God to physically walk amongst us.
And as a final reminder, before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus tells us once more that He is with us: “‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Just like God assigned to Moses a tremendous task, Jesus assigns a tremendous task to His disciples. However, both Moses and the disciples know that God is with them. And since Jesus was also instructing us to go and make disciples of all nations, we too must know that He is with us.
We are reminded, just as Simba was reminded, that our Father lives in us. Just as Rafiki says: “He lives in you”. Like Simba, if you want to find your Father, you must look at your reflection. If you want to find God, you must look inward. He lives in you. You must maintain a relationship through consistent prayer and self-reflection.
Furthermore, God is not only living inside each one of us, but He also lives in millions of tabernacles across the world. At all times, Jesus is waiting for you, drawing you in to the silence of His presence. If you seek God, seek His Son in the Eucharist—His Son whose very name reminds us that “God is with us”.
In whatever you do this week, remember that God is always with you. He dwells inside of you and He dwells inside of each person you encounter. He is waiting for you in the tabernacle and He longs for you to seek Him out. He lives in you.
St. Francis of Assisi, ora pro nobis.
St. Margaret Clitherow, ora pro nobis.
Papa Francesco, tibi oramus.
Chawkins.
“He Lives in You” by Lebo M from “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23OVbFx4hl0
Powerful scene of Moses and the Burning Bush from “The Prince of Egypt”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5BQWubuC8g
From the very beginning of the New Testament, we are again reminded that God is with us. In Joseph’s dream, the angel says to him, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:23). One of Jesus’ titles – Emmanuel – is a reminder in and of itself that God is with us. Not to mention that Jesus’ incarnation allowed God to physically walk amongst us.
And as a final reminder, before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus tells us once more that He is with us: “‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Just like God assigned to Moses a tremendous task, Jesus assigns a tremendous task to His disciples. However, both Moses and the disciples know that God is with them. And since Jesus was also instructing us to go and make disciples of all nations, we too must know that He is with us.
We are reminded, just as Simba was reminded, that our Father lives in us. Just as Rafiki says: “He lives in you”. Like Simba, if you want to find your Father, you must look at your reflection. If you want to find God, you must look inward. He lives in you. You must maintain a relationship through consistent prayer and self-reflection.
Furthermore, God is not only living inside each one of us, but He also lives in millions of tabernacles across the world. At all times, Jesus is waiting for you, drawing you in to the silence of His presence. If you seek God, seek His Son in the Eucharist—His Son whose very name reminds us that “God is with us”.
In whatever you do this week, remember that God is always with you. He dwells inside of you and He dwells inside of each person you encounter. He is waiting for you in the tabernacle and He longs for you to seek Him out. He lives in you.
St. Francis of Assisi, ora pro nobis.
St. Margaret Clitherow, ora pro nobis.
Papa Francesco, tibi oramus.
Chawkins.
“He Lives in You” by Lebo M from “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23OVbFx4hl0
Powerful scene of Moses and the Burning Bush from “The Prince of Egypt”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5BQWubuC8g