Past Reflections

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July 04, 2010 - America's New Found Vampire Obsession

by Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.

Well vampires are certainly all the rage. This week the new Twilight movie ECLIPSE eclipsed everything else, breaking box office records and opening in more theaters than any other movie in history. The HBO Vampire series TRUE BLOOD has gotten boffo ratings, and our own ABC has jumped into the bloodsucking craze with the new series THE GATES. So I was wondering what is it about vampires that has captured our imaginations? We’ve always been intrigued by the supernatural, and by extension the spiritual. Vampires cater to some of that appetite. They can live forever. We’d like to too. They can change into other life forms, like bats and wolves. Who wouldn’t want your dog’s life once in a while? We’ve even begun to fear sunlight, just like vampires do. No more skin cancers to get cut off. And how about the fact that they have no reflections. Wouldn’t you sometimes prefer seeing nothing when you look in the mirror rather than being subjected to the daily critique that can play in our heads. Yeah, there are some attractive things about being a vampire. But maybe it’s the dark side that we’re most attracted to. Living on the edge. Needing to survive in a secret world because if people really knew who you were they’d reject you. Maybe deep down we empathize with the outcast nature as much as we desire the extraordinary powers. A community of like minded beings keeping the secret rituals and practices as a means of survival. After all many faith traditions have had to do that throughout history to avoid persecution. Ultimately, with vampires what you see is not what you get. They’re so much more. And if you think about it, so are we.

To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click here.