I love fantasy literature. What I find fascinating about this genre is that, even though the worlds, storylines and characters can be very different, many of them share certain archetypes.1 One of the most interesting ones, especially among contemporary fantasy books, is that the protagonist is an orphan or somebody that doesn't know about his or her past. In one way or another, the main character discovers during the story a paternal figure that shows him something special about his past that makes him unique and very worthy.2 And usually, the paternal figure sacrifices his life out of love for the protagonist.
This archetype of the orphan discovering his true identity is found par excellence in the Bible. You could even say that Holy Scripture is the story of humanity becoming orphan because of original sin and for generations trying in vain to return back home to the Father, until Jesus comes to earth and gives his Life in order to open the door of God's love forever. With Christ, man recovers his true identity, that of an unconditionally beloved child of God.
This is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a new and challenging adventure. God reveals our true identity and shows us the way through Christ. But sin still clouds our eyes to who we really are. Our hearts are tormented by wounds from the past and a disordered use of our freedom, making it difficult to internalise the truth of God's love. This is also reflected in many fantasy stories. The protagonist discovers who his parents are and what his true story is, but there are also painful wounds and traumas in his heart that he must face, accept and allow to heal with the help of others. In this way, he can embrace his true identity and reach his final destination.
The virtue of piety is the virtue that enables us to internalise the truth of our divine filiation in our attitude and in our behaviour. You are pious when you behave with the dignity of a beloved child of God. For some, this feels more natural because they were raised in a close-knit and loving family and have been given a positive truthful image of God as Father. But it may also be that your image of the loving fatherly God has been tarnished because you received little attention and love as a child, because you experienced a broken family situation, or because you went through things in your life that damaged your identity.
Sister Clare Crockett (1982-2016) is an example of somebody who internalised the virtue of piety having a vulnerable identity. Born and raised up in Derry, Northern Ireland, she was baptised in the Catholic Church, but she was indifferent to religion. Already at a young age, she pursued a successful career as an actress. At the same time, she indulged in parties, boys and alcohol, until she accidentally ended up at a retreat in northern Spain where the crucified Christ knocked on the door of her heart. After a long inner journey, she discovered her calling as a nun at the Home of the Mother. She died with a reputation for holiness at the age of 33, in an earthquake in Playa Prieta (Ecuador), where she was living at the time.
Sister Clare had loving parents, but her ignorance of God and her sinful life had left her with a wounded identity. Through trial and error, she came to truly know God's fatherly love and learned to lay all her wounds and sinfulness at the Lord's feet. Gradually, a deep piety took root in her healing soul, as these words from her diary testify:
I am meditating now on the parable of the prodigal son and it is helping me a lot. It does me a lot of good to look at Rembrandt's painting because I feel totally identified with the son that was lost, broken and empty, not only in my past life, but even sometimes now.
I often need to kneel before the Father. The truth is that I only find peace when I lean for support on Him, when I go before Him with all my miseries and I let God be God, who loves me and forgives me unconditionally. I do not always understand His love and His mercy because mine is so weak and stained. Sometimes it seems as if I want to demonstrate to God that my darkness is too great to be overcome. But I experience that God asks me to trust in Him and when I do that, then I have peace and freedom.3
What Sister Clare shows so inspiringly is that your brokenness and your shortcomings can actually be the strength with which you can embrace the Father. It is precisely through the wounds of your soul that God's love can enter and shine light on your true identity.
How does piety manifest itself in daily life? In the peace and confidence with which we pray, in the dignity with which we attend Holy Mass and other liturgical celebrations, in the respect with which we kneel before the Tabernacle, in the way we treat those around us... It is all about the awareness that you are a child of the Almighty God permeating your entire life.
It is also expressed in the repentance we show when we sin and the desire with which we approach the sacrament of Confession. We will have to learn to deal with our shortcomings and mistakes throughout our lives. A pious soul realizes this, and realizes that God also takes this into account. His falls and shortcomings do not take away his inner peace, but rather encourage him to embrace divine mercy even more and to begin again with the forthcoming strength.
Life can be complex. Sometimes there are challenges in your life that you may find overwhelming and difficult to bear. Saints such as Josemaría Escrivá experienced this too. But they had a secret: they never let go of the hand of our mother Mary. Mary always leads you to Jesus. She will always help you to experience and live the Father's infinite love with all your brokenness:
“Mother! Call her again and again. She is listening, she sees you in danger perhaps, and with her Son's grace she, your holy Mother Mary, offers you the refuge of her arms, the tenderness of her embrace. Call her, and you will find yourself with added strength for the new struggle.”4
In short:
- Definition: The virtue of piety is the virtue that enables us to internalise the truth of our divine filiation in our attitude and in our behaviour.
- Young saints: Sr. Clare Crockett's wounds and vulnerabilities stayed with her after her conversion, and she learned to bring them to God over and over again in prayer, letting his love and mercy heal her and shine a light on her true identity as a beloved child of God.
- Books & movies: Many fantasy novels feature a protagonist who doesn't know the truth of their past and has to discover their true identity. That discovery is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a new and exciting adventure.
- From St. Josemaría: “If you become a child in front of God, that fact will bring you close to your Father God, and to your Mother, Holy Mary. And Saint Joseph and your Angel will not leave you unprotected when they see you are a child. Have faith. Do as much as you can. Be penitent, and be Loving! They will supply whatever else you need” (The Forge, no. 598). More here and here.
- Practical tips:
- Bring your brokenness and shortcomings to God in prayer and the sacrament of Confession. God loves you, and his light can come into your soul through your wounds.
- The dignity with which you participate in Mass, kneel before the Tabernacle, or take part in liturgy expresses and deepens your awareness that you are before your Father.
- Peace is a sign of piety: praying calmly, reacting to difficulties, getting up again when you fall...
- When life is complex or you feel overwhelmed by the challenges you face, Mary helps you experience God the Father's infinite love.
1 In literature and storytelling, archetypes are common character types, plot patterns, or symbols that appear across cultures.
2 Some examples of fantasy books that share this archetype: Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling), The Inheritance Cycle (C. Paolini) and The Farseer Trilogy (R. Hobb). You also see this archetype in science-fiction stories, like Star Wars and Skyward (B. Sanderson).
3 Sr. Kristen Gardner, SHM, Sister Clare Crockett. Alone with Christ Alone (Zurita, 2021), pg. 212.
4 St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, no. 516.
