August Rush, John the Baptist, Christ: Hope Present in the World

Tonight, after getting done with a dinner at the firehouse, I went out to a movie with a deacon brother here at the seminary. The movie was called August Rush. While, I do not condone the first scene where a baby is conceived outside of wedlock, however, the rest of the movie has a lot to tell about hope and other christian themes. What struck me most was the role that music played in the movie. Both of Evan's(August) parents are phenomenal musicians. Music takes his parents to another place. It has its own rules and ways that are hard to describe, but a muscian when they get into this place, it is tangible, everyone feels it at the level the soul. You are moved and do not know why. This trait of was passed on to Evan. However, he finds himself in an orphanage for the first eleven years of his life. Even though he has no training, he recognizes the musical quality all around him in the world. Eventually he winds up in New York and winds up at a church drawn in by a choir practicing. The next day he finds a piano and begins to compose. A Mozart prodigy. He then discovers the organ and goes into this special place. At the end of the movie, he is performing at Central Park with the New York Philharmonic a piece that he wrote. Remember he is only 12. Both of his parents are also there, brought together by circumstance. As soon as he began to direct the piece he composed, his mother heard it and froze. His father heard it from a cab. He jumped out and started running. As August conducts his piece, he becomes absorbed by the music, entering into the music. Entering into his hope of finding his parents. Lost in a place of hope. Towards the end of his piece, his parents were holding hands. They had not seen each other for eleven years, but their eyes met and they knew. At the moment their hands touched, August eyes grew wide and had a feeling. You then see him turn and his eyes lock with his parents and they all know. The music, their link to each other led them together. It pointed them in a way that only the connection of music that they had could do. It is a powerful movie. A powerful statement to the modern world.
The movie is an example of a boy who never lost hope in finding his parents. His mother never lost hope in finding her son after she found out he was alive. The father recognized him through a poster with his name and the music. It is once they connected on a musical level, at a deeper familial connection that you see the hope come to fruition, a harmonic and perfect cord is struck.
John the Baptist in the readings for this coming weekend sends his own disciples to Christ. John the Baptist recognizes the Christ and points people to Him. Christ the hope of the Jewish people, was there. It took the greatest prophet to prepare the way. It took a voice in the wilderness to point and recognize Christ. It took the music to bring three people together. It took letting the spirit guide and not losing hope to find each other. John the Baptist never lost hope in Christ. August never lost hope that he would find his parents. Yes, hope is the essential element. It is in his music that you can find all of human emotion exspressed, but especially his hope. The sound of hope is always distinct, it is always recognizable.
Hope is where we find Christ today. In hope do we await for him to come back. In hope do we prepare to celebrate his birth in a few weeks. In hope we should be living our lives. In great hope and anticipation did the Jewish People wait and prepare for him. It is easy to find dreary and dispair in the world around us, however we as Christians are called to be beacons of hope as August's music was a beacon that was recognized the most by his parents. Hope, the beacon that is Christ in the Eucharist. Hope, which John the Baptist prepared the way for. Hope, the beacon we are called to be. Let us go out and be hope in the world. Let us go out and prepare for the coming of hope on Dec. 25th when God showed his love most perfectly.