St. Catherine of Siena wrote, “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” Greatness is measured by how we handle adversity. We will fall. That is a guarantee in life. What will we do when the fall is so hard it breaks us?
Lent is a time to reflect on our brokenness and need for salvation. It’s a time of self-denial. Fasting. Increased prayer. Oftentimes we experience a dark night in our spiritual life, when God removes consolation. During the darkest of times I look to both saints and characters in stories as models who endured suffering.
No other superhero deals with more chaos and darkness in his city than Batman. The Dark Knight of Gotham fights off menaces whose evil is beyond comprehension. Bruce Wayne’s enduring gauntlet of tests and temptations by Bane in the Knightfall series remind me of the spiritual battles we will face this Lent.
Heroes have the humility to ask for help
No matter how powerful, talented, or resourceful a person is they still must rely on others for success. Superheroes are not excluded from this fact. Batman over the years has developed many allies including, but not limited to Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, James Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Azrael, Batgirl, and Huntress. Even the Dark Knight needs help. He cannot take care of Gotham all by himself.
In the Knightfall story-arc, Batman fails to use his best resources— his friends. During Prelude to Knightfall, Batman battles with a miscellany of villains ranging from Black Mask, Metalhead, Killer Croc, and The Riddler. Coincidentally, these events take place soon after The Death of Superman. Losing a peer on the level of Kal-El certainly had some effect on Bruce Wayne even though it was not explicitly stated in the Knightfall series.
Bane, like Satan sends tests that grow incremental in strength. After the venom-powered Riddler fails to defeat Batman, Bane tells his team, “We need to test him–wear him down again–with more formidable forces…we need frenzy. We need naked madness itself” (Batman #490). In the following issue he breaks open Arkham Asylum.
The inmates of Arkham flood Gotham. Batman feels increased pressure to apprehend them as soon as possible. Zsasz. Firefly. Scarecrow. Joke. All sent by Bane to test (and tempt) Batman of his abilities. I consider it a sort of temptation because Bruce gave into pride and failed to ask for enough help. Alfred and Robin repeatedly urge Bruce to be careful about stretching himself too far.
Batman’s fight with Bane really wasn’t a fight. It was a beat-down. Completely one-sided in Bane’s favor. “A legion of crazed killers loosed on Gotham…too many and too much to fight…the toll great, pride no longer an asset…only prelude to a fall…leaving me drained and depleted,” thought Batman in the short time between Bane’s punches.
Humility acts as a shield against the bane of sin. Pride is the root cause of all sin. It’s a false shield. But wrapping yourself in pride only gives temporary defense. Instead of being humble enough to let others carry the weight of Gotham’s problems, Batman pridefully took it upon himself.
Resting is allowed in the fight against sin
St. Anthony the Great wrote, “Expect temptation to your last breath.” That is not necessarily the most reassuring statement. While the fight with Satan is never truly over until we die, temptation does not mean we should never take time to rest.
Bruce Wayne frequently disregarded the need for rest in the issues leading up to his defeat against Bane. In Batman #493 he reflects, “I can’t rest, not after the Arkham breakout–thirty-odd murders, and all the work of minor madmen. ”
Because of Bane’s efforts to take out the Dark Knight, Batman takes full responsibility for the madness. Robin urges Wayne to take care of himself and regroup. Bruce reminds the Boy Wonder that he is concerned about the madness across Gotham.
Tim Drake (Robin): “Hey, I know the situation, but you need a rest. Maybe if Azrael and I…”
Bruce Wayne: Jean-Paul (Azrael) is formidable–maybe even up to the task…but Bane is after me–and as long as I can stand, this is my business.”
Failure to stop, even for a short time, to recover led caused Batman’s defeat. During the challenging times in life it is okay to rest. It’s not a sign of weakness. Catholics are called to rest more than usual this Lenten season. Rest in the form of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Slowing down our pace will lead to greater growth and strength in the long run.
Redemption takes place when you are broken
Bane broke Bruce Wayne both figuratively and literally. He got inside Batman’s mind. Wore him down mentally with the barrage of escaped Arkham inmates. Bane also broke the Dark Knight’s back. Broken and unable to serve as the hero Gotham needed, Wayne passed on the mantle of the bat to Jean Paul Valley (a.ka. Azrael). Bruce then went on a quest to find his missing physical therapist who was instrumental in his rehabilitation (Batman Knightquest: The Search).
Valley becomes an effective replacement Batman as crime lowers across Gotham. But his methods are merciless. At the end of Knightquest: The Search the new Batman goes too far and murders the serial killer Abattoir. His actions go against Bruce Wayne’s code to never kill.
Confronting Valley in the batcave, Wayne says, “Look at you. You look like what you’ve become. A monster…I’m taking back the mantle of the bat before you spill anymore blood on it” (Knightquest Conclusion: Robin).
Like Bruce Wayne in Knightfall we are broken. We come into the season of Lent mindful of our brokenness and sinful ways. Jesus came to save the sinner not the perfect. Earthly perfection is a precursor to pride. Accepting our brokenness is a necessary step in humility. Humility puts us on the path of redemption. We see the need for help.
Let the Lord into your life this Lenten season. Invite others to share in your struggles. Ask for help to fend off your temptations. You may be broken, but you are never too far gone for God’s mercy.
Matt Chicoine
Matthew Chicoine is a free-lance writer, a life-long Catholic, and an avid truth seeker. He earned an M.A. in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2014 and enjoys binge reading Tolkien, Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Fulton Sheen and comic books. Visit his blog at https://thesimplecatholic.