Ray Bradbury was one of the most influential American writers of the twentieth century. His novels, including Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, are considered classics of the science fiction genre and his output of short stories was prolific. Unlike many other sci-fi writers of his time and since, Bradbury was willing to explore spirituality and the supernatural in his work. Some of his stories display a deep admiration for Jesus Christ, the Holy Bible, and Christianity. However, Bradbury himself did not profess to be a Christian (indeed, he was something of an eclecticist in terms of religion) and in his stories that explore Christian themes and ideas, he sometimes betrays surprising ignorance of the truths that Christians (and Catholics in particular) believe. Yet even his errors can produce tales that communicate important spiritual lessons if read through a Catholic lens. An example of one such story is “The Messiah,” which is anthologized in I Sing the Body Electric: And Other Stories.
Like many of his sci-fi tales, “The Messiah” takes place on the planet Mars. Among the human colonists are clergy of various denominations working to spread the Word of God on the Red Planet. One of these is Father Niven, a man who has had an intense desire to meet Jesus Christ since childhood. “It might well be the first reason I became a priest,” he admits.
One night Fr. Niven is awakened by a noise. He leaves his rectory to investigate and finds the door to the church is open. In the stillness of the house of God he can hear a dripping sound coming from the baptistry. A figure stands there in the shadows. It puts an outstretched hand over the baptismal font – “There was fixed a jagged hole, a cincture from which, slowly, one by one, blood was dripping, falling away down and slowly down, into the baptismal font.”
As the mysterious figure steps into the light, Fr. Niven recognizes the apparition as an image of Christ and is overcome by fear and awe. But, to the further astonishment of the priest, the Christ-figure itself appears to be afraid. The vision trembles and cries out and begs to be let go. “Please! Avert your gaze! The more you look the more I become this! I am not what I seem!”
The mysterious visitor is a Martian.
In Bradbury’s Martian stories the indigenous inhabitants of the Red Planet have telepathic powers and the ability to cast illusions into the minds of Earthmen, disguising themselves as anyone and anything. Curiosity drove this Martian to visit a human settlement. Its appearance shifted as it encountered different people. The alien being soon found itself pursued. It fled and sought safety behind the first unlocked door it found – that of Fr. Niven’s church. Now, the creature has become trapped in the shape of the one Person Fr. Niven most desires to see. “If you keep me, force me into this shape some little while longer, my death will be on your hands,” the Martian warns.
But Fr. Niven is consumed by an unreasoning need to maintain the illusion that his dream of meeting Jesus Christ in the flesh has become a reality. The priest makes a desperate and selfish bargain. In exchange for the Martian’s freedom, Fr. Niven compels the creature to swear it will return to the church in the shape of Christ every year at Easter so that he can relive this moment. After Fr. Niven extracts the promise and makes the Martian “bless” him, he releases it. Overcome with conflicting emotions, Fr. Niven resolves never to speak of this extraordinary encounter to anyone.
Incomplete picture
“The Messiah” is an arresting and unsettling story that compels the reader to consider what he would do if he found himself in the same situation. But as I pondered over the implications of Fr. Niven’s words and deeds, I quickly determined that the story was incomplete. Bradbury had left a crucial, all-important factor unaddressed: The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
Catholics believe that the bread and wine consecrated at the Mass are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is called transubstantiation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity.” (CCC 1413) After his Resurrection from the dead but before his Ascension into Heaven, Jesus made a promise to his disciples and to the Church down the centuries: “Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) In his Eucharistic presence, Jesus has indeed kept his promise to remain with us always.
In the light of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist, Fr. Niven comes across as a rather pathetic figure. He is clinging desperately to a counterfeit Christ, an illusion born of his own desires and needs, rather than worshiping the true Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God and Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who is truly present in the tabernacle of his church! As a priest, he ought to know better!
Fasle messiahs
It is perhaps not surprising that Bradbury, a non-Catholic, would fail to fully appreciate the paramount significance of the Blessed Sacrament in the life of the Church. But to a Catholic reader, the absence of any reference to the Eucharist in “The Messiah” is keenly felt. Still, an important lesson (though doubtless unintentional on the part of the author) can be gleaned from the story: We must be ever vigilant against the danger of clinging to false Messiahs, whether they be charismatic leaders, utopian ideologies, or our own private notions about what the Savior “should” be like. Rather, we must except Jesus Christ as he is, not as we would like him to be. This means paying close attention to his Word in the Scriptures and to the teaching of the Church, his Mystical Body.
Above all, it means worthily receiving communion with him in the Blessed Sacrament. After all, as St. Paul insists: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) Jesus himself admonishes us: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” (John 15:5) Remain grafted onto Christ through faith and the sacraments and you will have nothing to fear from counterfeit Messiahs.
Thomas J. Salerno
Thomas Salerno is a Catholic author, freelance writer, and podcaster born and raised on Long Island, New York. Among his many passions are dinosaurs, Tolkien's Middle-earth, Star Wars, and superheroes. His writing has been featured in numerous publications including Word on Fire, Aleteia, Amendo, Busted Halo, Catholic World Report, Empty Tomb Project, and Missio Dei. Thomas is the creator and host of the Perilous Realms Podcast and is a contributor to the StarQuest Production Network (SQPN), where he serves as co-host on the Secrets of Movies and TV Shows and the Secrets of Middle-Earth podcasts. Thomas has a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Stony Brook University. You can follow his work on his Substack newsletter thomasjsalerno.substack.com or @Salerno_Thomas on Twitter.