The Empire fell a few years before, but a new order had not fully emerged. Along the peripheries, former officials and commanders trampled on others’ rights to preserve or advance their own power and wealth. Those advocating for justice lacked the authority or resources to counteract the abuses.
This was the situation in a galaxy far, far away, during the time of The Mandalorian. The Galactic Empire crumbled with the destruction of the second Death Star and the deaths of the Emperor and Darth Vader. However, former Imperial leaders, along with crime organizations and others, remained able to exploit people and take whatever they wanted. Slavery, human trafficking, and oppression were still common. On many worlds, New Republic authority remained unable to address these injustices.
This was also the situation in the Spanish colonies in the New World in 1531. The Aztec Empire, which had long dominated the area, had been defeated for ten years. While both King and Church prohibited enslaving and abusing the indigenous populations, corrupt officials brazenly defied those laws. Reports of torture, murder, kidnapping, and theft by the authorities were coming forward, and clergy who spoke out against those practices were persecuted. The Bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, had written to King Charles V that “If God does not provide the remedy from His Hand, the land is about to be completely lost.” The corruption was so deep and pervasive, it is said he had to have the letter smuggled out of Mexico to avoid it being intercepted and censored.
In December of 1531, God did provide a remedy, via the appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego. The message of Our Lady was that her Son was the True God, the Creator, and would look with compassion on the people of these lands. The message also included the image of Our Lady imprinted on Saint Juan Diego’s tilma, showing her with traditional symbols of pregnancy. The message and the image thus called for respect for life: people of all cultures and ages are loved and valued by God and should not be enslaved or taken advantage of. Still today, the image represents the defense of innocent lives against any practice which would devalue them.
Din Djarin’s choices in the first three episodes of The Mandalorian include a sort of conversion toward this point of view. The Mandalorian operates in a chaotic region of the galaxy and makes his living dealing with the rougher elements of the region. Many in his circle would have excused his original choice to bring the Child to the client who placed the bounty. If he had looked only at his own or his people’s interests, he could have walked away from the situation. He could easily tell himself that whatever the client was planning to do with the Child was not his fault and not his problem.
Instead, he chose to fight to protect the Child. He risked his life, his livelihood, and his reputation to save the life of a vulnerable person. Over the remainder of the first season and through the second season, he continued to sacrifice to protect the Child. His efforts, while not free from mistakes and detours, are aimed toward the best interests of the Child, and are pursued with courage and persistence. In our galaxy, the defense of innocent life likely will not require beskar armor and a blaster, but it will require the same dedication and daring.
We know it will require courage, because the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the picture from Revelation 12: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with child. This passage tells us that the great dragon “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world,” went to make war against the children of the Woman. Those who advance respect for life, or who combat human trafficking and modern slavery, are fighting in Our Lady of Guadalupe’s cause, and against the ancient serpent.
The Mandalorian comments at one point “Weapons are part of my religion.” As Christians, this is true for us in the spiritual sense: we are the Church Militant, and our fight against the Dark Side is part of our spirituality. Just as the Mandalorian faithfully maintains his weapons and armor, we must keep ours at hand and in good repair. Our spiritual weapons include the Sacraments, reading and meditating on Holy Scripture, the Rosary, fasting, and Holy Water. Our mental and spiritual armor might include penitential practices, a Saint Benedict medal, and working on developing virtuous habits.
If those who serve under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe live with the same honor and commitment as the Mandalorian, we have a chance to build a culture of life and human dignity. It will require discipline and courage, yet it is the mission to which we have been called.
Matthew Heffron
Matt Heffron is an Iraq veteran and an attorney. He lives with his wife and nine kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and loves Catholic tradition, practicing martial arts, riding motorcycle, and superheroes.