Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
July 23, 2017
Spiritual Ponderings
Faith & Film: Jungle Book
 
Jungle Book:
A young human boy named Mowgli was rescued as a baby from death by a panther named Bagheera.  Bagheera entrusts Mowgli to a pack of wolves led by Akela.  Akela tries to raise Mowgli as a wolf and therefore looks down upon him when Mowgli uses his human reasoning to invent tools to make his life easier.  During a particular dry year, a truce is called in the jungle and everyone gathers around the river.  At the river Sheer Khan, a tiger, makes it known that he plans to kill Mowgli when the drought ends.  Bagheera decides that the best thing for Mowgli is that he be taken to the man village at the edge of the jungle.   
 
During their travels, Mowgli and Bagheera become separated and Mowgli meets a python named Kaa.  Mowgli is rescued from Kaa by Baloo, a giant bear.  Baloo and Mowgli quickly becomes friends and are reunited with Bagheera.  As they continue their journey to the man village Mowgli is kidnapped by monkeys and taken to their king – a giant monkey named Louie.  Louie wants Mowgli to give him the secret to fire (the red flower) which Mowgli does know anything about. 
 
After escaping Louie and the monkeys, Mowgli learns about Shere Khan has killed Akela and now he desires to avenge Akela’s death.  Mowgli grabs a torch from the man village and runs back into the jungle to face Sheer Kahn.   Mowgli accidently sets the forest on fire and Sheer Khan falls to his death.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 
Spiritual Insight #1 – Be oneself
One of the key struggles that Mowgli has in the story is discovering who he is supposed to be.  Akela and Bagheera wanted Mowgli to act like a wolf and did not appreciate Mowgli’s “human tricks” (making of tools).  At the end, Mowgli learns that he has to be himself if is he is going to beat Sheer Kahn.  Baloo on the other hand appreciates Mowgli’s tricks but does not at first appreciate the fact that Mowgli has his own life to live.  Mowgli had to learn to appreciate his tool making ability and to do the things he feels compelled to do despite what other people may think of him. 
 
Spiritual Insight #2 – Friendship
Mowgli learns a lot about friendship throughout the movie as he encounters different animals.  The main lesson he learns is that friends want what is best for you.  King Louie, Sheer Kahn and Kaa all want something from Mowgli.  Bagheera, Akela (and wolves), and Baloo want what is best for Mowgli.  Baloo begins his relationship with Mowgli by using him to get honey but he quickly learns that friendship with the man cub is worth more than all the honey he could eat.  This is why he is willing to fight the monkeys and Sheer Kahn to save Mowgli.
 
Spiritual Insight # 3 – Part of a Pack
A youth minister I know is very fond of saying “The Catholic Faith was never meant to be lived alone.”  This is somewhat similar to the wolfs’ Law of the Jungle: “Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” 
 
The Law of the Jungle I think can be compared to St. Paul’s teaching on the Mystical Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians:
As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.  Now the body is not a single part, but many.   If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.”- 1 Corinthian 12: 12:26