#catholictradition

"O Lady of Loreto, Pray for Us!" #BlessedVirginMary 

"Saint John of Capistrano, Pray for Us!" #SaintoftheDay

By Elise Letrondo

I’m not a huge Marvel person, but through a chance viewing on a weird date, Thor: Ragnarok became one of my favorite films. I credit this largely to the writing and vision of director Taika Waititi, but also to the film’s success in fleshing out the complicated themes of loss and identity. Identity is something Thor seems to struggle with as a character, so I was interested to see where Thor: Love and Thunder would land him. And though the film was nothing like I expected, I was pleasantly surprised by it.

The plot is kicked off by establishing the backstory of the its villain, Gorr (The God Butcher). Gorr was once an average man from a tribe who worshiped the sun god. Well, Mr. Sun God didn’t deliver, and Gorr’s tribe all died of heat and hunger, including his beloved daughter.

So you can imagine Gorr is kind of upset. Long story short, Gorr gets ahold of the sun god (and a handy god-killing sword called the “Necrosword”) and slays him for his negligence, eventually becoming the only being in the universe with the power to kill gods (hence “God Butcher”). He also transforms into what is essentially a live action rendering of the character Turbo from Wreck-It Ralph, so that was petrifying. In this aggressively ugly form, Gorr begins a sweep of the universe’s gods, killing them all and their worshipers along with them. Bad news for Thor, a god, and anyone in the theater who brought small children.

There are several moments of characters in this movie meeting their gods and heroes, and with those moments so much disillusionment in finding those heroes don’t have the power and goodwill they were fabled to have. And what happened as a result of that disappointment? They fought gods, which was not only deeply entertaining to see played out, but got me thinking. There have been so many moments in my life when I -in spite of the religious devotion I was raised to uphold - wanted to literally fight God.

I can’t say I’ve lost my child and entire community to mass famine like Gorr. But as a non-practicing Christian watching Gorr confront the gods, I felt a resonance in spite of myself. To be able to question his god, the one whom he devoted his livelihood to worshiping in return for some sort of prize, must have been a satisfying thing. To tap into that human yearning for fairness and say, “Hey! I did all the shit they said I had to. Don’t I get anything in return for that?” I can’t count how many times I’ve felt that way. Let down by a system that sang songs of care and reward. How could the church brand faith as a superpower when it inevitably made me feel so powerless?

Powerlessness is a strong theme throughout the film, from Gorr being unable to save his daughter through prayer to Jane Foster’s fight against illness. In fact, powerlessness is something that Thor has been battling for several movies now after losing his homeland, his eye, and his battle with Thanos. Fate keeps beating him down as if to remind him that, despite being a literal god, he’s not as strong as he thought himself to be. As it happens, none of the characters in Thor: Love and Thunder are.

"O Lady of Loreto, Pray for Us!" #FeastoftheDay 

"Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Pray for Us!" #FeastDay

All Soul’s Day invites us into a sacred pause—a moment to remember, reflect, and reconnect with those who have gone before us. Rooted in the belief that the soul endures beyond death, this day is a gentle call to lift our hearts in prayer and remembrance, honoring the lives that shaped ours. 🕊️ Prayers That Carry Love Across Time Whether whispered alone or spoken in community, these traditional…