City of God

My wife and I finished watching perhaps the most gut-wrenching movie I have ever seen, City of God. My heart breaks for the lives depicted in the movie. How someone like Lil'Ze becomes so evil is beyond my understanding. And yet, my heart breaks for Lil'Ze and others like him. As evil as he is, he is still human. The scene that brought out Lil'Ze's humanity also brought out his inhumanity as well. I could feel his awkwardness in figuring out how to ask a girl to dance. What guy hasn't had butterflies and insecurities when communicating with a girl? But then he's rejected - she's there with another guy. Now, any rational human being feels hurt by this rejection and moves on, but the hatred in Lil'Ze's heart spills out into irrational, inhumane, evil, detestable actions. Like I said, in one scene, Lil'Ze shows his humanity and inhumanity.
Benny on the otherhand, after living a life of crime, attempts to free himself from the grasp of evil. As he finds value in his relationship and love for Angelica, he begins to value all of human life more. Perhaps this is what he means when he tells Lil'Ze to get a girlfriend. He has grown tired of a life that devalues life. Through love, he has found joy. If you haven't seen the movie, I won't tell you how this ends up for Benny.
Love is absent in this city. It seems that in the City of God, faith, hope, and love have not remained. And yet, each character is in desperate need of all three. Benny's love for his girlfriend seems to be his chance for salvation from his society. But so much to overcome. I cannot imagine living in a society even close to that of City of God, and yet, millions of people live like this everyday simply based on their place of birth. How can God's love penatrate these places? How can we as the church make a difference in the lives of Rocket, Benny, and even Lil'Ze? How do we effectively spread the gospel in places like this? It seems completely insurmountable, and yet, we worship a God who does the impossible. And more than that, we have His spirit in us. That sounds much like a cliche, but it is true. For me, I need to allow God to break my heart for places like the City of God. I need to be more open to allowing God to use me to make a difference in my society as well. There are people here in Arlington trapped without hope, faith, and love. Perhaps prayer is the best place to start. But this simply can't be a thing to pray about, unless I pray for God to provide opportunity for me to act as well.
Am I glad I saw the movie - yes and no. The scenes are haunting, especially violence to children. But the movie is powerful. It is an eye-opener as to how some in our world live. The acting is superb, the way the story is told is brilliant.
(If you haven't seen the City of God, I only recommend it with the disclaimer that it is rated a very strong R for graphic violence, sexuality, and pervasive language. So if you see it, please know that it is one of the fiercest R-rated movies I have seen, but it is extremely powerful.)