Twenty-second Week: Tuesday (Week II)

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When it comes to Frankenstein, the monster in the book is quite different from the monster portrayed in the film. The movie monster is a plodding, giant, oaf. However, in the book, the monster observes a family and learns to speak, teaches himself to read, and befriends the blind grandfather. He very much wishes to be a part of the family and have a partner for himself. The monster hopes the grandfather would be a character witness to the family on his behalf being that, prima facie, he was hideously grotesque and would most likely be shot and killed before he could get one sentence out to explain his unfortunate predicament. Yet, what both monsters have in common is they resort to grave violence, wickedness, and cruelty to deal with their problem. In the book, he only speaks words taught by human wisdom, as he does not have the capacity to speak words taught by the Spirit. This is because Frankenstein’s monster has no other option, he has nowhere else to turn; he does not have a soul.

The Spirit who is from God transforms us to do great things so that we may follow Jesus Christ and one day be in heaven with our Father. But, this is all possible because we have rational souls. Frankenstein’s monster is unable to grasp this, nor is he able to receive the grace from the Spirit to help him imitate Christ. When a demon has a hold on our soul, when we sin, we are reduced to beasts, yelling and flailing about, cursing God, and being an oppressor to our neighbors. With the monster, there is no hope. Yet, there is always hope for us. Being so, let the Word of God transform you and heal you of your demon(s). For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. So, identify the demon that is causing you strife, and invite the divine physician to heal you today with his Word and Spirit. We are God’s greatest creatures, so let us act accordingly. Lest we become like Dr. Frankenstein’s creature, hideous and grotesque; a real horror show.