237 - Babette's Feast, 1987, Denmark. Dir. Gabriel Axel.
Mercy and truth have met together.
Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another.
Man, in his foolishness and shortsightedness, believes he must make choices in this life.
He trembles at the risks he takes.
We all know . . . fear.
But no.
Our choice is of no importance.
The moment comes when our eyes are opened, and we see and realize that grace is infinite.
We need only await it with confidence and acknowledge it in gratitude.
Mercy and truth have met together.
Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another.
So says cavalry officer Lorens Lowenheilm in his toast at Babette's feast, in the presence of Martine, almost 50 years after being rejected by her, one of the town's two most eligible sisters, both of whom turned down their respective suitors to live lives of devotion alongside and on behalf of their father, the local pastor.
Lorens still loves Martine.
And he always will.
The particular circumstances of their lives will never get in the way of that love. It transcends them.
Grace is infinite.
And in the end everything is going to be OK.
For those who receive it.
Lorens may never be with Martine physically. But he will love her until the day he dies.
This is not the only work of grace that takes place at Babette's feast.
Grace is at work for everyone seated around the table
And what a table it is.
It is a 10,000-franc meal prepared by Babette, who was the head chef at the Parisian Cafe Anglais.
She moved here 14 years ago to escape war, and has come to call it her home.
Someone has been buying her lottery tickets every year in Paris--most likely Achille Papin, the rejected suitor to the other sister--and now she has won. She uses her winnings to give back to her beloved community.
The devout, now elderly, members of this faithful parish, are treated by Babette to foods of which they have never dreamed. They agree not to discuss the food in order to stave off indulging in the flesh.
Lorens, however, does discuss it, because he is a cultured man, and he once had a meal this great.
At the Cafe Anglais in Paris, prepared by the female head chef.
He describes the foods in detail, as well as their flavors.
A good deal of screen time is devoted to the preparation and consumption of this one meal. And not one moment is wasted.
As grace is ministered in its infiniteness.
The meal, and that infinite grace that come through it, transform the lives of everyone there.
It is worth the cost.
After the meal, when the sisters discover what Babette has done, and what price she has paid, Martine's sister Philippa blesses her.
"In Paradise you will be the great artist God meant you to be."
He tells her, "I have been with you every day of my life."
And he continues, "I shall be with you every day that is left to me."
He means this whether he sees her physically or not. He loves her. He loves her in spirit. He will always love her.
And nothing can stop or diminish or defeat that love. Nothing.
He explains, "Tonight I have learned, my dear, that in this beautiful world of ours, all things are possible."
And with grace, all things are.
No comments:
Post a Comment