Now, as much as I am dissatisfied with the direction Disney has taken with many of their movies as of late – not necessarily its “woke” agenda in general, as much as its attack on traditional family values more in particular (most especially their treatment of what it means to be a real father)… as much as I try NOT to support this, I can’t help but LOVE the Disneyland park. And I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. Our family usually goes once a year to enjoy time together and experience the thrill and shear entertainment of the magical land. There is something just special about it. It didn’t really hit me at first, but I think more and more – especially after my haunted house – I realized that there is something good about our human experience. God gave us our senses. It seems obvious. But God really did give us all our senses, and after He had created everything he said that they were “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This is why the Mass is so very special – because it appeals to our whole human person – body and soul. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes of the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament – they all appeal through our body to our soul. This is actually why Jesus instituted the Sacraments. It is in fact why Jesus himself became man – he came to experience our humanity, so that our humanity might experience his divinity!
St. John of the Cross wrote his famous book “The Dark Night of the Soul”. And in it he steps through what many Saints have experienced – a spiritual darkness, where God seems to have abandoned the person (recall Jesus on the cross – “my God, my God! O Why have you abandoned me”). This experience is oriented at stripping a person of their attachments to feelings in order to re-orient those feelings toward God. The Dark Night, just like the Mass itself, is a grace given by God which appeals to the whole person (body and soul) in order for them to Love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength!
It is an unfortunate fact that many Catholics go to Mass expecting some sort of entertainment value. And while the Mass itself isn’t meant to be that for us – the Mass of course has a much greater purpose – the desire for some holy entertainment is not without merit. Yet – where can Catholics go for such wholesome, whole – person, holy entertainment?
It was the combination of all these thoughts where God placed the idea in my heart of a Museum for the Saints – but not just a run-of-the-mill museum with pictures on a wall. Rather, I want a place that might replicate the Disneyland experience but with more to it than just the thrill of a ride. My thought was that our Catholic faith is always a “both / and” faith. If Disney could offer this kind of enjoyment with no real depth behind the characters, and rides etc.. Why could we not have something similar that actually teaches people about the Catholic faith in an unsuspecting way? I wanted to call it The Dark Night Museum, in honor of St. John of the Cross.