That phrase immediately calls forth images of battles in space, Jedi knights, good, evil and many more, depending on your own familiarity with Spielberg's "Star Wars". To say that I am an addict to that famous trilogy is a gross understatement. Why, I still look forward to Deb making good on her promise to get her daddy, his own TIE fighter. I remain convinced of her sincerity, but recognize that technology currently imposes limits on her ability to fulfill that promise. By the time that she can, chances are pretty good that I will be exploring the Force from a different perspective.

But what of this Force? Is it merely a machination of the mind to add depth to a story? Or, is it an attempt to understand who mankind is? Is the Force, as depicted in Star Wars, a metaphor for God? Is it meant to suggest how we relate to our own God?

Daily life holds many examples to support the presence of some universal Force. So-called Extra Sensory Perception and psycho-kinetics could be skills learned by people with a higher sensitivity to or awareness of the Force. How many of us know someone who "sensed" that something good or bad had occurred, somewhere remote. How can you catch a falling object, without any visual or aural feed back? What generates the sense of well being we experience when we are mingling with nature? The Force may exist as the "spiritual highway" or "backbone" connecting our souls to our God.

For centuries mankind has grappled with descriptors for Heaven and Hell. We have relied upon biblical or ancient writings on which to base those descriptions. The adjectives and metaphors used had to accommodate the understanding and sophistication of the audience. Heaven was equated with light, comfort, peace and gold. Hell was synonymous with fire (a feared and destructive force for the ancients), torment, despair and loneliness.

What worse Hell could exist than to remain cognizant but unable to communicate with that Force? Such torment, loneliness and despair. Regarding Heaven, can we view light, as understanding and gold, as being without material need? If so, can we believe that peace, understanding and material independence result from an assimilation by the Force; becoming one within It?

We can modify our perception of these eventualities to accommodate our 21st century understanding and sophistication without contradicting the concepts. With this in mind then,

May the Force Be With You, Always and Forever, Amen.