I am a huge fan of The Newsies. The Disney movie version. I didn’t really like the play. Just did not have the same plot tension that the movie did. When the kids were young we used to watch this movie over…and over…and over…and…well, you get the idea. For those of you who are not familiar with this story, The Newsies is about a group of poor newspaper carriers in turn of the 20th Century New York City. They, like other child workers at that time of history, are taken advantage of by newspaper tycoon, Joseph Pulitzer. Of Pulitzer prize fame. Pulitzer decides to squeeze every last nickel from the news carriers by raising the price of what they have to pay to buy newspapers from Pulitzer and then sell them to the public. The increased price makes turning a profit much more difficult. So the news carriers, The Newsies, go on strike. A real life David and Goliath story.
Christian Bale plays the part of Cowboy. The defacto leader of the bunch of misfits. And against all odds, he is winning. Pushing Pulitzer and all the other leaders of industry in New York to the brink. Pulitzer has Cowboy arrested and threatens his friend David with prison if Cowboy does not back down. He bribes Cowboy to become a “scabber”. Someone who goes against the striking workers. He betrays his friends causing the striking movement to crumble to the verge of complete collapse. Cowboy has an epiphany realizing that friendship and honor trumps wealth and he returns to leadership. He takes the newsies to victory over Pulitzer galvanizing them, and the other child workers in New York, into a force to be reckoned with. All this and great music and choreography. Who can beat that combo.
Now this is all well and good, but what does all this have to do with Easter. I mean this is Saturday before Easter Sunday. The biggest day in Christianity. On the first Easter morning over 2000 years ago, 2 of Jesus’ disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus. They are despondent. Just 7 short days ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph. They were on top of the world. People were cheering for the Lord as he entered on a donkey. The “movement” was alive and flourishing. But now, Jesus has been crucified. The apostles scattered from Jesus’ side. They are in hiding except for Peter, Andrew, James and John. They went back to fishing. Something they held as being familiar from their “former” lives. The disciples on the road are heading to a familiar town for them. Emmaus. Their world is in shambles. If they would recall, Jesus during the Last Supper tells them, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” Until he rises.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of James finds that Jesus has risen. They tells His apostles. Jesus then appears to them in the locked upper room. He appears to the two disciples heading to Emmaus. What He tells them causes them to return to Jerusalem. The place they were fleeing from in fear of the Jews. And the Church on earth is back on track again. With the Shepherd back, the disciples were once again charged with the Spirit. Even after Jesus’ return to the Father, His followers continue to spread the Good News even to the point of martyrdom. Now the leader was inside them. As in the seventh reading today from Ezekiel, the prophet relays God’s message that He will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you…
With this leadership. The leadership of the Holy Spirit. We can all be Newsies. Maybe I should say the Good Newsies as we hawk not newspapers on the streets of New York. Instead we can spread the news of the Gospel from every street corner we travel.
