Proverbs 31:25 NIV

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

The overarching theme in the second episode seems to be the struggle for power.

Mary is committed to finding out why Shannon the previous “halo-bearer” died and is convinced it was an inside job.

Lilith is upset that she is not the current, rightful “halo-bearer” as her family has single handedly contributed 6 warrior nuns and she wants to step into that birthright.

The Tarask is a kind of demon who is attracted to Halo-Bearers because they want that kind of power for Hell/Evil purposes

Cardinal Duretti is a social climber of sorts. It seems clear that he wants to assert dominance over the group of Warrior Nuns and you see him struggling against Father Vincent who is currently assigned to look over the “Order of the Cruciform Sword” aka the group of Warrior Nuns.

Dr. Salvius is the CEO of Arq-Tech, a company who hopes to use science to open a portal to the afterlife.

So why am I posting about this?

Part of my journey over the last handful of years has been accepting where I am in my healing journey and my relationship with God. It was so easy to try to follow rules, or attend church and feel like I was prioritizing a relationship with God and investing effort in learning more about Him and what I was going through in my life. I’ve never felt like the best Christian and have never really loved reading the Bible, so I’ve felt the way I connect to spirituality and Him is often through symbolism whether that’s a show, a song, a dream, really anything that inspires me to look for religious messages. Having this flavor of a connection with the supernatural has felt more carefree, more organic, and less weighty.

To be hones, it’s been a while since I’ve felt like I’ve had this connection with God and watching this show has allowed me to revisit my feelings towards religion, the meaning of life, God, people, you name it – in a more user-friendly way.

So back to the episode.

I love that similar to my understanding of God, the least likely person to be chosen is the one God seems to be using. Ava, the protagonist, doesn’t even believe in Him. The only reason she was raised in a Catholic orphanage is because of her mother’s faith. So on top of us seeing her navigating her own upbringing and trauma – we also see her very literally walking out what a new life looks like for her.

Although we follow Ava’s journey with priority, we also see parallel journeys that give expression to how people react to religion:

• Mary seeks justice and the truth above all else. You see that she is similar to Ava in that they are both not religious and yet work alongside nuns and clergymen that are loyal to the Church
• Lilith and Cardinal Duretti both seem to struggle with entitlement and have lofty aspirations to climb the ladder of significance in the Church’s eyes
• The Tarask and other demonic creatures represent the age old struggle of power between “good” and “evil”
• Dr. Salvius represents the desire for proof/science or the middle ground between faith and science where the two are mutually exclusive – the episode even goes as far to say in one line “two sides of the same coin”.

Ava’s journey to many of us feels relatable. Granted we might not have been confined to a bed for years, lost a parent, or grown up without a personal religious conviction but I think it’s human to struggle and then one day have one or more significant life moments that make you question what you believe. As you navigate that, you will then interact with many different kinds of people and encounter various explanations for what you experienced. All the while, Ava is struggling to be contained by this new calling and simply wants to well “laugh at the days to come”. She wants to run on the beach, kiss a cute boy, experience things she only dreamed of when she was suffering and alone for years. And can you blame her?

Which character do you relate to the most? Have you watched this show on Netflix yet?