Zuko, A Redemption Story

Buckle up, this one's a long one. Years ago, I wrote about Frodo Baggins (from LOTR) and how he is actually a great character. Frodo doesn't get a lot of love compared to other characters from LOTR, such as Samwise or Aragorn. What makes Frodo great though, is how his shortcomings make him so human; that in his imperfection and inability to do what is right, we see a bit of ourselves. In the end, he doesn't even have ability (or you may say, grace) to make the right decision (to destroy the ring). Because of this, Frodo falls to the side when compared to characters who excel in their morality and execution. 

Zuko is a lot like Frodo. In Zuko's character we see someone who was once evil, struggled to make the right decisions, and becomes good. However, unlike Frodo, Zuko is a beloved character (perhaps because in the end, he makes all things right). Zuko's redemption story can be likened to the spiritual journey that we are called to make.

Zuko, Crown Prince to the Fire Nation

There's A Spot For You!

When looking at Zuko's character, it is important to consider another character who is closely related to him: Iroh. If we are like Zuko, Iroh, who is like Zuko's "adopted father", is like our Heavenly Father. Now let me say, my grade 12 English teacher used to always tell us that you can find Christ-like and father-like figures in most stories, but that does not mean that they will resemble them 100%, otherwise, you might as well retell the story of God and mankind exactly as it is written in the bible. Please don't take this comparison too literal; Iron is not a one to one representation of God the Father. 

But there is a lot that points to Iroh being like our Heavenly Father. Aside from the abundance of calm, wisdom, and love that Iroh exudes, we can note he had a son, an only begotten son. His son, Lu Ten, dies in the war, and Iroh is extremely grieved by this. But through his son's death, an opportunity for Zuko to become his "adopted son" appears. Similarly, it is through Christ's death that we have a chance at adoption as sons and daughters of God the Father (CCC 1). 

If Iroh is like God the Father, then who is the father of lies, the deceiver, the evil one (this isn't too hard to guess)? It is Zuko's biological father, Fire Lord Ozai. Wait... if you're saying Zuko is son of the evil Fire Lord, what does that make us? Yes, it is what you think. Through original sin, when we are born, we are slaves to sin. That is why through Christ's death (and the sacrament of Baptism) we can become adopted. Because of original sin we didn't belong to God the Father.  

Worst father ever...

But even after Baptism (and many confessions), concupiscence, the inclination to sin (CCC 405), exists. We are drawn to evil, and are called to resist it. Zuko undergoes this trial many times. Zuko feels that he must earn back his worldly honour and respect, but most of all, he feels he must earn back his father's (the Fire Lord's) love. Isn't that essentially what sin is like? We feel a desire, a longing for something that is good but pursue it in the wrong places, or the wrong ways (like hunting the avatar). The devil feeds us lies about how we ought to be and encourages us to chase the things of the world. But in all this mess that Zuko experiences he misses one important thing, his uncle's love. 

The love that Iroh shows Zuko is like the love that God shows us. We are completely unworthy of it, yet it is still there. In fact, there is absolutely nothing Zuko could do to stop his uncle from loving him, and likewise, there is nothing we could do to stop God from loving us. We are loved not because we have earned it but because it is out of love and for His love that God made us (CCC 358).

Eventually, Zuko has his turning point and realizes that his father's "love" is useless, it's fake, it wasn't ever true love. He begins to repent, and after confronting his father about his lies, he rushes to seek his uncle's forgiveness, only to find that he is gone...

Zuko's epic lightning moment

Forgiveness Is Not Enough

Zuko now sets off on a new adventure. a real pursuit of redemption and salvation, to seek out forgiveness and reparation for his sins. Once we realize our own sinfulness and turn back to God, forgiveness is not a problem. We will be forgiven if that is what we seek (go to confession!). But you see, Zuko doesn't realize this at first, and it takes a conversation with Toph for him to realize: he didn't need to earn his uncle's forgiveness. We are given forgiveness freely because we are loved (so go to confession!). Everything else that we do after the forgiveness part is distinct to forgiveness, that is the penance and reparation: showing God we are serious about our turning back to Him. 

Toph's affection hurts

This section is entitled "Forgiveness Is Not Enough", not because I think forgiveness is unnecessary. No far from it, forgiveness of sins is a necessary step in our spiritual journey, but forgiveness alone is not enough for salvation. What was the ultimate goal of Jesus' death on the cross? It was not forgiveness of sins alone, it was the reparation of a broken relationship. You see, forgiveness is only the beginning of a relationship with God. 

So back to penance and reparation. For this I want to share with you a Gospel reading, Mark 4:1-20 The Parable of the Sower (or also, Matthew 13:1-23 or Luke 8:1-15). In this parable, seeds fall along a path and get eaten by birds, others on rocky ground and wither away due to a lack of rooting, others among thorns that choke the plant, and finally, others in good soil where it grows plentifully. I want to focus on the seeds that get dropped among the rocks. 

"the ones sown upon rocky ground, who when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away" Mark 4:16-17.

How long does it take to produce good soil? If our souls have been sullied with sin and we become like the rocky ground, how long does it take to make our souls a place of good soil? Well it's not an exact time, and it is different for everyone, and can only be accomplished through the grace of God, but it takes a really long time, it's a process. We do not become holy over night. Penance and reparation are the next steps after forgiveness to becoming like good soil, to becoming holy. 

Zuko undergoes this process. In the last book/season, there are a string of episodes where Zuko takes a couple of "field trips" with members of Team Avatar. It is through this that he demonstrates to others and to himself, that he is serious about change.

Out With The Old And In With The New!

Sometimes it is hard to see if we are making progress in our journey of holiness and that is why I think visual aids are nice, like tv shows, like anime, like, more specifically in this case, Zuko. You see penance and reparation are hard and arduous journeys to undertake, but how do I know that I am headed in the right direction? It's not just about choosing what is hard. Plenty of things are hard in this world, not all of which are good. For this, let's look at one of Iroh's lines after Zuko sets Appa free in Ba Sing Se:

"Your critical decision- what you did beneath that lake. It was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body"

or in more biblical terms:

"Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" Ephesians 4: 22-24.

We will know we are headed in the right direction when we come into direct conflict with our old selves. When we seek to change we wage war against the old way of life. To navigate this change, and make sure it is a good change, we must grow in two attitudes: humility and obedience (personally, these are two that I want to grow in, so please pray for me!). Humility to know that you cannot turn back to God with only your own strength (and so we need grace), and obedience to listen to God to do whatever it takes. 

Zuko may be a fictional character, but take heart that the path forward is made known to you through this fictional character. I believe that if we look hard enough, fictional secular works reveal to us, man's longing after God. So as we set out to turn back to God, keep focused on the goal: to be a son or daughter of God, to be in relationship with God, to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind" Luke 10:27

...And with that, may God be praised!