Sunday Matinee #133 The Godfather
Oh, the things you do for your pals on your daughter's wedding day!
The Godfather | 1972
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: On his daughter’s wedding day, numerous people come to Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando, in an Oscar-winning performance) to ask for help, or “favors.” They know the Don cannot resist granting favors on such an occasion, even when they are challenging to grant. Here, a local undertaker, Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto), requests justice against the men who attacked his daughter. Corleone resists, at first.
Bonasera: Be my friend… Godfather?
Bonasera bows and Don Corleone shrugs. Bonasera kisses his hand.
Corleone: Good.
He walks the undertaker to the door.
Corleone: Some day, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But, uh… until that day -- accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day.
Bonasera: Grazie, Godfather!
Luke 11:1-13 | EnterTheBible.org
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost | 07.27.2025
Context: In the midst of parables, preaching, and visiting friends, Jesus offers teaching on prayer and perseverance. Here, he speaks of trusting in God.
9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
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Commentary:
The first time one watches The Godfather, the wedding scene that opens the film is either way too long or not long enough. Indeed, it takes up quite a bit of screen time in this 3-hour epic and if you go into the film expecting tommy guns and boozerunner chases, you’ll find it a bit tedious (you’re also going to be disappointed for most of the film). But if you soak in the political nuance as Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) engages a variety of people at Connie’s (Talia Shire) wedding, as well as the narrative his son, Michael (Al Pacino), tells his girlfriend, Kay (Diane Keaton), you’ll start to see just how complex this family and its connections are.
People rely on Don Corleone. For some, it’s just good business. For others, it’s a familial connection. And still for others, they don’t know where else to turn. They need help and no judge or law enforcement body or other official authority is going to do anything. They need someone who will bring justice and make things right. And, for the price of just a few extra favors, the Corleone family can be in your corner, too.
Essentially, be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it at an extreme cost. The unstated debt of becoming invested in Corleone’s “favor bank” builds up your obligation and loyalty to his family. Later, if you want out, you may find yourself pulled back in. So if you need something, really see how many avenues you can pursue before asking a mob boss.
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 11, Jesus teaches prayer. He offers a version of The Lord’s Prayer – with similarities and differences from what he says in the Gospel of Matthew 6:9-13 – and then adds this piece about perseverance in your prayer life. He says if you know your friend has an abundance of resources and you ask for help, but he says leave me alone, your friendship will be enough. Persevere, and you will get help. Why? Because that’s what true friends do for one another. This isn’t license to bother people to help you beyond what they’re able to do, but an example of how to be honest with one another in love and grace.
He takes it a step further, saying seek God and you will find God. Ask for help, and you will receive. Come to God (knock) and God will be there (the door will be opened for you). He ends on a humorous note, too: if a kid asks for a fish, are you gonna give him a snake? If a kid wants an egg, you gonna toss him a scorpion? Of course you wouldn’t do that! A person with love in their heart would never take advantage of a vulnerable person.
That’s how it is with God’s love. God isn’t here to trick you or put you in debt. God is there for you. Vito Corleone may call upon you for a service or a favor later, for you owe your Godfather. But that’s not how God operates. Grace and mercy are abundant and free and for you. Ask, it is given. Seek, it is found.
I’ve known people who would contest Jesus’s teachings about prayer. They have prayed and prayed for what they want and never got it. Fair enough. Sometimes, I wonder if praying for what we want is different than praying for what we need. And, are we clear-headed enough to know the difference? Sometimes, I think yes. Other times, I wonder.
What does your prayer life look like? When does it bring you peace? When do you struggle? What does it mean to seek healing and assurance from One with so much abundant grace to give away?
Glad you were here today. God’s peace and good movies to you!