The Myth Pilgrim - 50 Freedom from Shame: Hunchback of Notre Dame

50 Freedom from Shame: Hunchback of Notre Dame

05/24/22 • 22 min

Shame is crippling and difficult to discuss openly. Yet Quasimodo and Frollo provide an excellent platform to explore shame, its effects and the means to be free from it. Learn what this Disney classic can teach about vulnerability, and the God who became an outcast first.

Watch here the: Esmerelda encountering Quasimodo scene referenced this episode
Scripture quote for meditation:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans‬ ‭8:1-2)‬

Excerpt from episode: "Yet without acknowledging shame, it can drive our lives, and grossly limit what’s possible for our lives, as it did for Quasimodo at the start of the film, locked up in the bell tower. But let me posit this up front: shame can be even more destructive than something that cripples us... look at the example of Minister Frollo – who compared to poor Quasimodo, is actually a far more monstrous image of shame, or more accurately, shame aversion. It is Frollo’s suppression of his sexual fantasies and own murderous past that jeopardises Quasimodo's dignity, Esmerelda's safety, the wellbeing of the gypsies and eventually, the safety of the entire Paris. Unrecognised shame is toxic for our psyche. Carl Jung called it the "swampland of the soul", and in another place a "soul eating emotion." And worse, if it remains unchecked, it can then project its sorry state onto others within its reach, as it did with Frollo. As the old maxim goes, "we are only as sick as the secrets we keep."

Soundtrack: All soundtracks used this episode are from Disney's 1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame OST (songs written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz), or covers of those tracks.

Previous Episode

49 Captain America & Heroic Virtue (ft. Fr James Baptist)

Despite many iconic superheroes in the MCU, the ‘ordinary’ Cap tops most polls as favourite. Why is this? Fr James Baptist explores the origins and inspiration of Steve Rogers, and describes his own connection with the character’s virtues. Journey with the superhero that has been dubbed by foe and friend as “God’s righteous man.”

Here are some of the clips mentioned in the podcast:

Dr Erskin's chat with Steve Rogers ((Captain America: The First Avenger)
The Grenade scene (Captain America: The First Avenger)
The Portal scene ((Avengers: Endgame)

Here also is the clip from Fr Mike Schmitz: Superheroes analysed

Next Episode

51 How Narnia depicts The Last Judgement

What happens at the moment of our death? The last judgement is often a confusing and anxiety-ridden topic. Allow C.S. Lewis and his Narnia Aslan to open up a conversation about Christ the judge! Discover how this neglected doctrine can inspire within us love, life and the pursuit of truth!

Excerpt: "...but even so, what person in their right mind would want to not choose God? What Narnian creature would not want to enter the door, and instead swerve away into Aslan’s shadow? Well, this passage gives us a clue. Remember that detail that when the animals approached Aslan, some saw his face and hated it and swerved into the shadow, while other gaze on Aslan’s face and loved it, and went through the door? This is very rich in symbolism, and in it lies in an important truth. In the same way God doesn’t force anyone into heaven, he also doesn’t sentence anyone to hell. If anyone ends up in hell, they are there by their own choice. People choose hell because in this lifetime they have grown to be disgusted and repulsed by the idea of heaven."

For a summery of the Catholic position on the two judgments, here is Ascension Present's Fr Mike Schmitz - 'The Lesser Known Last Judgment'

Soundtrack used this episodes is from the OST of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (composed by Harry Gregson-Williams). I also used a cover of "Be Still for the Presence of the Lord" by Elite Artists Trio