Beiberchella 

Coachella is a 6-day music festival that takes place in California each year, drawing crowds of 250,000 people over the course of two weekends. Over the years, it has featured top performers and has become a magnet for lifestyle influencers and celebrities. Full disclosure: I have never attended Coachella. In fact, I probably would not have known it was happening if I hadn’t come across a video by Fr. Mark Mary Ames, CFR in which he offered a reflection on something that Justin Beiber, one of this year’s headliners, did during his performance at the festival. While on the main stage, Beiber played a video of himself at 13 years old, singing a song in his modest childhood home, where he was raised by his mother. It was around that time in his life that Beiber was discovered, becoming massively famous and wealthy practically overnight. But so much money and fame at such a young age also brought real challenges, exposing him to bad things and people who did not have his best interests in mind. So, it was interesting when he suddenly turned to face the screen while the video was playing and began singing along with his younger self. This gesture led Fr. Mark Mary to wonder what was going through the artist’s mind at that moment. He imagined Beiber being delighted by the youthfulness and innocence of the boy on the screen. At the same time, perhaps he thought about everything that was about to happen to the boy, including many harmful experiences, and how it would all play out in public. Watching it, Fr. Mark Mary mused, “you hope that there’s a movement of profound compassion towards himself and what he was going to go through. And potentially some forgiveness and mercy for some of the mistakes that will be made in situations he was unprepared for.”  

Fr. Mark Mary notes that this can be a very helpful thing for all of us to do – to look back on our younger, innocent selves with delight. But also with compassion. “Because there are all different kinds of things that happen to so many of us that we’re just not equipped for. And then often we respond in ways that weren’t helpful and which were hurtful to others and to ourselves.” It’s something we can and should invite the Lord to do with us. Referencing the parable of the Good Samaritan, he observes that life’s experiences can leave us beat up and half dead. We might imagine ourselves as the man in the parable, and Jesus the Good Samaritan coming to heal us, saying: “These difficult things that happened were never supposed to happen. It’s not your fault [they happened], and you were never supposed to know how to deal with it or navigate it.” He suggests we ask Our Lord: “Jesus, when you look at me as a child, what do you see?… As you look at me today, what do you see?” The fact is, the Lord loves us today with the same Heart with which He loved us as children. He delights in us, even as He is moved with compassion for us, never ceasing to offer us mercy and grace to heal us from our sins and the sins of others. Somehow, Our Lord can make all things new (cf: Rev 21:5), including the hearts and minds of those wounded by life in the world, who are weary of being anxious or sad or angry or ashamed, who wrongly think they could never be a delight to God. We just need to turn to Him and let Him make us new. 

posted 5/2/26