Beauty and the Beast: a Timely Fairy Tale for the West in 2025
I’ve been a diehard fan of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast since I was a young boy and saw the 1991 Disney animated adaptation in theaters as an excited 4 or 5 year old boy.
That 1991 Disney adaptation still has a special place in my heart, but now my current favorite version is Jan Brett’s magnificent retelling (which I think was originally published sometime in the 1980s and predates Disney’s adaptation by at least a few years).
I think that Beauty and the Beast is a fairytale that fits well our current times, at least in Europe and America, for several reasons, but I’ll focus on just one in this short essay.
It’s readily apparent that many young men in both Europe and America see themselves as very much like the Beast after he’s cursed and before he meets Beauty: hideous monsters, trapped in their past mistakes and sins, especially in a merciless culture like ours where nothing is ever forgiven.
Like the Beast in the classic fairytale, these young men have given up hope that anyone could ever love them unconditionally for who they truly are. That’s why they numb the pain of their broken hearts with drugs, alcohol, pornography, sexual hookups, and wandering around in the virtual world of social media and video games. The latter is particularly attractive to young men because anyone can present themselves in avatars of their own choosing that camouflage their true self behind thousands of pixels.
Yet, my brothers, just like The Beast, you’re not doomed to be cursed and isolated forever in the castle of your broken heart. Much like how Beauty showed up at the door of the Beast’s haunted castle, Jesus has showed up at the door of your broken heart. Though it may be hard for you to believe, Jesus loves you, snout, claws, fangs, fur, growl, and all. He’s waiting for you to open the door and let Him in.
Jesus knows the many mistakes you’ve made in your life and the resulting heartache that you’ve been through that has led you to believe you’re an irredeemable monster. Many people, perhaps even a majority of people in the world may see you that way, but Jesus doesn’t. He wants to dig you out of the hole that you’ve dug yourself into, forgive you of your past sins, and restore you to the beautiful son of God that you were created to be. To Jesus, you’re not a monster, but a brother, and He has a whole family, the Church, waiting to welcome you with open arms.
Jesus is out there in the storm, knocking on the door of the interior castle of your scarred heart. He’s ready to come in, break the spell you’re under, and restore you to your full humanity. But to do that, you have to let Jesus see every wart, scar, wound, claw, fang, patch of fur, and callous that you’ve accumulated over the years. To do that requires courage, humility, and trust.
Are you brave enough to let Him in, or will you continue to leave Jesus out there standing in the cold? The choice is yours. Choose wisely.