“Could you do that?” The implication of the question: “Could you sacrifice yourself? Could you do that? My friend and I were watching the recently released film, Megan Leavey and were asking one another if we could lead a platoon of marines as they crossed an IED riddled land which looks like the face of the moon: […]
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The Shack: valuable lessons about opinion I read The Shack several years ago. And did not watch the movie until just a few days ago. Reactions to the movie, like the book, vary widely. There were those who complained about a God portrayed by an overweight black woman and others that the script was far
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Medjugorje, A Perplexing Pilgrimage. In 2003, I traveled alone across the world to Medjugorje, a perplexing pilgrimage. But first some background. The apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six young visionaries beginning in 1981 ignited a storm of controversy and persecution. Thirty-six years later, questions remain unanswered to the satisfaction of skeptical Catholic and secular
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Last December, the movie Silence opened to a conflicting maze of reviews. Some greatly praised the film while others were exceedingly critical. I watched it three days ago and am still pondering its meaning. The film is gripping and relentless. Both intensity and portent are conveyed instantly for viewers like me who never read Endo’s
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Conclave is the best of Robert Harris’ novels, high praise because Harris is an excellent writer of historical fiction. Each of his books reveals the writer’s journalistic background: Rich in detail and imagery, Harris’ extensive research for each story is evident. Conclave is all of that but much more. This story is riveting, sympathetic and
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For converts like me, the story of the prodigal son evokes a tsunami of emotion: gratitude, relief, sorrow and recognition are only a few. But upon reflecting on the well-known parable that Jesus tells the complaining Pharisees and scribes, I began to think about the older brother with an entirely different lens. Rather than my
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Walls of our unbelief: Edith Stein It was 1918. The young intellectual was nervous about her upcoming visit to Anne, the widow of her good friend, Adolf Reinach, killed at the 1917 Battle of Flanders.How could she offer comfort?What could she say?Reinach was a fellow scholar at the University of Freiburg, an assistant to the
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Before boarding the United States Army Transport ship Dorchester back in January, 1943, a Dutch Reformed Chaplain named Poling asked his father to pray for him, “Not for my safe return, that wouldn’t be fair. Just pray that I shall do my duty…never be a coward…and have the strength, courage and understanding of men. Just
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The Young Messiah takes a year out of the life of Christ- a seven-year- old Jesus bar Joseph. If you have read Anne Rice’s Jesus Christ the Lord – Out of Egypt, you’ll soon recognize this intriguing, beautifully scripted, filmed and acted story of the God-child. If not, you may choose to seek out this most
Saint Paul to the Galations: Also Us “You stupid, senseless Galations!” One of the last Divine Office readings before Ash Wednesday is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galations. He minces no words and we can practically see the spittle collecting at the sides of his mouth as we read the Apostle’s exhortations. St Paul,
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