Good News Stepping Stones

VIGIL OF THE NIGHT: A prayer-poem

2012-02-27T15:05:00.002-05:00

In the sleeplessness of the dark night
You are with me, Lord,
A comfort to my soul.
Your love is a pillow for my head
Though the trials of the day swirl
and pull my attention from the peace You give.

In the sleeplessness of the dark night
I am with You, Lord,
Sharing in your deep concerns
For all Your beloveds
Who pierce your heart with thorns.

I care as You care.
Does this comfort You?

Though my heart is in pain
I am comforted in the knowing
That You and I are united, Lord.
We share a bond of love
That is rooted in Your love for those
who cause You pain by their sins and separation.

Oh Lord, grant that my sleeplessness
makes a difference to You, blessing You,
As I pray for others
In the restlessness of the dark night.

Will You grant your little friend
The blessing of sight
That I may see the difference I make
In the prayers of the deep, dark night?

Will You help me to abandon You
In this shared vigil of the night
By giving me a supernatural peacefulness
That covers me in rest and restoration?

I am weak, oh Lord, and long to disconnect
From Your vigil of the night
So that I may sleep deep
And awaken rested when the dawn comes.

The dawn is too long in coming
And too soon.
But You are here with me
In the vigil of the night.

Grant rest to my soul, oh Lord, grant rest
As I lay my head upon Your lap
And share with You
This vigil of the night.

Is the Catholic Church right about contraception?

2012-02-10T12:52:00.005-05:00

The debate about whether state and federal law should mandate contraceptive and sterilization coverage in health care has created a wonderful opportunity to provide the world with some faith formation on a very misunderstood topic. How well are we doing?

The trigger question: Should a government that's based on separation of Church and State be allowed to dictate religious consciences?

What's our response? I remember the time when, during the Viet Nam war, draftees could declare themselves "conscientious objectors" to killing, and the government allowed it. When was the last time you heard anyone calling themselves "conscientious objectors"? What has happened to the American attitude of freely objecting to the government, based on conscience?

If we don't object, we pay grave consequences that result from ignoring the forces that attack our Faith. More and more worldliness creeps into our experience of faith. The Body of Christ on Earth, which is the Church, which includes you and me, becomes sicker and weaker.

Are we only "conscientious objectors" when our own lives are in danger, such as when we are made to fight in war zones? In other words, only when it's convenient for us?

Convenient! Isn't personal convenience the reason why so many Catholics ignore – and don't even bother to try to understand – the Church's teaching about artificial birth control?

The underlying question: Is the use of contraceptives in fact a sin?

Should we just take a stand against government interference in matters of conscience, or should we also be taking a stand against the worldly view of and rampant misunderstanding of the issue of artificial birth control?

The response we need to better understand: Some contraceptives aren't about preventing pregnancy but rather ending an early-stage pregnancy, which is a self-induced abortion. Let's briefly consider this. Even though an embryo is comprised of only a few cells in its earliest days, it's the cells of a real person, an individual human being that, if left to grow, would become recognizable as a person. It's not a horse. It's not a tumor. It's not mere tissue that has no personhood assigned to it by genetics and by our Creator God who is the source of life. Therefore, in this case: Yes, the use of this particular form of birth control is in fact the destruction of another human person, a sin.

But what about contraception that prevents pregnancy in the first place? How could that be sinful? In other words, how could it be destructive or un-Christ-like?

In 1998, Pope John Paul II wrote:

I hope that everyone will benefit from a closer study of the Church's teaching on the truth of the act of love in which spouses become sharers in God's creative action.

The truth of this act stems from its being an expression of the spouses' reciprocal personal giving, a giving that can only be total since the person is one and indivisible. In the act that expresses their love, spouses are called to make a reciprocal gift of themselves to each other in the totality of their person: nothing that is part of their being can be excluded from this gift. This is the reason for the intrinsic unlawfulness of contraception: it introduces a substantial limitation into this reciprocal giving, breaking that “inseparable connection” between the two meanings of the conjugal act, the unitive and the procreative, which, as Pope Paul VI pointed out, are written by God himself into the nature of the human being (Humanae Vitae, paragraph 12).

Interestingly, support for Humanae Vitae has recently come from a secular source: Business Insider posted an analysis of the predictions made by Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae. The writers point out, with eye-opening statistics, that he was correct in his warnings about how the acceptance of contraception would harm society. < Click here to read it. >

So, why haven't we noticed this ourselves? Why isn't there a groundswell of Catholics conscientiously objecting to our secular society's infiltration into our bedrooms? We all know the answer to that: Most of us don't want to even try to understand the Church's teaching about artificial birth control. It's not convenient.

In my experience, Catholics who disregard or object to the Church's teaching against using artificial birth control simply do not understand what the Church is really saying and why. For years, I did not understand it either. The truth has not been taught very well, nor very widely, nor in the language of everyday life. Praise God, seminars on The Theology of the Body are now filling that void for those who care enough to become educated about it.

My husband and I had two children that we planned, and we decided to use artificial contraception to prevent more pregnancies. Then we joined the Pre-Cana team at our parish to help engaged couples prepare for marriage. Time after time, we heard other couples on the team give "the sex talk" wherein the Church's teaching about birth control was explained. We didn't want to believe that this teaching applied to our situation.

Finally, one couple on the team explained it in a way that made sense to me: Jesus said that love means laying done one's life for another. Marital love means doing this to such an extent that we give our ALL to the other. We don't hold back anything from our spouse – not even our fertility. And since marriage includes God (well, it should or we'll not survive the hardships of marriage and avoid divorce), the couple together loves God so completely that they hold nothing back from Him – not even their fertility. And God holds nothing back from us, including wisdom for how many children to have.

Marriage is a reflection of God's love. Marriage is a testimony to the world that shows others what God's love is like. God's love is faithful; spouses are called to be faithful to one another and thereby testify to the world what love really means. God's love is creative and productive; spouses who are truly in love exemplify God the Creator's rich outward-flowing nature of producing life from love. At least that's what it does when we are more in love with God than with selfish desires and self-focused goals.

The third question is about choosing the right health care plan: Why take a stand against health care that includes contraception and sterilization? What's the big deal, anyway? Since every individual, according to his/her conscience, can choose not to use contraceptives, why should anyone object to buying health care that includes contraception? Employees are not compelled to use the contraceptives.

The response of a Christ-like conscience: As an employer running a Catholic organization, if I were to provide health insurance that includes contraception and if I were to give silent approval by not objecting to this, I am leading my staff to the occasion of sin. Although it is their private decision whether or not to choose to sin, I am called by Christ to assist others in their holiness by choosing not to give them an opportunity to sin.

Another example of this Christian principle is the kind of clothing that I as a woman choose to wear. If I were to wear, for example, a very provocative, low-cut blouse that draws attention to my shape, I am free to do so, and by itself this is not sinful. But perhaps someone who sees me has a vulnerability to being lustful. Anyone who sees me and commits the sin of lust as a result of seeing me – I bear some responsibility for their decision to sin, because I gave them the occasion to sin.

In the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:29, Jesus tells us that if someone steals from us, instead of demanding that it be returned, we should let him keep it and give him more! Why? Because the most loving way to treat that person is to take away the occasion of sin by freely letting them have it so that it is no longer stolen goods. What they took from us becomes a gift from us.

Jesus says in Luke 17:2 that if anyone leads little children to sin, it would be better if they were drowned with a millstone holding them underwater so that they could do no more damage. Does his concern about leading others to sin stop when children grow up? Of course not.

If any employee of mine chooses to sin by what they do in the privacy of their bedroom (or anywhere else), I am accountable to God for whatever message I convey that either supports their sin or gives them an opportunity to avoid that sin.

And then what?

There is one additional, very important matter to keep in mind. If we find ourselves in a situation where we work for a company that provides health insurance that includes contraception and sterilization, then what?

We have the responsibility and the opportunity to teach the staff why contraception and sterilization is a sin. We cannot just hope for the best and look away from the question of whether or not our employees choose to use the contraceptives that we have, in effect, provided through the health benefits we give them. Morality is never taught by making laws and enforcing them, nor by stopping laws that should never be mandated. Morality is taught by good conscience formation.

And now we come full circle back to how I started this article. We all need to understand what is really being taught in Humanae Vitae and why. We need to get off our lazy horse named "Ignorance" and care enough about our own holiness and the spiritual journey of others to actually study the actual teachings of the Church. Almost every Catholic has an idea of what Humanae Vitae says based on a very limited knowledge of what it really contains, also based on what the world's media has been saying about it.

Did you know that the bottom line of what is taught in Humanae Vitae is love? It's not a hardship to live without contraception! Humanae Vitae teaches about love that respects and honors the couple as much as it respects and honors the life of any child their love produces.

When my husband and I accepted what we heard on the Pre-Cana team, we attended Natural Family Planning classes and lived for the next 20-some years without any new pregnancies. It didn't just prevent pregnancy without the medical side-effects of contraceptives; it enhanced our personal relationship with each other. NFP teaches more genuine love between spouses than the world teaches with its pro-contraception attitudes. How? This article has been long already, so I will leave you with the challenge to go find out for yourself.

For further understanding on the topic of this article, please visit the US Bishops' website:

White House Misrepresents Its Own Contraceptive Mandate
Conscience Protection
Advocates of President Obama's Health Care Plan have made numerous false claims about the supposed need for and effects of the mandates; see the myths and the facts
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chairman of Pro-Life Activities, calls for greater conscience protection in health care reform.
Why Natural Family Planning Differs from [and is better than] Contraception (PDF)

This entire blog article can be obtained as a PDF from Good News Ministries at wordbytes.org/doctrine/contraception.htm

We Bought a Zoo

2011-12-30T15:11:00.003-05:00

Faith, Hope and Love

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

We Bought a Zoo

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, LBI Entertainment, Vinyl Films, 2011.

Directed by Cameron Crowe, starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and Thomas Haden Church.

“Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage.”

Few films these days truly speak to us with the message of faith, hope and love. These theological virtues are often overlooked or passed-over as cliché, and while this film doesn't talk about religion itself, it most definitely holds these virtues aloft for all to see.

The film, based on the book of the same name, follows the true story of the Mee family as they move out of the city and into a broken-down zoo. Benjamin Mee (played by the charming Matt Damon) is an adventure-addict journalist, going into dangerous situations for a story, including speaking with Hugo Chavez and his men or riding in a storm-chaser plane as it approaches the eye of a hurricane. However, all that changes when his wife tragically dies from cancer and he is left alone to raise his two children, Dylan (Colin Ford) and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones). Benjamin's brother, Duncan (Thomas Haden Church), urges him to make a change, to start living his life again, and to enjoy people.

After Dylan gets expelled from school, Benjamin decides to move the family to new surroundings so that they can start over. After an extensive search with an eager realtor, Benjamin and Rosie come upon a large old farmhouse. "It's perfect." They love the house, but the realtor keeps saying that "It's a bit complicated."

Benjamin: "Complicated's okay. What's so complicated about this place?"

Mr. Stevens: "Well, you see, it's uhhh... (a lion roars loudly somewhere outside) It's a zoo."

To which Rosie leaps with excitement and shouts, "Yay!!"

After some deliberation and disregarding his brother's advice, he buys the house, zoo and all, and moves the family in. Rosie is thrilled and Dylan is depressed. As they drive up to their new house, a lit sign reads "Welcome brave new owners."

The Mee family meets the zoo staff, led by Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) the head zookeeper, and are informed that the zoo is a "dump" and in order for them to open in the summer, a long list of upgrades must be done before the inspector will approve them.

Kelly unloads on Benjamin the state of the zoo and how they have barely any staff, no one gets paid, and how she spends all her waking hours there. She tells him that he has no idea what he's doing and all she wants to really know is "Why did you buy this place?" To which he simply responds with a smile, "Why not?"

Benjamin and the staff set to work at rebuilding the zoo, Rosie cares for a peacock and her eggs, and Dylan sulks in the barn with his artwork. However, Lily, Kelly's 13 year old cousin, develops a crush on Dylan and they begin a timid friendship.

After awhile, though, Benjamin starts to run out of money and tensions run high. The staff worries that he'll give up (like previous owners did) and sell the zoo. Benjamin is determined to make things work, but has no idea how. Dylan is thrilled at the idea that they might be moving back into the city, and inadvertently ends up crushing Lily's feelings.

Miraculously, he discovers a safety deposit slip that his wife had hidden in an old sweatshirt, which leads to an investment account with instructions to use the money as emergency funds, or as she called it, for "Circus Money."

Benjamin goes back to the staff and tells them, "While I don't have a lot; I do have enough and if you stick with me, I will give this everything."

With renewed vigor, the staff, Rosie, Duncan and Benjamin set to work on the final preparations before their inspection. Lily stops seeing Dylan everyday and Benjamin discusses with Kelly about why he's so hard on his son. Dylan overhears and gets into a huge argument with his dad.

However, the next day, the two reconcile and Dylan admits that he misses Lily. Benjamin gives him some advice:

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it."

While walking home through the rain, Dylan sees that Lily has left a message in the window that reads "If you love me, let me know." Dylan races over to her window and blurts out that he misses her and that he loves her.

Finally happy with his life, Dylan joins the family and staff in getting ready for the inspection. One week before the zoo is to open, the strict inspector, Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgins), comes and nit-picks everything.

Once he is done, he tells Benjamin, "I don't think this is going to work... but good luck." He has approved them, after all.

The big day comes, the Grand Re-Opening of the Zoo, they cut the ribbon, but no one is seen coming down the driveway. After a moment or two, Dylan keeps saying that "something's wrong" and takes off running down the driveway.

Halfway down, they see that a huge tree has fallen right across the drive in the previous night's storm. Dylan tells them that no one could get through even if they were here. Undaunted, though, Benjamin and Kelly climb the tree and behold a long line of cars and people eager to get in. The family and staff help the joyous visitors over the fallen tree and into the park. The zoo is a huge success.

Duncan looks over to his brother and tells him, "I like the animals, but I love the humans." Benjamin looks around him at his new extended family and is finally happy again.

Finally, Benjamin takes his children back into town to the restaurant where he first met their mother. He tells and reenacts the whole scene for them. They all look to the seat where she sat and imagine her sitting there. Benjamin looks at her and tells his children the first words he spoke to her. He asks her, "Why would an amazing woman like you ever speak to a stranger like me?" She smiles and simply replies, "Why not?"

***

So, I had mentioned above that this film showcased three theological virtues: faith, hope and love. Did you catch them in the description?

Faith -- the confidence or trust in a person or thing; a belief that is not based on proof.

Hope -- the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

Love -- a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

Faith was required between Benjamin and his children, between Benjamin and the staff and between Benjamin and himself. Without faith in each other, nothing would have been accomplished. Faith requires us to trust another human being.

I think faith in God is relatively easy, but placing faith in another fallible human being? Someone we know will let us down, at some point, in some manner. That truly takes supernatural aid... hence, virtue. Kelly and the staff had to put their faith, their trust and their belief that Benjamin wouldn't leave them when things got difficult. Rosie and Dylan had to trust their father that he was doing the right thing and making the right decision. Benjamin had to have faith in himself in order to have the determination to succeed.

Trusting other people is something, I think, that is very hard and dangerous, but something we all have to do. We need each other. We need other people in our life. That can't happen if we refuse to trust someone else. Yes, they'll screw up and hurt your feelings. Allow God's grace to heal that wound and help you give them a second (or third, or fourth or hundredth) chance.

Sometimes, you may need to walk away from that person who's hurt you. Just remember that "never is an awfully long time" and "only a Sith deals in absolutes." Allow God's grace and forgiveness to enter your heart and heal you when your faith has been betrayed. Allow yourself to trust in people again.

Hope that the next time, things will be better. Hope that the sun will rise. Hope that God, in His infinite mercy and kindness, will grant you a second chance to put things right. Hope that you'll have the strength of character to succeed.

Isaiah 61:1-3 tells us:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion --

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair."

Hope springs eternal in the Lord. Trust in the Lord and He will grant you joy and blessings. Hope in your Faith of the Lord.

Finally, we come to the topic of Love. Mentioned, discussed, and expounded upon countless times in the Bible, literature, music, artwork, and around coffee tables. Love is something we all long for and yet few of us, seemingly, ever truly find.

Mother Teresa put it best when she said, "I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."

Love is more than a familial thing. It's more than a romantic thing. It's more than a spiritual thing. It's something beautiful and unique and something that our small finite human brains will only ever glimpse at... but what a feeling as we bask in that glimmer.

For as much love as I feel for those around me: family members, best friends, and that "someone special," I can't help but feel that it is so minute and insignificant and puny when compared to God's love for me. I know that I can't comprehend the extent of His passion for me, but I will try to emulate as best as I can.

You know that old saying, "If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were." Think about that from God's perspective (which I realize is silly to attempt, but try anyways). He loves us so much that He allows us to turn our backs on Him and walk (sometimes run) away. He doesn't restrain us or beg and plead so that we stay out of guilt. He allows us the freedom to choose to love Him.

You know, He loves us so much that if we choose NOT to love Him after we die, we don't have to be with Him at all?! (psst... that's called Hell.) Fun side note... yeah, God created Hell out of Love. Funny that, isn't it? I bet that still irks Satan to this day.

Anyways, when you truly and devoutly love someone else, you have to also have faith in them and hope that they love you in return. You can't love someone whom you don't trust. You can't love someone and despair if they don't reciprocate.

Love is patient and allows the other the time necessary for healing and discovery.

Love is not self-seeking and does not force or demand that the other do as it says.

Love keeps no record of wrongs and always forgives in a spirit of humility, not haughtiness.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

and always perseveres.

Love never fails.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13: 4-13)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-12-22T18:20:00.010-05:00

The Battle for True Femininity

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Scott Rudin Productions, 2011.

Directed by David Fincher, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, and Stellan Skarsgard.

“Soon, you'll know us all too well, with my apologies.”

This film is one loaded with vivid and grotesquely despicable acts of violence against women, revenge, interesting hair styles, and a 40-year old murder mystery. This is not a film for the easily sickened or sensitive movie-goer. It is rated-R for very good reason: graphic female nudity, multiple rapes, torture and rape, brutal violence, gruesome murders (including a savagely dismembered cat), and bloody, graphic crime scene photos of previous heinous murders. Language isn't as bad, though the F-bomb is used occasionally.

The themes, violence and extreme sexual content make this film viewable only by adults and no one under 17 years old.

***(Side note... I've never had to use thesaurus.com so extensively and yet feel that the words I'm using still don't quite match the ferocity I want.)***

SO, should you see this film? Well, it's your choice, obviously. If you saw the original 2009 film (Swedish language film starring Noomi Rapace) like I did, then you already know of the violent scenes to which I refer. This American film adaptation is still the same storyline as the 2009 film and the original source book written by Stieg Larsson.

Some background on the story: Larsson, the story's original creator/author, (according to Wikipedia) "witnessed the gang rape of a young girl when he was 15. He never forgave himself for failing to help the girl, whose name was Lisbeth -- like the young main character of his books, herself a rape victim, which inspired the theme of sexual violence against women in his books." (Penny, Laurie (2010-09-05). "Girls, tattoos and men who hate women". New Statesman. Retrieved 2010-10-19.)

Now, onto the plot summary of the film. (This will be a little long because the film itself is 2 hours, 40 minutes long.) The story opens with Henrik Vanger (played by Christopher Plummer) receiving a gift, a framed pressed flower, and becoming very agitated.

Mikael Blomkvist (the ever-charming Daniel Craig), who is co-owner of the financial magazine, Millennium, has just lost a libel suit against a wealthy businessman. His co-worker and lover, Erika (Robin Wright), fears that the magazine has lost all credibility and will soon close its doors.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander (the impressive Rooney Mara), is brought in by Milton Security to discuss the recent background check that she did on Blomkvist. Henrik wants Blomkvist to investigate something for him and so he sends his assistant, Dirch Frode (Steven Berkoff) to make sure that his background is clean. Frode meets with Lisbeth to discuss anything she may have left out.

Blomkvist, while at a family Christmas party, receives a phone call to come out and meet Henrik. Officially, Blomkvist would be assisting in writing Henrik's memoir. Unofficially, he'd be investigating the murder and disappearance of his great-niece, Harriet. Henrik is convinced that someone in his family killed her and for the past 40 years has been sending the pressed flowers as a gift to taunt him.

Henrik Vanger: "The clock is ticking, I need your help."

Mikael Blomkvist: "Doing what?"
Henrik Vanger: "Officially assisting with my memoirs. But what you'll really be doing is investigating thieves, misers and bullies - the most detestable collection of people that you will ever meet - my family."

So begins the murder mystery storyline.

At the same time, Lisbeth, who is a ward of the state, goes to visit her guardian and finds that he has suffered a stroke. She is appointed a new guardian, who seizes control of her finances and issues her a monthly allowance until she can "learn to be more sociable." She is, rightly so, furious as her previous guardian allowed her to control her own finances.

As Blomkvist begins researching the Vanger family, he stays in a little cottage on the property where a cat (he later names, "Cat") also takes up residence. He starts compiling a family tree of information, pictures, dates, and events. While looking through Henrik's stack of material, Blomkvist finds Harriet's notebook and her old bible. At the end of the notebook, though, there is a strange list of names and numbers. He contacts the policeman who worked the case 40 years ago and gets little new information.

When his daughter briefly visits, she hints that the numbers relate to Bible versus.

Back in the city, Lisbeth gets mugged in the subway, but she fights back and retrieves her bag. However, her laptop is smashed in the brawl. She goes to her new guardian to get ask for money to get a new laptop. He agrees, but forces her to perform oral sex on him before he writes the check.

***(Now would be a good time in the film to take a bathroom break if you are sensitive.)***

A few nights later, she calls saying that she needs money for food and he invites her over to his apartment to get it. This time, however, he handcuffs her to the bed and brutally rapes her.

In a few days, she says that she needs money for rent and comes over to his apartment again. This time, though, she tasers him and ties him to the floor, naked. She shows him that during their last visit she secretly recorded the entire event on a spy camera and now demands that she has full control of her own finances or else the video will flood the internet. She also demands that he never contact her again, that he will write reports that she is drastically improving and has "become more sociable," and that he will never have sex with anyone ever again. In order to "help" him with the abstinence, she viciously tattoos the words "I am a rapist pig" on his chest and leaves.

***(Welcome back from the bathroom break. Did you stop at the concession stand, too? Yes, chocolate covered raisins WAS a good choice.)***

Blomkvist tells Frode that he needs a research assistant and Frode suggests Lisbeth as she performed the detailed report on Blomkvist himself. Blomkvist sees that she must of hacked his computer and goes to see her. He tells her that he wants her to help catch "a killer of women." She decides to help him.

Lisbeth traces the numbers to Bible verses in Leviticus (your favorite book and mine) and describe how women should be put to death for various offenses. The names next to the numbers are all Old Testament Hebrew names, too. Blomkvist and Lisbeth realize that half the Vanger family were proud Nazi party members and some still have anti-Semitic views, including Harriet's father, Gottfried, and her brother, Martin.

Through research and hacking, Lisbeth discovers a link between the descriptions in Leviticus to several unsolved murders from the 1940s through the 1960s. She begins to cross-reference the Vanger company travels with the murders and finds a common thread, one man who was in each city at the time of the murders.

Blomkvist, meanwhile, finds a series of photos of a parade that occurred the day Harriet disappeared. In them, Harriet is seen stepping up to watch the parade, seeing something across the street, and then quickly exiting. Blomkvist begins to figure out what she saw that made her so scared. After finding some more old pictures from different angles of the parade, Blomkvist sees a young man in a blue school uniform staring at Harriet.

Lisbeth and Blomkvist each individually narrow down the likely culprit and race to solve the mystery of what happened to Harriet on that fateful day.

***(I'm not going to spoiler alert here, though, if you really want to know what happens, you can see the film, the original film, read the book, or go to Wikipedia.)***

As a murder-mystery, this story doesn't disappoint. This film is more complete in nature than the original film and this one actually has a denouement. However, it's not as intense as the original film. Yes, even with the brutally violent scenes, it's still not as intense in pacing and dramatic effect as the original was.

None of the characters are all that likeable, except for Henrik, the kindly old man who just wants closure, and Harriet, the focus of the mystery. Blomkvist tries to be likeable, though, has some character flaws that keep him from being someone you can really support. Lisbeth, you just feel bad for and while you try to cheer on her revenge, you still realize that you're... cheering on revenge. Plus, she's very odd... which makes her difficult to like, as well.

So, if you can get past the horrible rape scenes, and stick with the murder-mystery storyline, the film is pretty interesting and a well-written crime story.

What should the discerning Christian try to walk away from this film with?

That is an excellent question, one to which I've had a lot of debate and contemplation over.

The major themes that the story presents are: violence against women and moral bankruptcy.

Violence against women is something that I personally take to heart. I've never been the victim, nor known anyone directly that has been. However, domestic violence and rape (whether physical or psychological in nature) are two things that I feel very strongly about.

From a very young age, after watching too many knights and damsels type movies, I decided that I never wanted to be a classic "damsel in distress" type. I wanted to be more like Princess Leia who kicked butt and took names and looked great doing it! That was a heroine I could look up to, not those sissy Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty types who always needed to be saved. (Granted, those storylines are getting reworked now to where the female is stronger, such as the film "Tangled.")

Why is that? That in today's society, classical Arthurian gender roles are switching. I say "Arthurian" because that's really where a lot of it started for the Western world. The Arthurian legend (which are works of fiction written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century) is where we get the word "chivalry" from. Not that the concept was invented in the 12th century, but the "Code of Chivalry" and the word itself was.

From there we created a whole mythos and cultural identity where men slayed dragons and women were ladies to be courted through the ideals of knightly virtues, honor and nobility. Men treated women with dignity and respect and held her purity and virtue above all else. Men who were violent to women were detestable and quickly dealt with by the more chivalrous in nature.

At what point did the woman's role change?

Here's what I think, based solely on my opinion and through reading ancient stories and mythologies...

Women were always strong and powerful creatures and equal to man, but still different in application. While we need to get out of the 1950s mindset of the doting housewife, we need to not completely emasculate the man, either.

Women... this is a call to you... your man wants to slay dragons for you. He wants to make you happy. He wants to protect you. He wants to please you.

Stop telling him that he's always wrong. Stop taking over when he doesn't do things exactly the way you want him to. Stop trying to change him into a mind-reader.

It don't work, ladies.

Yes, you are strong, independent women who should be able to function on your own. However, your man wants to help you. Let him. He'll love doing it!

Let him help you problem solve whatever issue you're dealing with at work or with your friends or family.

(Here's the classic cliche...) Leaking faucet? Go ahead and take the initiative to try to fix the pipe, but if he offers to help you, let him. (As my friend Pam often says, "That's a boy job.")

So... gender roles... yes, in today's culture, gender roles are getting horrible confused and twisted (granted, it's not like it's all that new of an issue... they had bisexuals and transvestites back in Ancient Greece, too).

What should we do, then? Who should we use as a model of "manliness" and "femininity"?

Simple question, simple answer: Christ and Mary.

Christ was "man-enough" (or as the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" sings, Christ "manned-up") to be tortured all the way to the cross. He was strong enough to "take it on the chin" and, as Arthur's knights would have done, humble enough to take our punishment onto himself with no questions asked.

I think everyone can agree, Christ was a strong man. Remember, though, he was also a gentle and loving man. He is the great shepherd to his flock and loves all of us little children. Christ/God the Father, is the perfect example of masculinity. He loves his family with all His heart and would die to save them. He's kind with open arms, will listen to any problem you have and will try to help you solve them, He'll even kiss your boo-boos.

Women, what better role model do we have than Mary? I mean, seriously?! Yes, she was the mother and housewife figure. She loved and cared for her son and cooked and cleaned and kept a happy home, but think about how much strength she had to have had. Pregnant, riding a donkey (I can't imagine being pregnant and ride any animal that jostles me, let alone a donkey.), giving birth in a dirty, stinking stable because no one would even offer a couch to sleep on.

Think about how much strength it HAD to have taken to watch her beloved son be beaten, whipped, kicked, spat at, and tortured. You know she had to have walked the entire Via Delarosa alongside him, ready to jump out and help him.

So, in conclusion... finally... women, reclaim your femininity and be loving, strong, and supportive. Men, reclaim your masculinity and be loving, strong, and supportive.

Help each other, comfort each other, talk with each other. Be humble enough to admit when you're wrong and allow the other to share your burden. Be strong enough to support the other, without taking over.

Love like Christ does. Bring peace like Mary does.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Sherlock Holmes

2011-12-17T09:00:00.003-05:00

Take Yourself Out of the Equation: A Gift Without Strings

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, and Silver Pictures, 2011.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Robert Downey, Jr, Jude Law and Jared Harris.

“Two gentlemen find themselves at cross purposes.”

The original gangster criminal mastermind: Professor James Moriarty. The greatest detective ever imagined (even better than Batman): Sherlock Holmes. A chess board sits between these two men and the game begins.

Moriarty: “Now, are you sure you want to play this game?”

Holmes: “I’m afraid… you’d lose.”

I love when classic literature comes to life on the big screen with such passion. The film draws you into this world on its mad ride alongside Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick, Dr. John Watson. The explosions are bigger, the stakes are higher, and the dialogue is fantastically well-written. If you were a fan of the first film, definitely go see this one.

The film opens with Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) on her way to deliver a package with Holmes (the brilliant Robert Downey, Jr.), of course, following her in an elaborate disguise. After an amusing fight scene, Holmes foils the delivery and saves an intended target from a bomb.

Bombs have apparently been going off all over with France and Germany building towards war. Anarchists have been blamed, though Holmes believes it is the mastermind work of one Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris).

Ms. Adler, who has been working for Moriarty (as described in the last film, as well) goes to meet the Professor, much to her demise.

Meanwhile, Dr. Watson (Jude Law) goes to see his old friend on the eve of his wedding day. Holmes, along with his brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry), takes Watson out for his stag party. At the party, Holmes saves a gypsy fortune teller named Sim (Noomi Rapace) who is Moriarty’s latest intended victim from an assassin.

Holmes then receives an invitation to meet with the Professor, which he accepts. There, the Professor informs Sherlock that should he persist in thwarting his plans, Watson and his new bride will become targets.

“When two objects collide, there is always damage of the collateral nature.”

Watson and his wife Mary board a train to take them to Bristol for their honeymoon. However, both Moriarty’s men and Holmes have boarded as well. Holmes gets Mary to safety, while Watson and he deal with the assassins.

Upon arriving in France, the duo meets up with the gypsies where Holmes informs Sim that she is a target because her brother is working for Moriarty and she is a loose end. The now trio enter Paris in an attempt to stop Moriarty’s plan at the Opera House, only to find out that they have been tricked. Another bomb goes off.

As they investigate the new scene, Holmes realizes that the bomb was used to mask an assassin’s bullet. The target was an arms manufacturer with a huge factory in Germany, which was recently bought by Moriarty.

Holmes, Watson and the gypsies travel to the factory to find out Moriarty’s plan and to save Sim’s brother. However, the Professor is still one step ahead of them and Holmes gets captured and tortured. Watson manages to rescue Holmes and most of the group escapes by the skin of their teeth.

Things look very grim for Holmes and Watson as they decide to face off with Moriarty once more at the peace summit in Switzerland.

****SPOILER ALERT****

Once there, Holmes deduces that Moriarty has had a certain doctor (that was killed in the opening scene) experiment on some henchmen and has successfully given “a man the face of another.” (Basically, super-early plastic surgery.) Therefore, Rene (Sim’s brother) has been made to look like one of the summit’s guests in order to assassinate a political leader.

Sim: “What do you see?”

Holmes: “Everything. That is my curse.”

Watson and Sim seek out her brother, the imposter, and save the peace summit.

Holmes and Moriarty sit down to a quick game of chess as they try to out-smart each other. As Holmes details how he stole Moriarty’s private ledger, the only evidence linking him to all his crimes, and sent the information back to London, Watson and Sim successfully stop Rene.

With the foil at a crescendo, Holmes and Moriarty mentally plan out a hand-to-hand battle and both realize, especially due to Holmes previous injury at the hands of Moriarty, that Holmes will lose. Therefore, Holmes decides there is no other option, grabs Moriarty and sends the both of them over the ledge and into an icy waterfall.

Some time later, Watson and Mary are back in London and prepare to take their long awaited honeymoon. Watson finishes typing up his “Last Case of Sherlock Holmes” novel and types the words “THE END” as Mary brings a delivery.

Watson opens the package and realizes that Holmes might have survived the fall. He rushes out of the room to ask Mary about the delivery man. Holmes, who had cleverly concealed himself in the room, appears and looks over the typewriter. He adds one keystroke, leaving the page to read:

“THE END?”

****END SPOILER ALERT***

Have you ever heard the phrase “Take yourself out of the equation”?

Think about it for a moment…

What does it mean to “take yourself out of the equation?”

When we’re so concerned about ourselves, often times, we can’t see the simple solution right in front of our face. We focus on the “how does this affect me,” rather than the “what’s best for the other person.”

In this film, Holmes came to the realization that in order to protect Western civilization and stop Moriarty, he had to sacrifice himself.

How often do we sit there and try to force everything or everyone around us to accommodate what we want, rather than what’s best for everyone else?

As we quickly approach Christmas, a time of gift giving and benevolence, we should be focusing not on what we get in return, but on what we can give out to others, without strings attached.

A gift with strings is no gift at all. It’s better to just not give anything at that point.

Gifts should be freely given without wondering, let alone expecting, something equal in return. If you do get something, that’s great! Don’t focus on the costs and demanding equal payment in kind for your gift. Don’t focus on “well, I gave something WAY nicer than this cheap trinket.” And for the love of all things holy, please do not tell people “well, I was going to give you this really nice gift, but then I thought about it and decided not to.”

Take yourself out of the equation.

What will truly make someone else happy?

Think about it this way: did Jesus sit there before he got on the cross and say, “I’ll get up there, but only if you’ll hang out with me more later?” No, Christ gave the gift of eternal life and sacrificed himself without demanding payment. He did it because He loves you and hopes that you’ll spend eternity with Him, though it’s still your choice.

Did Mary sit there and tell the archangel Gabriel, “I’ll carry the Christ-child in my womb, but only if he doesn’t cause me any suffering?” No, she accepted God’s gift to her and gave the gift of Christ’s birth to the world, at great pain to herself. Aside from the whole “no room at the inn” thing and riding a donkey for days on end (which I’m sure was not comfortable), think about all the suffering she went through for the rest of her life as Christ was lost for three days, or died on the cross! Mary freely accepted God’s gift and (essentially) re-gifted back to the world by saying “Let it be done to me according to God’s will.”

Giving a gift is an act of humility. It’s a chance to say, forget all the past and the pain for a moment, and just… be happy.

Gifts are given out of love and as St Paul tells us… love doesn’t demand its own way. (1 Cor 13:5)

So, this holiday season, give the gift of love. Take yourself out of the equation and try to just make someone else happy for the sake of their happiness alone, not yours.

Trust me, even if they don’t seem grateful for the gift you’ve given them, you’ll be happier and more at peace. That’s the gift that God gives back to you each and every day.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-10T13:49:00.002-05:00

The Impossible is Possible

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

New Year’s Eve

New Line Cinema, Rice Films and Karz Entertainment, 2011.

Directed by Garry Marshall, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, and Hilary Swank.

“Resolution #8: Be amazed. Are you amazed? Check.”

Did you see the one with all the celebrities in it? “Valentine’s Day?” Yeah, that one.

Yes, “New Year’s Eve” is very similar in nature to the film “Valentine’s Day,” as it should be coming from the same writer and director team. There are a ton of A-listed actors playing the leads through six different storylines, alongside a slew of cameos in this witty, romantic, hilarious movie. Don't expect too much depth, as it is a rom-com (romantic comedy) and there are six different storylines running. It is a pretty funny movie, though, with great performances by a cast who just looked like they had a blast making the film.

“Some people swear there’s no beauty left in the world, no magic. Then how do you explain the entire world coming together on one night to celebrate the hope of a new year.”

In this film we see the intertwining lives of six different groups of people during the 12 hours or so before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

First, there’s Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Paul (Zac Efron). Ingrid has a list of New Year’s resolutions that she constantly puts off until her boss (John Lithgow) finally pushes her over the edge. She quits her job and thus accomplishes her first resolution. Next, she hires Paul (a courier) to help her complete her resolution list which includes tasks such as: visit Bali, be amazed, save a life, walk all five boroughs in one day, etc. Paul, through the clever use of his imagination, helps her through all of these starting with Resolution #2: Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Next, there’s Laura (Katherine Heigl) and Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi) who used to be a couple, got engaged, but then Jensen got cold feet at sprinted. Now, he’s asking her for another shot. Jensen also happens to be a big name rock-star who’ll be performing at Times Square. Laura, though, is a chef with her own catering company who wants to live her own life, rather than constantly tour with Jensen. Working alongside her is the head sous-chef Ava (Sofia Vergara) who helps her give Jensen another chance.

Then, we have Elise (Lea Michele) and Randy (Ashton Kutcher) who live in the same apartment building, but get stuck in the elevator when it breaks. Randy is determined to not celebrate the New Year, but Elise (one of Jensen’s back-up singers) helps him out of his funk.

Next, is the maternity ward where the first baby born in the New Year wins $25,000. Couples Tess (Jessica Biel) and Griffin (Seth Meyers) face-off against Grace (Sarah Paulson) and James (Til Schweiger) in a weird, but hilarious, race to give birth right after midnight.

Another story line, is Sam (Josh Duhamel) on his race to get back into the city after being the best man at his friend’s wedding in Connecticut. Sam has to give a company speech right before midnight, but he also is trying to find a woman that he met the year before. He doesn’t even know her name, but he’s going to try to find her at an agreed upon location.

There’s also Stan (Robert De Niro), who is dying in the hospital and has refused chemo-therapy or radiation. He just wants to make it to New Year’s one more time and watch the ball drop. His doctor (Cary Elwes) and Nurse Aimee (Halle Berry) try to make him as comfortable as possible, even though they don’t understand why he won’t try the therapies.

We see Kim (Sarah Jessica Parker) struggle to deal with her daughter Hailey (Abigail Breslin) as Hailey is now 15 years old and wants to spend the night with her friends, rather than with her mom.

Finally, we watch Claire (Hilary Swank) who is in charge of the most important thing New York City has on New Year’s Eve: the ball. Along with police office Brendan (Ludacris) and her team, they try to make sure everything runs smoothly. However, upon its ascent, the ball gets stuck. One fuse out of 3,000 blows and the entire thing halts. With pressure from her boss (Matthew Broderick) and the whole world watching, Claire must get an important engineer to come back after being laid off, in order to save the day.

“It only happens once a year: New Year’s Eve. It’s a time when hopeless can be romantic, when a resolution can become a revelation and when one night can change everything. And for this one magical night, it’s about getting another chance to do more, to give more, to love more… that and a good party.”

This film reminds us what being human is all about. It reminds us that we get second chances. It reminds us that we should try to do better, be better, be nicer, and be more loving. It reminds us, most importantly, to always have hope. Hope for the future. Hope for a better year. Hope to right a wrong. Hope to be forgiven. Hope that we can improve ourselves.

What are your typical resolutions? Lose weight. Finish a book. Read a book. Save money. Learn something new. Pray more.

Sound familiar?

And we stick with those for what, maybe a month, maybe less? Why?

What would it take to actually make a change in your life? First, you have to not just “want” to be better, but actually “desire” it. Do you just wish to improve, or do you crave it?

Next, what goal are you setting for yourself? Lose 10 pounds. Ok, that’s good, but why? Why do you want to lose weight? Because your doctor said so? Because you want someone else to like you?

Resolutions are personal. They should be for you, not for someone else. They’ll only work/ you’ll only stick with it, if you want to accomplish for you and no one else.

How many people include a resolution to pray more? Or attend Mass more frequently? Or start a prayer/reflection journal?

Again, I ask why? Don’t do it because you think it’ll make you holier or because you wish you were holier.

Do it because you crave to be closer to your God with all your heart, soul and being. Do it because you long to have a more intimate understanding of how your God loves you.

God doesn’t want you to become closer to Him because you think you should. He desires, He craves, He longs, He yearns, He pines, He ravenously seeks to be closer to you. Don’t spit in the face of that kind of passion by obliging Him out of mere duty. Would you want to be in a love affair with someone like that?

When you make a resolution, it means (by definition) that you have come to a definite or earnest decision about something. You resolve to do it. You are determined and bold in your courage to accomplish that which you have set before you. You are unwavering in your undertaking.

So, I challenge you this New Year’s: make a resolution and resolve to actually accomplish it. Whether it’s to directly become closer to God and know His love more intimately, or to indirectly become closer to Him by becoming a better more alive version of yourself. (Oh yes, when you live your life to the fullest and love to the fullest, you are becoming closer to God because that’s how He designed you to be.)

Lose weight (your body is a temple). Finish/read a book (take some quiet time). Save money (be prudent in your business). Learn something new (expand your horizons and open your mind to learn new things, don’t live in ignorance). Pray more (increase the deep desire and longing you have to know your God with as much passion as He has for knowing you).

“That’s what New Year’s is all about.”

Hugo

2011-12-04T11:46:00.001-05:00

Finding Purpose

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Hugo

Paramount Pictures, Infinitum Nihil, and GK Films, 2011.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Choen, and Asa Butterfield.

“Do you want to have an adventure?”

This film is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. What’s better… is it’s not only in 3D, but fully embraces the 3D element as an artistic medium. Director Martin Scorsese in an interview explained that “the setting of the story lends itself to the element of space and depth, like storytelling, to use it as narrative.” The film is breathtaking, delightfully adventurous, humorous, dramatic, and exquisitely performed.

Get in the car and take the whole family to see this masterpiece. As Isabelle (played by the fantastic Chloe Grace Moretz) says in the film, “It’s Neverland, Oz and Treasure Island all wrapped in one.”

The film is based on the historical-fiction book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” written by Brian Selznick which has 284 illustrated pictures between the books 533 pages. The book itself is a combination of novel, picture book, graphic novel, flip book, and movie. The film loses none of this. (The book would be a GREAT Christmas gift for any young reader.)

The story’s underlying narrative is based on the true story of a turn-of-the-century pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès (played by the incomparable Sir Ben Kingsley) and is set in a Paris train station in the early 1930s. The lead character is that of Hugo Cabret (played by the charming Asa Butterfield) and his search to find a secret message.

“Once upon a time, I met a boy named Hugo Cabret. He searched to find a secret message and how that message lit his way all the way home.”

Hugo is a boy who lives in the walls of the Paris train station and whose job it is to wind the clocks. Forgotten and abandoned, Hugo strives to fix an important piece of his past, which he hopes will reconnect him with his father. His clockmaker father, while working at a museum, rescues an automaton (a mechanical man who is supposed to write with a pen) from the back store rooms. Together Hugo and his father start fixing the automaton to see what message he’ll write. However, his father dies in a tragic accident at the museum.

Taken in by his drunken uncle, Hugo moves with his automaton to the Paris train station, where his uncle winds the clocks daily. In order to fix the broken automaton, though, Hugo begins stealing gears and parts from the station toy shop, guided only by his father’s notebook which contains blueprints and sketches of the automaton’s mechanisms.

However, Hugo gets caught by the toy shop owner and has his notebook taken away. Desperate to have his father’s notebook back, Hugo implores the assistance of the shop owner’s goddaughter, Isabelle.

As the two search for a way to fix the machine, they discover that Isabelle’s godfather, Papa Georges, is actually an early, but now neglected and disillusioned, cinema legend who created many films including “Le voyage dans la lune” (A Voyage to the Moon) which was the first film Hugo’s father ever saw.

The children continue to unravel the mystery of the automaton and try to help Georges Méliès rediscover himself. Georges, though, is crushed by the neglect of the world and laments that “my life has taught me that happy endings only happen in the movies.” Hugo responds, “the story’s not over yet.”

In the end, this film is really about the magic of cinema itself. As a puckish Georges says, “If you’ve ever wondered where your dreams come from, this is where they’re made.”

What’s your purpose?

“I’d imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason and that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”

Where do you fit in? Everyone has a purpose. Everyone fits in. No one is an extra part that is unnecessary.

Hugo’s purpose in life was to fix things. Isabelle: to tell stories. Georges: to enchant.

Purpose is something that I think we all struggle with. “God what am I supposed to do?! What do you want of me?!” And yet, He often seems to stay silent, refusing to tell you what you long to know.

So, how are we to find out what we’re supposed to do?

Simple: just do what you do best.

Don’t drown in the never-ending tidal pool of self-doubt wishing you could be holier or wishing you could somehow make a difference. God is the clockmaker, tinkering, fixing, crafting. He knows what you were built to do, so work for Him.

You don’t have to be a priest or nun to work for God. You can work for Him in your everyday daily life. Your purpose, your function, is simply to love and serve the Lord. How? By doing what He created you to do. If you’re an accountant, be the best accountant you can be. If you’re a teacher, then teach the best you can. If you’re a computer programmer, be the best programmer you can be. If you’re a technician, a salesman, a housewife, a chef, an attendant, a writer, a whatever… do it to the best of your ability and don’t stop with mediocrity.

You’re a mechanism in God’s machine and machines don’t come with extra parts. You are intended for a specific purpose, now go out and do it.

The Muppets

2011-11-25T15:02:00.002-05:00

3^rd greatest gift: Laughter

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

The Muppets

Walt Disney Studios, Mandeville Films, and Muppets Studio, 2011.

Directed by James Bobin, starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Chris Cooper.

“Maybe you don’t need the whole world to love you, you know, maybe you just need one person.”

This film is everything a Muppets movie should be: funny, silly, and heart-warming. As they point out in the film, the Muppets give the third greatest gift in the world (following (1) children and (2) ice cream), which is “laughter.”

So, how do they do it? Through song and dance numbers, asides to the audience, a plethora of cameos, and some of the cheesiest moments in Muppet history. This film lives up to expectations: The Muppets are back and everyone still loves them!

The plot is simple enough: it’s 2011 and the Muppets haven’t been on-air in a long time. Their Muppets Studio is in ruins will only Alan Arkin giving a few tours of the once grand studio. A greedy oil tycoon, Tex Richman (played by the devilishly delightful Chris Cooper), has plans to convert the old studio into a Muppet Museum… or so he tells the Muppets. In reality, he plans to level the place and drill for oil! “Maniacal laugh. Maniacal laugh.” (Yes, he actually says “maniacal laugh” rather than maniacally laughing.)

It seems as if everyone has forgotten about the Muppets, except for bright and cheery couple, Gary (Jason Segel, who was co-writer for this film, as well) and Mary (the ever-lovely Amy Adams), who live in Smalltown, USA. They travel to Los Angeles for a vacation along with Gary’s brother, Walter (a Muppet). Upon seeing the Muppets Studio in ruins, and Walter overhearing Tex Richman’s evil plot, the trio takes it upon themselves to find Kermit and get the gang back together to save the day. All they need to do is raise $10 million in 2 weeks.

Kermit sings a sad forget-me-not song as he reminisces about the old days, until he finally decides to try and save the Studio. They pile into the car, with “80s robot” driving, and start the daunting task of gathering up all the Muppets from around the country. Last, but not least, they need to bring back Miss Piggy, who is now living in Paris, France. So, they “travel by map”… which is faster, and try to talk her into coming back.

Back in Los Angeles, Kermit then has to convince a network to air their telethon. Finally, they come up to a CDE Executive (Rashida Jones), who tries to tell them just how forgotten they are in the public’s eye, but due to a sudden cancelation, gives them a 2 hour time block for their telethon. However, she tells them that they absolutely must have a celebrity guest host, or she won’t air the telethon.

With renewed vigor, the Muppet gang head back to the Studio to fix it up and rehearse. After watching Scooter sweep for a little bit, they decide that “that’s boring.” Walter, however, reminds them that they’re the Muppets! They do this kind of work to singing! So, a happy fix-‘em-up song begins and the Studio is completely put back into working order.

Rehearsal begins… disastrously… and they still don’t have any celebrity guest host because out of Kermit’s rolodex of celebrities, everyone is dead, retired, or not famous anymore. Defeated, Kermit begins to give up. Miss Piggy, however, takes things into her own hands… and they kidnap Jack Black.

With minutes to go before the telethon starts, the theater is still empty, except for Hobo Joe (played by the hilarious Zach Galifianakis). They start anyways, and as Jack Black is rolled out, dressed in a tux and tied to a chair, the audience starts to appear.

The show continues and the money starts rolling in, along with a bunch of celebrity cameos including Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez (who says she doesn’t know who the Muppets are because she’s too young), Neil Patrick Harris (who wonders why they didn’t ask him to host), Judd Hirsch, John Krasinski, and others.

Tex Richman, though, doesn’t want the show to succeed, so he attempts to sabotage the show multiple times, only to be thwarted by the good Muppets and friends. However, the Muppets fail to make the $10 million goal and Tex wins after all.

The Muppets, defeated, walk out of the Studio… only to be shocked by the camera flashes, mobs of people and press, and cheering crowds all standing outside the Studio doors. Everyone chants their love of the Muppets and excitement at their return.

Everyone learns that even in this world of harsh realities and cut-throat media, that acts like The Muppets are still beloved and desired by a vast majority of people. After all, they give the third greatest gift in the world… laughter.

How often do you laugh each day?

I think you can judge the contentment of someone’s life by how often they laugh… and not a forced laugh, not a snide laugh, but a genuine, bubbles up from your core, smiling enjoyment laugh.

Sometimes we get caught up in the ridiculousness of this life and dwell on negatives. We know we do this, we see that it makes us unhappy, so why do it?

We really need to learn to let go and let God. Seriously. The only reason to take this life too seriously, is if you think it’s your only one.

For us Christians, though, we believe that there is something far more great at the end of this life. Right?

So, yes… we’re all busy. Yes, we’re all stressed.

So what?! Calm down. It’s just stuff. Things will work out. Things will get done. Have the humility to realize that they don’t need to be on your schedule.

I think one of the worst things we can do is try to force God onto our schedule. “Look God, I need this to happen first, so that I can do this. Then, she can do this and he can do that. So, God… I just need you to do that one thing first.”

Uhm… calm yourself. Let go.

When you’re so stressed and concerned about making sure everything fits in to your tiny little schedule because in your mind that’s the only way things will work out, all your doing is raising your own blood pressure and giving a headache to everyone around you.

Laugh. Enjoy life.

If something doesn’t get done. Oh, well. Roll with it. Adapt. Be flexible.

When you get too stressed out to deal with anything. Smile, laugh and sing yourself a little song:

Mahna Mahna

Doo doo bee-do-doo

Mahna Mahna

Do do-do-doo

Mahna Mahna

Do doo bee-do-doo bee-do-doo bee-do-doo

Bee-do-do-doodle doo doo do-do-doo

Come on… that had to make you smile.

If you’re not familiar with it, then watch the original version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ

Catholic Heroes

2011-11-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

A new video has been produced by Good News Studios, and it's available on our website and on our youtube channel (or watch it below). It's the first in a series on modern-day Catholic heroes, people who strive for excellence, face challenges, and make personal sacrifices in order to serve the Kingdom of God.

In this episode of The Good News Show, Pam Stamey, Director of The Home Makers in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL, is featured. Listen to her story of how God works miracles through this volunteer ministry that furnishes the homes of the poor.

Immortals

2011-11-17T09:11:00.002-05:00

The Only Thing Worse than Death

is to be Forgotten

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Immortals

Relativity Media, 2011.

Directed by Tarsem Singh, starring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, and John Hurt.

“All men’s souls are immortal,

but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.”

Ahh, Greek mythology. 3000 years later and we still can’t get enough of it. A time when heroes were champions of the gods and evil men threatened to constantly destroy all of mankind. Most of us are familiar with the stories of Hercules and Odysseus and the writings of Homer and Socrates. Some people may be familiar with the legends of Perseus and Medusa via the classic film and its remake “Clash of the Titans.” Few, though, may know the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which is the subject of the film “Immortals.”

Theseus, our hero (played by the masculine Henry Cavill), is an outcast in his town because he is a bastard son of an unknown father. His mother faithfully prays in the town shrine and he learns the lessons of life and righteousness from a kindly old man. All too soon, though, we learn of the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his quest to find the mythical Epirus Bow, a bow forged in the heavens and lost on earth, and release the Titans sealed within Mount Tartaros. Unleashing the Titans would rain down certain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the gods.

The gods, ever watchful of the goings-on of the humans, remain on Olympus restrained by their law to not interfere in the affairs of humanity. Ares, Athena, and Poseidon look to Zeus to ensure that King Hyperion does not succeed. Zeus, however, has been secretly training and mentoring Theseus his whole life (in the form of the old man) to be their champion and save the world.

After Hyperion’s men destroy Theseus’ home village and murder his mother, Theseus begins a long journey to avenge and set the world right again. Along the way he meets the virgin Oracle, Phaedra (played by Freida Pinto), who helps him in his quest, the gods Athena and Ares break the law and save him from certain death, and he confronts Hyperion head-on.

This film has everything a classical Greek mythology story should: heroes, oracles, gods, fierce battles, betrayal, war, and a strong sense of justice and balance. It is rated-R for sequences of strong bloody violence and some sexuality.

“All men’s souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.” –Socrates

What’s up with everyone’s obsession to be immortal? Seriously.

Greek legends, vampires, anti-aging… it seems that Hollywood is no different today than the Greeks were 3000 years ago… or the Egyptians, or Ancient Chinese, or any other people that ever lived.

People just don’t want to be forgotten.

That’s why we struggle so much in this life. We want to do something that matters. We want to make an impact, leave a footprint, in this world.

The only thing worse than death is to be forgotten.

So, what’s your legacy? What are you leaving behind?

If someone was to write your biography, would it be a page-turner? Would it be in the young readers section? Would it be an adventure story full of daring tales of heroism where you changed the world around you? Or would it be one of those epically long, thousand pages of boredom, history books that collect dust?

Now, you don’t have to brandish a sword and fight for a cause, but Christ does call us to action. He wants us to be active participants in our own life story! He even says that if we are lukewarm, God will spit us from His mouth. Basically, He wants us to be hot or cold in our lives… for Him or against Him… either way, He can use you.

Remember the story of the conversion of St. Paul. That man was out collecting Christians, plucking them from their homes and killing them whenever he could. God just said, “Let’s re-direct all that energy” and Paul became a champion for God.

Now, remember that story of the guy who went to church every Sunday of his life, was polite, tithed, and died at the age of 84? No? Why not? He was a holy man, he attended church, tithed like God asked of him, was kind to his fellow neighbor…

Then, why don’t we remember him?

Don’t blend into the background of your life. Don’t blend into the background of your faith! Don’t be the banal Christian who is kind, polite, and un-intruding.

Rock the boat! Shake things up! Be alive!

Mother Teresa of Calcutta isn’t remembered because she was polite. She isn’t remembered because she didn’t ruffle any feathers or step on anyone’s toes. She’s remembered because she stepped out of her comfort-zone and actively pursued sharing the love of God.

St. Peter stepped out of the boat. St. Paul got knocked off his high-horse.

Where does your story begin? How will you be remembered?

Theseus: “Fight for honor, fight for your children, fight for your future, fight for immortality!”

J. Edgar

2011-11-12T21:08:00.003-05:00

What price vanity?

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

J. Edgar

Imagine Entertainment and Warner Brothers Entertainment, 2011.

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts.

“It’s time this generation learned the difference
between villain and hero.”

This film is a dramatic biopic of the life, rise to power, and secrets held by J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. He instituted a number of crime-fighting innovations that are common-place today, including fingerprint identification and forensic laboratories. The film effortlessly moves between important points in Hoover’s life, and the make-up department did an amazing job at making Leonardo DiCaprio look the part both young and old.

It is an interesting look into the mentality of such a powerful man. Many rumors have spread over the course of Hoover’s tenure and since his death about the secrets he held and his personal life, but this film does a good job of tying various threads together with a dramatic arc that director Clint Eastwood is very apt at accomplishing.

The story begins with an aged Hoover (played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio) beginning to dictate a book in order to tell “his side of the story” and ensure the Bureau’s reputation. He states very clearly, “It’s time this generation learned the difference between villain and hero.” Hoover then proceeds to tell the story of the how and why the Bureau of Investigation came to be.

He talks about the Bolshevik radicals who were trying to instill fear and subversion in the early 1910s and 1920s and about the Attorney General’s "A. Mitchell Palmer" (Geoff Pierson) raids. The Palmer Raids, as they were later known, were the catalyst for the foundation of the Bureau of Investigation of which Hoover was promoted into as its leader. Hoover reiterates that Palmer, though eventually fired because of the Raids, was in fact a hero of this country and people should remember him as such.

Next we are introduced to a young Helen Gandy (played by the talented Naomi Watts), whom Hoover begins to court, only to find out that she isn’t interested in marriage. As an alternative to marriage, Hoover offers her the position as his personal secretary. She stays with him through his entire career as one of the few people Hoover fully and completely trusts.

Soon, Hoover’s second trusted friend comes into the picture, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), who becomes the Assistant Director to the Bureau. Tolson is Hoover’s right-hand man, and their relationship flourishes.

Hoover then proceeds to briefly talk about the “gangster wars” where the Bureau began to gain its reputation through its arrests of outlaws and bank robbers, including John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and Alvin Karpis. Movies about the “G-men” and comic books about the FBI portray Hoover as a “machine-gun toting” strong arm of law enforcement, even though, as Congress points out to him, Hoover hasn’t actually made any arrests himself.

Hoover then puts himself directly in the action of this story and begins to dictate the story of the “Crime of the Century,” the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. Through this investigation, Hoover establishes his forensic laboratories (in the Attorney General’s smoking lounge, no less) and fights to make kidnapping a federal offense, in order to gain jurisdiction.

A child’s body is found not too far from the Lindbergh home and it is determined that the child died from a massive skull fracture. Hoover’s theory of the crime fits with this evidence and his forensic unit leads to a suspect who is arrested, tried and executed. Hoover takes all the credit he can for solving this crime.

As the film progresses, we see Hoover interacting with each new president, including John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Each time, he has a secret file ready in hand to let the new president know that he knows all the secrets. Robert Kennedy (Jeffrey Donovan), is shown the transcript of a wire-tap where his brother (JFK) is having an illicit affair with someone, Roosevelt is shown the file that alleges his wife has a lesbian lover, and Nixon is informed that there are a number of secret files.

Tolson at one point asks Hoover “Is that legal?” To which Hoover replies, “Sometimes you need to bend the rules a little in order to keep your country safe.” He uses his position to harass political dissenters, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and collect evidence using questionable or illegal methods, all in the name of protecting the country and its welfare.

Towards the end, the agent writing Hoover’s book asks the question: “Is this about a man’s legacy or an institution’s reputation?” Hoover responds that one made the other and vice versa.

So, I ask: “What price vanity?”

Hoover did a number of questionable things throughout his long tenure as Director of the FBI, but for what purpose? Was it to protect the country from a real or perceived threat? Was the threat to the country or to his own reputation? Who was he fighting for?

There’s no doubt that Hoover was a complex man nor that he had his flaws. The one thing that keeps presenting itself in his biopic, though, is that he was very vain… not simply vanity in his appearance, though he dressed very well and took pride in his appearance, but more so vanity in his abilities and achievements.

He not only took credit for others’ work, but he pushed out those individuals from the spotlight (and even the Bureau) completely. Hoover didn’t share the spotlight well; he didn’t “play well with others” in a sense.

Is it wrong to take pride in our work? No, but humility is also required.

God is proud of you. He takes great pride in your work. He thinks you are the most special, most beautiful, most wonderful creation He’s ever made. He loves you so much that even if it were only you, He would still die on a cross just to be with you. That’s the type of pride we want to emulate.

Take pride in yourself. You are a wonderful, beautiful, special creation of the Most High King. That’s something special. That’s something to be proud of. Now, how does that translate into a daily life scenario?

Well, take pride in your appearance, for starters. You should be the most beautiful person in the room. Here’s the key, though… all the make-up and bespoke clothing in the world can’t make an ugly soul beautiful. Beauty is an exterior reflection of interior state. Think about it… beauty is a quality that gives pleasure and satisfaction to the mind (according to Webster). When you’re happy and living in the glory of the love of your Heavenly Father, how can you not be beautiful?!

So, wearing make-up and/or dressing nice and/or fashionable aren’t vanity, but merely a reflection of your knowledge of the love of God for you.

If you dress slovenly and take no care for your grooming, how does that reflect your love of God, of his creation in you?

The same thing goes for your talents, abilities and achievements. Whereas J. Edgar Hoover had excessive pride for his talents and lacked any real value in them, you can and should take pride in your gifts.

Show the world your pride in who you are. Show the world that you are loved through your appearance, your deeds, your actions, your faith, and most importantly, in how you love… for you are the face of God in this world.

“A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done,

And let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

-Psalms 31:10-11, 30-31

Tower Heist

2011-11-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

“Love your enemies,” wait, what?

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Tower Heist

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Relativity Media, 2011.

Directed by Brett Ratner, starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and Casey Affleck.

“I don’t care what it takes. I will find a way to make it right.”

This film was a silly comedic-action flick, sort of a “Revenge of the Nerds” meets “Ocean’s 11.” It’s the classic “rich guy takes advantage of the poor, working stiff who then gets even.” There’s not a lot of depth to this film, the characters are at least interesting to watch, but most of them are two-dimensional. The cast overall is rather impressive, though, starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni, and Judd Hirsch.

The story opens with the two lead characters playing chess via the internet in the early hours of the morning: Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) is the Tower’s richest resident and Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the building’s general manager. Shaw wins the game and Kovacs begins his typical day reviewing security, important events, managing the residents’ lives, etc. Later that day, he sees what appears to be a group of kidnappers grabbing Shaw, throwing him in the back of a van, and racing away. So, Kovacs chases after them only to be clothes-lined by an FBI agent (Tea Leoni) who informs him that Shaw isn’t being kidnapped, he’s really trying to flee.

Shaw is arrested under suspicion of securities fraud, aka a Ponzi scheme. Kovacs informs the staff of this and that Shaw invested all of their pensions, which meant that all of their pensions and/or life savings are now gone. One particular doorman, Lester (Stephen Henderson) was about to retire and takes the news extremely hard. He tries to kill himself, but is saved.

Kovacs decides to take matters into his own hands and confronts Shaw. Under house arrest in his penthouse apartment, Shaw is unfazed by the news. Kovacs determines to make things right and gets his band of friends together to “storm the castle” and steal back Shaw’s suspected $20 million safety net.

They lay out a plan “Ocean’s 11” style and through a series of comical antics, the underdogs win the day.

It’s a PG-13 movie that is pretty safe to take the family to see, high-jinks and all.

What would you do to “get even” with someone?

In our world, a lot of people might respond to this question with something similar to “fight fire with fire” or a seditious plot to make the guilty suffer. Elaborate plans could be developed that involve a variety of other people all aimed to psychologically destroy the opponent so that they know to never mess with you again... or some other such nonsense.

Let’s take a look at this logically, though. “Fight fire with fire.” Hmmm. Has that ever worked? Has anyone ever saw a fire and seriously thought, “The best way to get rid of this fire, is to add… more fire.” I don’t know about you, but I tend to use water or sand or something that smothers the fire.

So, why do we think that the principle applies to the fire between people? When has a fight ever been resolved by more fighting? When have angry, hurtful words ever been soothed by more angry and hurtful words?

Do you feel better when you scream foul words back at someone who’s wronged you? Maybe for a moment, but then what? Has the situation been resolved? I doubt it.

Next time you’re in a huge fight or argument, try this: instead of yelling and screaming back, breathe. Calm down. Pray for peace and guidance and understanding. Then, if the other person is open, try having a reasonable conversation with them. If they just want to yell and scream at you, let them, and then walk away.

Let’s think about how Christ would handle the situation… something about “turn the other cheek.” Remember that?

How about this one: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44)

But, Christ didn’t mean that I should love the guy who cut me off and wouldn’t let me merge onto the highway, right? That guy doesn’t count. Or, the girl at work who is constantly gossiping false things about me. She doesn’t count, either… right? Or, that horrible heathen who took MY seat at church! Right?

Seriously? Do you hear yourself?

Take a moment to think about all the people who’ve wronged you, hurt you, betrayed you, abused you, misused you or generally annoy the bejesus out of you.

Listen to what Christ goes on to say about them:

“The Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5: 45-48)

So, yeah, you could get revenge and payback from those who’ve wronged you, but how does that make you any better than them? Christ wants us to not only act better, but BE better. BE more like him. BE more loving. BE more forgiving. BE more accepting and understanding.

Next time someone cuts you off, or gossips about you, or takes your favorite seat at church, smile to them and say hello. Kill them with kindness. Not as a way of revenge, but as a true, humble, loving child of God. BE Christ to them. It’ll change your whole outlook and theirs.

In Time

2011-10-29T01:12:00.004-04:00

Live Your Life

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

In Time

Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox, 2011.

Directed by Andrew Niccol.

Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy.

“For a few to be immortal, many must die.”

In this futuristic Robin Hood meets Bonnie and Clyde tale, hero Will Salas (played by the adept Justin Timberlake) takes on the unbalanced future where time is the new currency. Scientists have turned off the "aging gene" so that people stop aging at 25. They are engineered to last just one more year unless they replenish their clock. Therefore, the rich live forever, while the rest of the world struggles for another day of life. In the words of Will Salas: "Just once I’d like to have more time on my hand than hours in the day."

Will lives with his 50-year-old mother (Olivia Wilde) as they both work long hours to pay the bills. The cost of living (with a whole new meaning to the term, since time is the currency) keeps going up, making it tougher to make ends meet. More and more people "time out" and lay dead in the streets, unable to earn enough time to keep going.

After a tragic event with his mom, Will meets up with his best friend and is introduced to Henry Hamilton (played by brilliant Matt Bomer), a man with over a century on his clock and a death wish. He carelessly flaunts his time and the "Minute Men" (gangsters) soon descend. Will, seeing a fellow human in need, rushes to his aid and helps him escape.

While hiding out in the silence of an abandoned warehouse, Will and Henry chat about the nature of the world. It's here that the main plotline of the film is revealed and Will gains insight into the greater scheme. Henry tells him, "For a few to be immortal, many must die."

Henry explains that because the rich and powerful want to live forever, in order to maintain balance the poor must die, because if everyone lived forever, there would be no room to put them all. He says that this is the reason why the cost of living continually increases and the wages don't. However: "There's more than enough time for everyone" and no one should have to die before their time.

Henry gives Will all his remaining time – 116+ years of life – and says, "Don't waste my time." Now Will must decide what to do with all the time he's been given. He quickly makes his way out of his home "time zone" and into the New Greenwich time zone, the premiere, rich society zone.

Will soon makes the acquaintance of Philippe Weis, one of the wealthiest men in the world, and wins nearly a millennia from him in a game of poker. However, the Time Keepers, lead by Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy) interrupt as they arrest Will for the death and murder of Henry Hamilton. Will escapes, nabs Philippe's daughter Sylvia Weis (played by the beautiful and talented Amanda Seyfried, who also did an incredible amount of running in 4 inch heels), and they speed off into the night towards his home time zone.

Sylvia is ransomed by Will for 1000 years to be given to the local mission. Her father, though, doesn't want "1000 years falling into the wrong hands" and sends nothing. This is the moment when Sylvia's eyes start to open to the injustices around her. Will explains, "No one should be immortal, if even one person has to die."

From here, Will and Sylvia turn Bonnie and Clyde, robbing time banks and "Robin Hooding" it out to the poor. They try to figure out how to bring down the system or at least to restore balance. "It would take a million years," is the sentiment. So, they decide to rob her father for one-million years of currency to distribute to the poor.

Time Keeper Raymond Leon sums up the main problem: "His crime wasn’t taking time, he was giving it away."

If you had the option, what would you choose: life, death or earth-bound immortality?

Will points out that "we're not meant to live forever." Think about it, if you knew you had the potential to live forever, why would you ever take a chance or a risk? That was the problem for the rich in this film; they did everything slowly and avoided "accidentally dying." Sylvia complains that she was never allowed to go anywhere or even to swim in the ocean in her backyard. She states that most of the people she knew were already essentially dead because they weren't living their lives.

Then there are those people who know they only have one day to live, so they do as much as they can, as quickly as they can, and live day-to-day, moment-by-moment.

Is it better to be afraid of living or to live your life fully?

That should be an easy answer: live your life! God created you to live, love, and be glad! He didn't create you to hide away in a protective little bubble, interacting with no one and nothing. There are enough hermits and monastics out there, and if you're not called to that life, then get out there and live it!

Now, I'm not recommending recklessness. Just don't waste the time that God has given you. Do as much good in the world as you can in whatever your allotted time is.

That's what true humility is all about: knowing that you have a limited time and choosing to use it to help someone else.

Your life is not your own. You've been gifted with a certain amount of time to live. You've been given that gift for a reason. Like Henry told Will, God tells us: "Don't waste my time."

Let's not waste His time living only for ourselves. Let's not waste His time demanding that He change our circumstances, complaining and whining.

Let's go out there and change the world. Live your life for Him. Put His time to good use. Spread His love, His compassion, His joy, His friendship, His hospitality, His empathy, His support, His tenderness, His warmth, His joie de vivre (joy of living)!

Henry: "If you had as much time as I have, what would you do with it?"
Will: "If I had all that time, I sure as hell wouldn't waste it."

The Three Musketeers

2011-10-22T14:19:00.001-04:00

All For One And One For All

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

The Three Musketeers

Constantin Film and Impact Pictures, 2011.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen and Milla Jovovich.

“Courage. Honor. All for one and one for all.”

Before seeing it, I was skeptical of this film, to say the least. Upon first watching the teaser trailer and seeing the posters around the movie theater, I was super excited for this story. I love Alexandre Dumas’ books and have been a fan of the Musketeer storyline for years. So, this updated, action-packed version looked right up my alley. Then, I saw a longer commercial for it on TV and things looked a bit wonky. There were airships, female assassins, James Bond-esque weapons, and I said to myself, “Dear God, what have they done?”

So, I was skeptical going into this movie.

There was no need. This movie, though you have to deal with airships and other things not in the original storyline, was so much fun! The action was amazingly executed, no less than you would expect from the director of the Resident Evil series, with some of the best sword fighting sequences I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a LOT), brilliant acting all around, witty dialogue, and enough black leather and fantastically elaborate costumes to keep the textile industry in business for years to come.

The film opens with the three Musketeers, Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans), and Porthos (Ray Stevenson), easily defeating some Venetian guards to get three keys. The keys unlock a secret vault of Leonardo Da Vinci where they hope to secure plans for a “warship” (airship). They are assisted by Milady de Winter (played by the clever and beautiful Milla Jovovich) who, in a big dress and petticoat, gleefully runs headfirst through danger and comes out unscathed. Unfortunately, she is a double-agent and quickly betrays the Musketeers to the Duke of Buckingham (played by the charmingly arrogant Orlando Bloom).

One year later, we see D’Artagnan (played by brash Logan Lerman) in his final sword fighting lesson with his father. After lovingly being sent off by his parents, he makes his way towards Paris, stumbling into trouble along the way. Once in Paris, he continues to collide with fate and makes three separate dueling appointments. At the appointed time, D’Artagnan learns that his appointments are with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the famous three Musketeers.

Before the duel begins, though, the Cardinal’s guards interrupt and attempt to arrest the trio. D’Artagnan, cocky and headstrong, charges into battle with the guards, and the others soon join in. (Enter amazing swordplay sequences, each brilliantly executed by the actual actors – no stunt doubles were used for these scenes.)

After this skirmish, the four are summoned to the Imperial Palace where we are introduced to Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz), the scheming power behind the throne, King Louis XIII, who is an easily controlled teenage king, and Queen Anne, the gracious beauty who is more aware of politics than her husband.

Soon, the main plot is established: Cardinal Richelieu, through manipulating both Milady de Winter and the Duke of Buckingham, is attempting to start a war between England and France so that he can take control from the young king. His plan is set in motion and the only ones who can protect the young king and queen are the three Musketeers and D’Artagnan.

The four travel to England, and glorious chaos ensues. Decoys, airships and rooftop sword fights culminate in this adventure film. If you are a fan of the latest Sherlock Holmes movie (starring Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law), you will definitely like this film.

So, what can we learn from this re-envisioned 400 year-old story? Plenty. Just because the story is old doesn’t mean that its message no longer applies.

Sure, sword fighting is now only found on film or in boarding schools, and petticoats have thankfully gone by the wayside, but the main theme of courage, honor, and justice transcend time.

Who do you turn to when you need help?

I couldn’t help but see the parallel between these three elite soldiers and the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

As Athos explains, “We are surrounded by enemies. War will engulf the entire continent. Only we can prevent the coming Apocalypse.”

There is a war going on every day and everywhere; a war that we don’t often see but is being fought for you and me. There are soldiers who are loyal to the One True King and serve only Him and assassins who are loyal to no one but themselves. One side fights to create chaos and disorder while the other side fights to maintain peace.

When the queen was in dire need, she turned to the ones she knew she could rely on: her archangels, the Musketeers. With the help of her guardian angel, D’Artagnan, the four could outsmart the enemy and win the day.

It’s a thankless job, but they do it anyways. Aramis tells us, “We’re warriors. It’s who we are. It’s what we do.” They go wherever they’re needed for their king.

Let’s not forget that the real Enemy (see Ephesians 6) is always scheming and that he rarely does his own dirty work. He rather relies on one or two agents to set plans into motion and allows the players to dance into chaos and destroy themselves.

The devil is real. However, don’t give the demons more power than they actually have. The devil only has as much power as we Christians let him. He can be a big, scary, terrifying force that leaves us cowering in fear… or a small petulant child with no power other than to annoy us.

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives within you, that He will not let the darkness overtake you. After all, Christ has already won the war and Christ is within you. Go to the Eucharist in times of stress and oppression. Let Him lift you up and strengthen you.

Plus, everyone has at least one guardian angel, if not more. They’re beside you ready to fight; you just have to ask for their intercession and help. Why do you have to ask? Because they respect your free will. They, just like God, are not going to force you to choose one way or the other. However, they will help you and guide you if you are humble enough to ask them.

Here are some additional words to help if you’re struggling. It’s a prayer written by Saint Gertrude:

“O most holy angel of God, appointed by God to be my guardian, I give you thanks for all the benefits which you have ever bestowed on me in body and in soul. I praise and glorify you that you condescended to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemies. Blessed be the hour in which you were assigned me for my guardian, my defender and my patron. In acknowledgement and return for all your loving ministries to me, I offer you the infinitely precious and noble heart of Jesus, and firmly purpose to obey you henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen.”

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you always, and ask for your guardian angel to fight for you. If you ever feel you need more help, ask for the intercession and support of Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Just like Athos, Porthos and Aramis, they’re pretty awesome in a fight.

“Holy Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”

“All for one and one for all.” All for Christ and Christ for all.

Footloose

2011-10-15T13:56:00.000-04:00

Dealing with Pain

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Footloose

Paramount Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, and MTV Films, 2011.

Directed by Craig Brewer, starring Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough and Dennis Quaid.

“This is our time to live.”

How do people deal with pain and loss and tragedy? Some go to extremes, some rebel, and some... dance. “Footloose” is the story of a city kid from Boston, Massachusetts, who moves to small town Bomont, Georgia, after the death of his mother. This remake of the classic Kevin Bacon film is actually pretty fun to watch with catchy new music and fresh dance moves. It’s not great, but it’s pretty good and if you’re a musical theater fan like me, then you’ll probably enjoy it.

The film opens with a raucous dance party and kegger (a party featuring one or more kegs of beer, also called a "keg party") where teens are having the time of their lives. A group of teens leaves the party and ends up in a fatal car crash. Reverend Shaw Moore (played by Dennis Quaid) offers a eulogy-esque sermon at the city council meeting, stating that “We cannot be missing from our children’s lives. They are ours to protect.”

While the town is still grieving, a number of strict whiplash laws are put into effect, including a curfew of 10:00pm on school nights and 11:00pm on weekends, no loud music and no public dancing.

Three years later, we see city boy Ren MacCormack (played by the charming Kenny Wormald) arriving by Greyhound bus and greeting his two young cousins, his Uncle Wes and Aunt Lulu. We learn that Ren’s mother died after a long battle with Leukemia and Ren is determined to pull his own weight after his uncle takes him in. He fixes up an old, dilapidated Volkswagen Bug, drives it with music blaring, and soon gets pulled over. He is surprised to learn that it is a criminal offense to play music so loud.

After Sunday service, Ren is then introduced to Rev. Moore and his family, including the beautiful Ariel (Julianne Hough). The next day at school, he meets Willard (played by the likeable Miles Teller) and quickly makes other friends on the football team.

While hanging out in the garage, Ren learns from Willard and Woody (football team captain) that dancing is illegal for minors in Bomont. However, the teens still get together at the drive-in, where the sympathetic owner blasts hip-hop music after the police leave, and dance. Ren promptly shows off his moves and gains the attention of Ariel, even though she is just trying to make her older boyfriend, Chuck, jealous. Ren walks away as Ariel shouts, “What’s the matter? Can’t keep up?” His response, “You can put on a show for that guy; doesn’t mean I’m gonna.”

After more teenage shenanigans and a lot more dancing, Ren takes it upon himself to start a petition to change the laws of Bomont and abolish the dancing ban. With the support of friends and family, he makes a passionate speech in front of the city council. “There was once a time for that law, but not anymore. This is our time to live.”

So, how do you deal with pain and loss and tragedy?

There are three different ways of dealing with grief as shown in this film. Each is portrayed by different characters.

First, there’s Reverend Shaw Moore. His son died in the car crash coming home from a dance. His response was to, as his wife Vi (played by Andie MacDowell) puts in, “deal with emotions in extreme.” He couldn’t handle the pain and loss, so he grasped at whatever he still could and squeezed tightly. That lead to the establishment of a curfew, ban on rock n’ roll music and the ban on dancing.

He became so wrapped up in trying to prevent the scenario of potential pain that he missed the pain that was continuing to happen around him in his own family. He became obsessed with controlling fate and death, but as Ren tells him later, “Death works on its own schedule.”

Next is Ariel, Rev. Moore’s daughter. Ariel lost a brother who died in that accident – the brother she had looked up to and respected and loved – but she also her father because of it. Her father became so absorbed in his own hurt and suffering that he ignored the pain of his daughter. He couldn’t see how his pain was causing his daughter more pain. She, in turn, as a lot of teenagers do, rebelled in an attempt to get her father’s attention and bury her own pain. She created a persona of raw attitude with super tight jeans or short shorts, a flippant mouth, a seductive body language and an older boyfriend.

Later, when talking with Ren, she asks him if he wants to kiss her. His response: “Someday maybe, when it’s for me.” She proceeds to ask him if he wants to do more with her and he comes back with a “Sure, we could do that, but afterwards, when you’re lying there, covered in dried sweat, you’ll still feel like shit.” “You think I’m a slut.” “I think you’ve been kissed a lot.”

Then, there’s Ren himself. He tells his aunt that when his mom got sick, his dead-beat dad left, so he tried to take care of everything. He thought that if he did everything the doctors said, she might pull through. When she died, there was nothing he could do. How did he deal with his pain? With a “Yankee attitude” and some killer angry dance moves.

Ren also dealt with the pain through fighting the dance ban. He put all his energies into making a change for himself and for others. He fought for everyone else who either didn’t or couldn’t have a voice. He saw the pain in everyone around him and decided to help them by forcing them to confront it. Only then could the town truly start to heal.

So, how do you let go of the pain and move on?

First, you have to acknowledge the problem. If you bury the pain and hurt, you’ll never be able to move on. There are five stages of grief as outlined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying:

Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.

Far too many people get stuck at Anger, Bargaining or Depression. God doesn’t want us to be stuck anywhere but with Him.

Trust.

Rev. Moore learned that sometimes you just have to let go and trust in those around you who are still present. Trust that they heard you and the lessons you taught them. Trust that they will make decisions that are good and won’t make the same mistakes that lead to the first tragedy. Then, be humble enough to allow others to make mistakes. Be humble enough to realize that you can’t and shouldn’t control everything or everyone.

Ren tells Rev. Moore towards the end, “I know you gotta do what you gotta do, but that ain’t gonna stop it from happening.”

We are only responsible for our own happiness. As much as we might want to control someone else’s situation in order to protect them and keep them safe, we have to let go and let them choose for themselves. (Parents, I acknowledge that this is particularly hard for you.)

It’s difficult to let go and trust, yes, but it’s what God does and what He wants us to imitate. He doesn’t puppeteer us and safety-pad our lives. He lets us make choices for ourselves. He lets us learn from our mistakes and the best part is… He’s always there to support us afterwards. If we screw up, He’s there to comfort us and help us get back up on our feet. If we succeed, He’s there to rejoice with us and celebrate.

As St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians (who obviously didn’t quite get it either):

“Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.”

Love is difficult, just look at the cross.

Real Steel

2011-10-08T12:30:00.006-04:00

Anything worthwhile is worth fighting for
by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of
Real Steel
Touchstone Pictures and DreamWorks SKG, 2011.Directed by Shawn Levy, starring Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly and Dakota Goyo.

"I want you to fight for me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted."

This film will have you laughing, cheering in your seats, and applauding at the end. It’s a classic underdog-type story with a redemption undercurrent. Hugh Jackman is fantastic as the struggling ex-boxer who's trying to eke out a living when he's introduced to his stubborn, smart-alecky, bold 11-year-old son. With a runtime of 127 minutes, this film lasts a little longer than most current box office hits, but you won’t notice the time passing as the story constantly engages you with witty dialogue, pumped-up music, flashy robots, and a cast of characters whom you can get behind and really cheer for.

Real Steel starts with Charlie Kenton (Jackman), an ex-boxer turned robot-boxer promoter, traveling to a Texas fair where his robot is scheduled to fight an 800-pound steer. The Texas ring leader changes the fight card and places a 2,000-pound bull in the ring instead, and Charlie is forced to pit his robot against the bull. Immediately we see that Charlie has a bad habit of making bad bets he can’t back, is easily distracted, and has a total disregard for others. Of course, this is the beginning of his redemption.

After losing the fight, he attempts to sneak out quickly to avoid paying on his lost bet, but two men stop him to tell him that the mother of his son Max (played by the brilliant Dakota Goyo) has died and he’s wanted in court for a custody hearing.

In court, the boy’s aunt adamantly states that she should retain custody because she and her husband are wealthy and actually care about Max. Charlie swaggers in, ready to sign off the boy, until he comes up with a brilliant scheme: He’ll sign over custody only if the uncle, Marvin (James Rebhorn), pays him $50,000.

Marvin explains that they were planning to vacation in Italy over the summer, so Charlie says he’ll take the kid for the summer and deliver him when they return -- for $100,000. Marvin agrees. With this new-found money, Charlie promptly buys a new fighting robot.

Working his way into an underground fight, Charlie takes the main event fight because of the huge payout if he wins, much to the chagrin of Max who has tagged along. They lose yet again.

Charlie and Max break into a robot junkyard to steal parts to build a new bot when Max discovers a whole robot buried in the mud. He digs the robot out by himself, takes him home to clean him up, and discovers the name "Atom" etched on his chest. Max demands that Charlie get Atom a fight.

Atom is an old generation sparring robot that is only designed to take a lot of hits without dishing anything back. However, he has a unique "shadow" function where he mimics whatever movement he sees. Max soon develops a strong friendship with Atom and Charlie begins to care about his son.

Fight after fight, Atom continues to win. Atom becomes known throughout the world as the "Junkyard Bot from Nowhere" and the "People’s Champion."

This film has epic amounts of fun and is a must-see. It’s PG-13 rating is for violence and some brief language. If you can see it in IMAX, do it!

So, what about the Christian message in a movie about boxing? If you're a youth director or catechist or parent, what faith-based discussion can you get from it? Well, let me begin with this thought from Mark Hart, the Bible Geek from LifeTeen:

"God can live without you… He just doesn’t want to (Col. 1:22). That’s what makes the cross so beautiful. You have a God who would rather die, than risk spending eternity without you."

So, who and what are you fighting for? In the film, Charlie fights for a variety of reasons. He’s fighting to get back lost pride. He’s fighting to win money. He’s fighting because of his love of the sport.

At one point, he asks Max: "What do you want from me?!" Max replies, "I want you to fight for me! That’s all I ever wanted." It takes Charlie awhile to understand this, but eventually he does.

So, who and what are you fighting for?

Are you fighting for your pride? For a relationship? For a promotion? For a better life? For someone you love?

Take another look at our message from Col. 1:22. Christ fought for you! He fought to the death for you! It might not have been in a ring, but it was still a championship battle.

Why did He do that? Because He would rather DIE, than risk losing you. He loves you that much! You’re THAT important to Him.

Here’s the other thing: He’s STILL fighting for you. Every day. He wants you to be with Him so much that He’s fighting for you all the time, non-stop. Every time we turn away from Him, every time we hurt Him, every time we yell and scream and ignore Him, He gets back in that ring, back in the fight.

In boxing, they shout, "Get back in the game!" To God, it’s not a game; the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine, and He doesn’t play around.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that.

In the words of Charlie Kenton: "I know I’ve done all kinds of wrong by this kid. I’d just like to do one thing right."

Now it’s your turn. Get back in the game. Fight for your God, He’s already in your corner.

Why go to a priest for Confession?

2011-10-07T11:51:00.000-04:00

Question:
Since God hears and answers our prayers, we can confess our sins directly to God; why go to a Catholic priest?

Answer:
God always forgive us when we go directly to him, one-on-one, but Christ also provides special additional graces when we go to God for forgiveness in the context of a Sacrament of the Church. A sacrament is a divine direct intervention of Christ provided through the apostles who are called to be his representatives.

Everything we do creates ripples in the stream of life that reach much farther than we can see. Even our small deeds of kindness make a wide-spread difference. So too our sins. Therefore, God has provided a means for dealing with the ripple effects of sin.

It's impossible for us to go directly to each and every person who deserves our remorseful apology. So, in God's great mercy, he provides a way to accomplish it: The priest of the Church stands in for all those who have been affected by our sins.

Jesus is present in the priest, and when we go to Jesus in that form, absolution from our sins comes not only from Christ but from the whole Body of Christ that's on earth, i.e., the Church – every member of the Body – which is represented by the priest's presence in the confessional.

In our individualistic world, we've lost sight of our interconnectedness. We've forgotten what it means to believe in the communion of saints, despite professing it often as we recite the Creed of our Faith.

Throughout biblical times, people understood that they were part of a larger whole. In the Old Testament, when one person disobeyed God, the entire community was punished. We think that was unfair. Why should all suffer on account of one? Jesus answered that question when he, as one man, suffered for all. And we who belong to Christ are connected to everyone else who belongs to Christ. The fact is, we are all connected to each other.

God is a God of reconciliation. He provides it as a sacrament so that we can receive directly from Jesus the healing that reunites us to his Divinity and to each member of his earthly Body.

In the Sacrament of Confession, we acknowledge that we have divided ourselves from God and from others. In Confession, the priest sits in for Christ and for the whole Church and accepts our repentance and pronounces the absolution of our sins (which is psychologically beneficial to hear spoken with an actual voice instead of just the voice of God in our hearts, which sounds like our own inner voice).

Through this communal, person-to-person experience of confession and absolution of our sins, we are then reconciled with everyone. We might still have to apologize to specific individuals to make amends with them, but in this sacrament, Christ wipes away the division that was caused by our sins.

Even when the people we've hurt are still mad at us and won't forgive us, the power of the Sacrament of Confession through a priest who represents the whole Church gives us the effect in our spirit of being reconciled with that person.

Remember, when we go to a priest, it's not the priest who actually provides the forgiveness. It's the Father who forgives sins. It's Jesus who delivers the forgiveness. And it's the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us and empowers us to go and sin no more.

In the confessional, the priest is (as stated above) the presence of Jesus and the whole Body of Christ (the Church). The absolution that he pronounces is as an action of his Holy Spirit, and this is more than just the removal of guilt; the sacrament – because it is a sacrament – provides us with the gift of a special grace from the Holy Spirit, which gives us supernatural power to replace the sinful vice with the holy virtue that will help us avoid that vice in the future.

Pope John Paul II said in 2002: "The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most effective instruments of personal growth. Here the Good Shepherd, through the presence and voice of the priest, approaches each man and woman, entering into a personal dialogue which involves listening, counsel, comfort and forgiveness…. All who receive sacramental absolution ought to be able to feel the warmth of this personal attention. They should experience the intensity of the fatherly embrace offered to the prodigal son: 'His father ... embraced him and kissed him' (Luke 15:20). [Through the voice of the priest] they should be able to hear that warm and friendly voice that spoke to the tax collector Zacchaeus, calling him by name to new life (cf. Luke 19:5)."

Homeland Security easing up on low priority illegal immigrants

2011-10-03T11:51:00.002-04:00

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, applauded the recent announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that prosecutorial discretion would be exercised on “low-priority” deportation cases. “We urge your expeditious implementation of this proposal, as vulnerable immigrants who are ‘low-priority’ remain at imminent risk of deportation,” Archbishop Gomez said in a September 29 letter to Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Archbishop Gomez laid out, from the perspective of the U.S. bishops, those categories of immigrants who should receive stays of deportation and qualify for work authorization, as outlined in the DHS announcement. These groups include members of families, as currently defined under federal immigration law; children and individuals who were brought to the United States at a young age and who would benefit from the DREAM Act; other vulnerable immigrants and those who had lived in the United States for years and built equities in their communities. He also asked for protection for “clergy and religious” who serve in faith communities across the nation. You can read the full letter at http://www.usccb.org/news/2011/11-182.cfm.

Dream House

2011-10-01T13:00:00.001-04:00

Fatherhood: Modeling Love

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Dream House

Universal Pictures and Morgan Creek Productions, 2011.

Directed by Jim Sheridan, starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts.

"Once upon a time, there were two little girls that lived in a house."

This film has received some poor reviews around the interwebs. A lot of critics have said that the trailer spoils the film and therefore the film itself is a huge let-down. Well, I have two things to say to that: (1) the official trailer and final cut of the film were not approved by either the director or the lead stars, but were re-cut, changed and then released by the production company, Morgan Creek, against their wills. The director, Jim Sheridan, and stars, Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, disliked the final cut so much so that they refused to do press promotions or interviews for the film. (2) The story is exceptionally well written, directed and performed and, thankfully, not a supernatural horror flick that I think most critics were expecting, hence their upset regarding the trailer’s spoiler.

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. I hate supernatural horror flicks as there’s enough spiritual warfare going on in reality and yet Hollywood never seems to get it right. (Seriously, demons like to screw around and scare people under the guise of ghosts and haunted whatevers, yes. However, we’ve got more power than they’ll ever have because of Christ who is in us. So, next time you feel the urge to watch a horror flick and don’t want to leave completely scared, instead of covering your face with your hands, just image Christ and a legion of angels standing in front of you to protect you – I like to imagine peering over St Michael’s shoulder. Then, the “Paranormal Activity” of the “Amityville Horror” isn’t so scary.)

So, needless to say, I was happily amazed to watch a film that was a psychological thriller, rather than one that relied on ghosts and demons to intrigue. “Dream House” is an incredibly well written murder mystery drama. So, if you’re a fan of Hitchcock films or Agatha Christie novels, you will probably enjoy this movie. There are a couple of jump-out-of-your-seats moments in this PG-13 film, but just enough to pull you deeper into the story and even if you see the “plot twist” coming, you won’t care because the characters are brilliantly portrayed and Daniel Craig engages you from the start.

The story begins with successful publisher Will Atenton (Craig) quitting his job in New York City to move with his family into a charming New England town. His wife Libby (Rachel Weisz – who recently married Daniel Craig in real life earlier this year) excitedly greets him at the front door. Inside the house, his 7 and 5 year old daughters joyously welcome him. As the family continues to settle into the house, they soon find out a terrible secret – their new dream house was actually the scene of a brutal murder 5 years ago where the mother and two children were shot. The only survivor was the husband and the whole city believes that he was the culprit.

Will begins to investigate the murders and keeps finding new and disturbing remembrances of the previous family within the house. Additionally, a shadowy man keeps looking in through the windows. Who is he? What does he want? Why don’t the police help? Why didn’t the neighbors say anything?

Will continues to try to piece together the unnerving puzzle about the previous man who lived there, Peter Ward. His only ally is the woman who lives across the street, Ann Paterson (played by Naomi Watts), who used to know the family.

As I was thinking and praying about what spiritual angle I could pull out of this story, the thing that kept coming to mind was the idea of Fatherhood.

Being a parent is no easy task, I’m sure. I have no children of my own, but I can appreciate the sacrifices that parents make for the sake of their family.

How’s your relationship with your father?

In this film, we see Will Atenton protect his family, fight for his family, spend joyous moments with them, cry with them, and battle his own inner demons for them. Everything he does is due to his love for them.

Now, think about your father and if you are a father, your role as father. What role model are you using as your primary example of how to act? As we grow up, we tend towards becoming like our own parents as they are the first example of how parents act. We learn from their mistakes and try not to repeat them. We develop relationships with our spouses based on the relationship that was modeled during our childhood. And we all state with conviction at some point that “I’ll never be like him/her!”

How’s your relationship with your Father?

Here’s the difference: father versus Father. Father on earth versus Father in Heaven.

One may not live up to your expectations, or let you down, or be over-protective, or have caused you a great deal of pain and suffering. Which one are we talking about, though?

Sure, it’s easy to lay blame on your earthly father and say that only God, the Father loves you perfectly. Well, duh, of course God loves you perfectly because only He can. Your earthly father is still human and therefore will (not may, but definitively will) screw up. However, does God always “live up to your expectations?” Does God sometimes “let you down?” Can God seem “over protective” at times? Or can He seem like He’s “causing you pain and suffering?”

But, wait, didn’t we just agree that God loves us perfectly? Then how can He not make your life all sunshine and roses?

It’s because He loves us perfectly that we don’t always “get our way.” God believes in “tough love” sometimes. Sometimes it’s easy to feel His love for us and other times, under the weight of the cross, it’s difficult to feel.

Sometimes we pray and pray and pray for something to happen and then it doesn’t and we feel “let down” by our Heavenly Father. Does God love us less during those times? Did we forget to put our toys away or eat all our vegetables and He’s teaching us about consequences? Or maybe, does He have a better plan for us, one that we can’t see?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not harm, plans to give you a future and hope.” (Jer. 29:11)

So, does God know what He’s doing? Yeah, I’d say so. Does that always mean that we’re going to get our way? Not likely. How about sometimes? Sure.

Give your father a break, both of them. Yes, your earthly father is fallible and will screw up, but give him a break. If you haven’t talked with him in awhile, reach out and call him. If you have a great relationship and you see him all the time, give him a hug and just say “thanks.” If you don’t know how to talk with him or you don’t want to re-open old wounds, talk to your parish priest and ask him for guidance.

Then, pray to your Heavenly Father (and ask St Joseph to intercede for you, too – he’s pretty awesome on the parenting front) to open your heart and teach you to love the way that He loves. Let our Heavenly Father be the ultimate and perfect role model of a loving parent for you.

The DREAM Act

2011-09-26T10:04:00.003-04:00

Christianity is counter-cultural. No matter what you've heard from the media and politicians about the problem of illegal immigrants, Christ cares about each immigrant regardless of their status under civil law. Christians are the Body of Christ on earth. We must care about them too or else we are dividing ourselves from Christ.

In the US, we can spread the compassion of Christ in the world by supporting the DREAM Act of 2011 (S. 952).

If approved, the DREAM Act will authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children. Applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, they must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years prior to the DREAM Act becoming law, they must pass a criminal background check and the must not have turned 35 when the act becomes law. The DREAM Act is not an alternative to comprehensive immigration reform but a step in the right direction.

There a number of ways to express your support for the DREAM Act, which will give thousands of deserving students a chance to be legal residents:

Contact Your Senators
Please urge the entire Senate to support the DREAM Act and give thousands of deserving students a chance to be legal residents. Call and/or e-mail your Senators to encourage them to support S. 952, the DREAM Act of 2011. You can call their Washington office via the Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.

Send a Postcard to the President
Go to the USCCB's Justice for Immigrants website to send an electronic postcard to President Obama and Congress asking them to protect innocent DREAM youth from deportation.

Moneyball

2011-09-18T09:39:00.028-04:00

Confidence Is What Matters

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Moneyball

Columbia Pictures, 2011.

Directed by Bennett Miller, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

"You may not look like a winning team, but you are one.

So, play like one tonight."

I've been told that baseball is America's favorite pastime. Personally, I've never gotten into it and the few games I've actually seen... bored me to death. I appreciate the romantic sense of the game and love the stories of legendary players, though, so when I first saw the trailer for Moneyball, I was intrigued.

Hollywood these days seems to have run out of creative new ideas; either the film is a remake or a sequel, and neither is all that good. However, there are some new films out there that strike a chord in our hearts and minds: films based on social justice issues, such as The Help or Slumdog Millionaire, for instance, or those based on true stories.

Moneyball tells the true story of how the Oakland A's General Manager, Billy Beane (played by the sublime Brad Pitt), uses a new, non-traditional statistical method to scout players at a fraction of the cost of large market baseball teams. The idea is that the traditional method of creating a team based on the collective wisdom of players, managers, coaches, scouts, etc, is flawed and biased. As Peter Brand (played by a subtly witty Jonah Hill), Beane's assistant general manager, points out, "Your goal shouldn't be to buy players, your goal should be to buy wins."

Much to the aggravation of his manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Billy Beane rejects the conventional wisdom of the scouts and executives and proceeds to draft and trade the Oakland A's players with his own method, and he creates a team of undervalued and overlooked players.

"Here are 25 players that have been overlooked by every other team for one reason or another, like an Island of Misfit Toys."

Beane and Brand's revolutionary scheme pays off with one of the longest winning streaks in baseball history. In fact, the term "moneyball" has even entered into baseball lexicon. Some teams still adhere to traditional scouting methods, but it is undeniable that Beane's method made a serious impact in the way that teams are drafted.

"If we win with this team, we'll have changed the game."

This film, with its runtime of 133 minutes, is a well-written, beautifully directed, and skillfully performed story. It is inspirational in its sense of the underdog and shows that even with millions of dollars at stake, it's not always about the money, but about the heart. As Billy Beane points out, "How can you not be romantic about baseball?"

So, what should the discerning Christian movie-goer take away from this story? There was one theme, in particular, that I'd like to focus on here. It's the one that spoke to me and where I'm at in my own life right now.

Billy Beane said something along the lines of, "When you sign someone, you can only look at ability. In the end, it comes down to confidence."

How's your confidence level in yourself?

We like to puff ourselves up when put in the spotlight or questioned about "can you do x, y, or z...?" "Who me? Of course I can! I have no idea how to do it, but I'm awesome; I'll figure it out." But what about when we're alone, sitting in the dark, thinking back on the day's events? It's in those quiet moments of reflection when we let down our guard and have the opportunity to evaluate ourselves. Try not to be too harsh, though. Allow yourself to relax, to breathe, to let the worries of the day wash off of you.

We often get lost in the buzz of our everyday lives: in the meetings, the traffic, the lunches and dinners, the phone calls and emails, the screwed up systems, the annoying manager or co-worker, and the stack of unfinished work. There's always something that we didn't do, or shouldn't have done, or wish we would've done differently, or pray that you don't forget. There's always something there to nit-pick at our self-confidence; someone who tells us that we're wrong or not good enough. Maybe it's not something that was said to you, but something that wasn't said. Maybe you were ignored or overlooked, which is just as bad as, if not worse than, being yelled at.

How do you re-gain that lost confidence?

Do you stay up all night studying and researching and fixing the problem? Do you scramble around trying to appease everyone? And in the end, does that really help?

Billy Beane, after a rough first half of the season, told his players, "You may not look like a winning team, but you are one. So, play like one tonight."

So, even if we don't feel like we're worth anything or that no one understands us or respects us or listens to us, just remember.... you are. You are worth something. You are understandable. You are respected. And you are listened to.

Don't get caught up in a system that's not working. "When the numbers don't add up, you have to change your game." This means that if you ever feel like nothing's working out for you and everything's a mess, don't sit there and continue the same old nonsense that obviously isn't working! Change it up! Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you through it. When in the Bible did God ever leave the status quo alone? Rebuild your self-confidence by changing the game.

Next time you feel lost and overwhelmed, try this. Breathe. Just stop. Take a moment and refocus on the love that Jesus has for you. Don't worry about tomorrow or the next day. Just enjoy the current day that you're living because, if nothing else, hey, at least you had a good day today.

The film fades to black as Beane's daughter sings the song The Show by Lenka, and I think it sums up everything nicely:

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go, can't do it alone
I've tried and I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down
I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show.

Letting go is the cure for restoring self-confidence if your relationship with Christ is the center of your life. Do you know how much God believes in you? There is the true source of confidence!

I Don't Know How She Does It

2011-09-17T12:09:00.021-04:00

Life’s Priorities

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

I Don't Know How She Does It

The Weinstein Company, 2011.

Directed by Douglas McGrath

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear.

"Me without that job isn’t me,

but me without you [Richard] and Ben and Emily is nothing."

This film, while receiving plenty of negative reviews about a clichéd and tired storyline, is actually quite pleasant and enjoyable to watch. It’s pro-marriage, pro-life and a great date-night movie (although, unfortunately, it is not pro-chastity amongst the unmarried characters).

I Don’t Know How She Does It tells the story of Kate Reddy (played by the adorable Sarah Jessica Parker) and her life as she tries to juggle a marriage, two kids, school bake sales, and a high-stress job. While this will definitely fall within the category of a “chick flick,” this film promotes the idea of how to make a marriage work even in our modern times of unfaithful spouses, divorce-comedies, and egotistical relationships where the lead character’s job is more important than anything or anyone else in their lives. Overall, don’t expect anything profound from this film, but do go out and see it as a refreshing movie-going choice amongst the monotony of action-packed thrillers and sexual escapade flicks.

I Don’t Know How She Does It tells the life of Kate Reddy from a first-person perspective and through the viewpoints of her closest friends and associates. It begins by taking us into her life and the madness she has to endure on a daily basis, including her five-year-old daughter’s school bake sale. She is determined to bake a home-cooked pie, but after arriving home from a business trip at 1:00 AM, she is too tired to do so. Instead, she buys a pie, places it into a glass dish and then uses a rolling pin to flatten it out to fit, topping it all off with some powdered sugar to hide the evidence. All this in an effort not to disappoint her daughter.

Her husband, Richard (Greg Kinnear), is an architect who is struggling to win a bid for a new contract just as she is given the opportunity to pitch a new investment plan to one of her firm’s biggest clients, Jack Abelhammer (played by the charming Pierce Brosnan). Kate and Richard juggle their respective meetings with dropping off and picking up the kids from school and trying to find time to spend with each other.

Their complicated lives get even busier when they simultaneously receive new contracts. Their lives become a giant mess of scheduling logistics. Kate is constantly flying down to New York City to meet with Jack, and both she and her family feel the strain of separation.

The film comes to a predictable head until Kate finally figures out what it is that she really wants and where her priorities need to be. She becomes willing to risk losing her job in order to put family first, and yet her prowess in business allows her to keep the job she loves. After a beautiful scene of repentance with her husband, Richard is asked what his wife does for a living, and he simply replies with a smile and endearing look to Kate, “She’s a juggler.”

Where do your priorities lie? Are you a “work-a-holic?” Are you “focusing on your career” first, before pursuing a relationship or family? Are you constantly “too busy” for friends, family or God? Do you feel like you’re always juggling things in your life? Ever feel like you just don’t have any time for yourself, let alone God?

Football season just started up, too: How many of us are perched in our living rooms watching the game instead of going to spend a little time with God at church?

So, how are we to cope with these issues? Surely God doesn’t want us to abandon everything we worked so hard to attain: our careers, our families, our game-time... But, what does He want of us?

Well, Kate said it best: “Me without that job isn’t me, but me without you [Richard] and Ben and Emily is nothing.”

God doesn’t want us to abandon everything we are just to be with Him. He gave us unique gifts and talents and He wants us to use them. It’s like giving a child a blank paper and some crayons. Their artwork will always bring you joy and you’ll even post it on the refrigerator. So, if you love your job... that’s great! God rejoices in us when we utilize those gifts and talents and He posts our achievements on His heavenly refrigerator. Therefore, honor God by being the best you possibly can be at your job.

Family is also so extremely important. This film did a great job at showing how true this was to Kate. Even though she had to constantly travel away from her family for her job, she still called them nightly and even sang her children to sleep over the phone. She was still in love with her husband, even though she was spending a lot of time with the charming Jack (Brosnan) and could have easily had an affair with him.

It’s important that we remember how much of a blessing it is to have a family to come home to. For some of us, we may not have our actual family near us, but we can create a new family full of friends and loved ones.

So, what should we learn from this endeavor called life? First, that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Check. Second, that we all have unique and special gifts that God has given to us so that we can succeed. When we use those gifts we praise God with our lives and He, in turn, rejoices in us. Excellent. Third, being part of a family is a holy struggle. Yes, at times they will annoy us, frustrate us, and aggravate us, but in the end they are worth every tear and heartache.

Priorities can be difficult to sort out sometimes, but as long as you keep this three-point stack in line, you should be fine: God, you, and family. Your relationship with God should always be the top priority in your life. Then, you have to take care of yourself. If you neglect yourself and your own personal mental health, you won’t be any good to anyone else. Next comes family and friends. Then, everyone else.

Take the time to balance your life.

News from the Executive Director: Sept. 15, 2011

2011-09-15T17:30:00.003-04:00

Take a look at this interesting graph! It shows how widely distributed is our pamphlet on "The New Roman Missal: Changes in the people’s parts, and their benefits." This is by far our most-frequently downloaded WordByte. Of the 770 requests for permission to copy and distribute (as of the writing of this letter), we're reaching 50 countries! Here's where most of them are going:

Clearly, many people desire to understand the changes in the text of Mass. We don't want to just memorize them; we want to feel good about them! That's why the first major project of Good News Studios was the DVD "Take, Eat and Drink: Drawing Deeper Faith through Understanding the Mass" (and the Parish Workshop Kit to go with it), which to date has gone out to 83 people and parishes, including to Singapore, Australia, Jamaica, India, the Philippines, Malta, Kenya, Malawi, and Malaysia, in addition to the US and Canada.

Some of those who ordered the DVD were so generous that we are now able to purchase for Good News Studios a high-resolution video camera worth $900. We work hard at working well for God on a shoestring budget. Our first DVD was made with an old camera that Tammy brought with her from the videography business she had while in college. When the shoestring gets a bit longer, we'll add a second new camera to shoot from multiple angles like the "real" pros.

This weekend, Tammy is reviewing the movie I Don't Know How She Does It and will post her blog about it on Good News Stepping Stones. Remember, if you'd like to get emailed the new blogs whenever they're posted, use the "Follow by Email" box at the top of the blog.

Our blog has reached over 98-thousand pageviews!

None of these successes would be possible if not for the donors who've been supporting our mission. Even the $5 donations are making a difference.

Hey, in two months I'll be in Ottawa, Canada! I'm giving a women's retreat called "Behold Your Mother" (from John 19:27), similar to the retreats I gave in New Zealand last year. This retreat is hosted by Women of Bethany. I hope that some of the ladies reading this will be able to go so we can meet face to face. I'd greatly enjoy that.

Miracles happen because our prayers are an expression of the earthly body of Christ being united to the heavenly kingdom of Christ. Therefore, I am depending on your prayer support. It makes a difference for my family, for my ministry, for my staff and for GNM's growth. Be assured that every morning I ask God to bless all those who help Good News Ministries in any way.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica
Good News Ministries
gnm.org

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

Contagion

2011-09-09T17:48:00.000-04:00

Fear is the disease, God is the vaccine

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Contagion

Warner Bros. Pictures, Participant Media, and Imagenation Abu Dhabi, 2011.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Laurence Fishburne.

"Nothing Spreads Like Fear"

With the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the film Contagion gives a cautionary reminder of what terror can do. Whether it's an anguished, is-this-really-real aggression against innocents, or an unseen, unstoppable, un-diagnosable virus sweeping through the population, terror can and does appear in many different forms. Unfortunately, it takes some terrible force like these for people to find out what kind of person they truly are. Are you a hero? a victim? scared and hiding in the dark? an aid-worker? Who are you, really?

Contagion takes the basic plot line of a rapidly progressing, extremely lethal and chimerical virus as it spreads around the world. This virus kills within days of contamination and, due to its airborne exposure, is extraordinarily hard to quarantine. In addition to the pandemic, one activist blogger (played by Jude Law) claims that the truth is being hidden from the public and sets off an even bigger epidemic of fear and paranoia.

The film begins by introducing us to Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) as she returns home to Minnesota after a business trip to Hong Kong. She is greeted by her son and husband (played by the talented Matt Damon). After complaining of jet lag, she continues to become more and more ill until seizures begin and she dies in the E.R. Her son, too, quickly dies in a similar manner. Doctors are baffled as to the cause of death, and her husband Tom is left confused and wondering what could have possibly happened to his wife and step-son.

All too soon, though, others around the world start exhibiting similar symptoms and the World Health Organization, along with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, mobilize to figure out the cause and create a vaccine. The world quickly falls into panic after first hedging on the idea of an actual pandemic due to the recent swine flu debacle. A few cases become hundreds, which become thousands and then millions.

As the officials and scientists race to figure out the virus and create a sustainable vaccine, an opportunist blogger (Jude Law) claims that there is a viable cure and the government isn't talking about it. People soon start to loot the pharmacies and grocery stores, steal from each other's houses, and kill each other for supplies. Borders are closed off, and public transportation centers become ghost towns.

Lead researcher at the CDC, Dr. Leonora Orantes (played by the beautiful Marion Cotillard), sees that vaccine #57 shows stable results in her lab monkeys and decides to test it on herself. As the vaccine is now proven effective, laboratories begin manufacturing the drug in order to distribute it. However, the new terror comes in the form of a question: Who gets it first?

The overall story is played out extremely well and both the cast and the director did a great job of maintaining interest level without falling into the "horror" genre. This film, although it concerns pathological terror, is more thought-provoking and cautionary than it is suspense/horror.

Director Steven Soderbergh told Matt Damon, upon sending him the script, to "read this and then wash your hands." It's true, after watching this film you definitely take a more admonishing look at hygiene. Nevertheless, the movie's primary motif is the idea that "no one is immune to fear," as the film's tagline states.

When was the last time you were afraid or terrified of something? Why did you have that reaction?

According to Wikipedia, "fear is the ability to recognize danger and flee from it or confront it, also known as the fight or flight response." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear) Also, "worth noting is that fear almost always relates to future events."

Side note: in the Bible we often hear something along the lines of "fear of the Lord God." I must point out that this is not the same fear we are talking about here. The Catholic Encyclopedia helps out here: "The gift of fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him." (newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm) So, God doesn't want us to be afraid of Him, but respectful of Him in that we try not to offend Him.

So, fear of the Lord aside, what does God say about fear and our response to it? Well, not being Him, I'm not exactly sure... but, what I do know is that He wants us to trust in Him at all times. Take a look at this, one of my favorite scriptures:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging...

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress...

He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God.'
-Psalm 46:1-10

So, what do you think? Sure there are things that scare and frighten us in today's world. There are people determined to terrify, literally "to frighten" and inspire dread, to paralyze the will to resist. There are scenarios and events that make us "frozen with fear," and we should have a healthy fear of certain things. That's why God invented the "fight or flight response" in us... to make sure we survive.

Don't let fear paralyze you, however. God wants good things for you. He wants you to be full of joy and to love unabashedly. I used to say that fear is a useless emotion, but I think we need a healthy respect of fear, as long as we don't let it control us. Phobias, paranoia, anxiety, nightmares, hysteria, dread, even worry... these draw us away from God, and anything that does that is true evil.

Draw closer to God. Trust in Him. Have faith that He has always and will continue to protect and guide you. He is a strong tower, a mighty fortress, a refuge and safe-haven. Go to Him when your fears get the better of you. Go to Him when you're worried about how you're going to accomplish something. Go to Him when your anxiety threatens to close you off. Go to Him in the heart of the storm and seek shelter from His loving embrace.

Fear is the disease, God is the vaccine.

News from the Executive Director: Sept. 8, 2011

2011-09-08T16:34:00.001-04:00

Dear friend,

Wow, what a full week this has been for me! September has begun. That means that many church staffs are now actively preparing to prepare their parishioners for the changes in the Mass text with new Roman Missal. It also means that many RCIA directors are ramping up for a new group of candidates and catechumens. And both of these mean that I need to be caught up in my work at Catholic Digital Resources (which I wasn't until today, because I spent the summer focused on hiring more staff needed for Good News Ministries and developing Good News Studios and producing our first major documentary, the DVD "Take, Eat and Drink: Drawing Deeper Faith through Understanding the Mass" and the Parish Workshop Kit to go with it).

The changes in the Mass text mean that I had to update a lot of materials being sold at Catholic Digital Resources, from PowerPoint presentations for RCIA to hand-outs and bulletin inserts. While working on that, I also updated every one of the PPTs for compatibility with newer computers. (Whew! Let me catch my breath.) Monday was a US holiday, but I worked half the day and then made up for the BBQ party half by working late on Tuesday. Please understand my words... I am not complaining. I am just saying, Whew!)

Meanwhile, I am also starting a new blog. This one is going to be a place for providing free resources from Catholic Digital Resources. It'll be called "Ministry Fare." It's only in the earliest stage of development, but I'll let you have a sneak peak; here's the link.

Speaking of blogs, I've discovered and fixed a handicap at the GNM blog Good News Stepping Stones. It was not easy enough for people such as yourself to subscribe to the blog in order to get new blog postings by direct email. Now it is very easy! I've added a "Follow by Email" box to the top of the blog page. Simply type in your email address, click the submit button, and follow the instructions that pop up to activate your subscription.

This weekend's movie review on the blog covers Contagion, an action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease. Tammy is seeing this movie on Friday and her review is expected to be up on Saturday.

Recently, we were asked why Tammy's movie reviews are not like other Christian reviews that warn about what's sinful and why we should avoid watching them. So, I wrote a blog about that, entitled The Mission of Good News Movie Reviews.

Please remember that your prayer support makes a difference. Be assured that every morning I ask God to bless all those who help Good News Ministries in any way.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica
Good News Ministries
gnm.org

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

The Mission of Good News Movie Reviews

2011-09-07T12:01:00.001-04:00

When we at Good News Ministries decided to add yet one more movie review site to the internet, we asked ourselves: “What can we say that others are not already saying? What can we provide that the other movie reviewers are not doing? How will we be different so that we can make a difference?”

Thus we decided to leave it to all those others sites to tell you what’s moral and immoral in movies, and what’s holy, what’s sinful, etc. We decided to leave it up to our readers to do their own due diligence in determining whether or not God wants them to spend their money and time on the movies. We leave it up to you to judge how vulnerable you are to the temptations that are promoted in movies as “normal” and “acceptable” or how vulnerable your children are.

Our calling, we discerned prayerfully, is to give you something holy to think about whether you go to see the movie or not, and to give you something to discuss with your children or your youth group or the religious education class you teach. The fact is, many people go to the movies regardless of what the Christian movie reviewers are saying about them. So let’s use that as an opportunity to help people live the moral life and to grow closer to Christ and become more like Christ.

Secular movies will always have something in them that is contrary to the commandments of God. That fact is a no-brainer, and we leave it to other reviewers to tell you how sinful they are. The purpose of our movie reviews at Good News Ministries is to give you food for thought and to suggest holy lessons that can be learned from each movie – just in case you’re going to see the movie anyway.

One Day

2011-09-01T17:40:00.001-04:00

The Ideology of Romance

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

One Day

Focus Features and Random House Films, 2011.

Directed by Lone Scherfig, starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess and Patricia Clarkson

"She made you decent, and in return, you made her so happy."

With its simplistic plot line – the friendship and lives of the two characters, Emma and Dexter, on the same day each year over the course of twenty years – One Day is actually a fairly well-written romantic drama based on the book of the same name, written by David Nicholls. For fans of Nicholas Sparks style of romance books/films, you won't be disappointed. I myself am not really a romance junkie, unless it's something akin to Moulin Rouge. However, One Day happily surprised and intrigued me as I watched with a feeling that these two characters could easily be someone I knew.

Anne Hathaway as Emma Morley is spectacular, witty, and enchanting; she is as adorable, graceful and intelligent as Audrey Hepburn. Jim Sturgess as Dexter Mayhew is charming and effusive and reminds me of a young Ewan McGregor.

The film opens in the late 1980s as Emma and Dexter graduate from university and first officially meet. After some clever banter, they go back to her place to sleep together and end up actually just falling asleep together. They decide to just be friends instead. From this point, we see both of them every year for the next twenty years on the anniversary of their graduation, July 15th. Their lives take various paths and their friendship grows and develops and changes throughout the years. Emma struggles with making a difference in the world and Dexter struggles with becoming famous as a late night television presenter. Some years, Em calls up Dex for encouragement or a shoulder to cry on, other years it's the opposite. They fall in and out of relationships with other people, yet still rely on each other as best friends do.

As the years wane onward, Dex finally comes to the realization that Em is the one for him. The film finishes with a refreshing and emotional plot line that brings the story to a heart-warming conclusion.

The main story arc that the film conveys is about falling in love with your best friend. Romance isn't just about the sex or comedy of errors that is prevalent in almost every other love story. It's about finding yourself and learning how to love yourself through the love of another.

What is romance to you? Is it about chocolates and flowers and "you complete me" mentalities? Is it about finding that one perfect soul-mate person who gets you on every level instantly? Is it about being star-crossed lovers where the world itself is trying to keep you apart?

When did romance become more about low-cut tops, perfectly coiffed hair, and expensive gifts than about truly caring for another human being? There are so many lines that fly through my head on this topic: "You make me want to be a better man," (from the film As Good As It Gets) or "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return," (from the song Nature Boy) or "She made you decent, and in return, you made her so happy," (from the film One Day).

Surrounded, as we are, by lyrics and movies that focus on sex as a pre-requisite to even start a relationship, it's a breath of fresh air to see a film that focuses on the friendship of romance and the emotional and mental intimacy that is needed to make a lasting relationship work.

We are a communal species, us humans, and we need each other. We can live alone, or be single, but we still have relationships that help to define and shape us. Romantic relationships shouldn't be all that different. They should help us to grow as more loving, stronger, more faithful individuals.

Does your spouse or partner help to build you up? If you're operating on the whole Jerry Maguire "you complete me" line, the answer is probably not. Co-dependency is never a good thing, especially in a romantic relationship. Each person should be a whole, unique, fully-functioning individual. Then, when you two come together, you complement and build up each other. You make each other better than you were alone, not because you're lacking in something, but because God's love fills you both and overflows.

Make sure that when you're involved with someone that you compliment them and support them. Everyone likes to hear good things about themselves. Be in their corner and fight for them. If you're like me and have a tendency to use sarcasm and digs... take it from me and stop it! Relationships should raise the other person up, not tear them down.

If you find yourself in a constantly negative relationship, then get out of it. What's the worst that could happen? They'll be hurt... they're a big boy/girl, they can deal with it. You'll be alone... listen to me: you are never alone and you never will be. You have a community that cares about you and more importantly, God cares about you.

Do they challenge you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? Staying with someone because it's comfortable, is not a good reason to stay with them. Our spouses and partners should be helping us become better and we should desire to become better for them. We should be challenging ourselves to learn new things and experience new adventures. So, why would we not do the same for the ones we love?

Spirituality is also an important factor. Too often people push that to the background so that they can be with someone who doesn't share the same faith or level of spirituality. Now, I'm not saying that you should only be involved with someone who is exactly like you faith-wise. However, you both should be challenging each other to grow. Even if you're dating a professed atheist, they can still challenge you to grow spiritually. (Let them question your "silly faith and its practices." Because if you're not sure how to answer them, go and find out! Ask your priest. That way, you're learning new things about your own faith and you're inadvertently evangelizing your significant other. Win-win!) God uses us to help them grow and he uses them to help us grow.

Do we want what's best for them, even if it means sacrificing something we want? Ever hear the quote by Richard Bach, "If you love something, set it free; if it comes back it's yours, if it doesn't, it never was." There's one point in the film where Emma has given Dexter one last chance to clean up his act and he has failed. She tells him, "I love you, Dex, so much. I just don't like you anymore. I'm sorry," and she leaves. I'm sure that was extremely difficult for her to say and do... she loved him through everything else and over ten years, but she was his crutch.

Are you someone's crutch? Is there someone that you always have to clean up after time and again? Enabling people who hurt themselves and those around them isn't love. Sometimes, we need to sacrifice and let them go. Just run home, cry your eyes out, pray your heart out to God and let them hit rock bottom. Then, if the relationship is of God's will, they'll return to you just as Dexter did with Emma.

"She made you decent, and in return, you made her so happy."

Is this true of your relationships? Who are you using to model your relationships off of? Your parents? Friends? What you've seen on television? How about God? Imagine what romance would look like and feel like if we modeled it off of God's romance for us. Does He desire what's best for us even if it hurts Him? Yes, take a look at the cross. Does He challenge us mentally, emotionally and spiritually? Uh, yes. Does He build us up and help us become better men and women? Most definitely.

Why does He love like that? It's simple: to make you happy.

New Roman Missal: Opportunity to Evangelize

2011-09-01T13:50:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to share with you news of the parish workshop kit we've put together to make it easier for parishes to prepare for the new words of Mass! The changes in the new Roman Missal are -- as I see it -- an opportunity to help people fall more in love with the Mass, all of Mass. Rather than just explaining the changes, our DVD and supplementary hand-outs will enliven interest in the Mass and increase active participation. Do you know what I mean? See the first 10 minutes of the DVD -- just 10 minutes is all it takes.

This is an evangelizing moment! I hate to see it wasted. I feel passionate about doing everything possible to help more people experience the healing presence of Jesus in every part of the Mass. Do you? Please help me spread the word about this kit!

The Take, Eat and Drink Parish Workshop Kit comes with:

75-minute DVD about the deeper meaning of all parts of the Mass (not just the new words), with chapters for those who want to make a multi-session course from it.
18" x 24" Poster.
8½" x 11" Poster or bulletin insert.
"Invitation to Experience" Info Sheet with bio of presenters to use as a bulletin insert or handout.
Info sheet with order form so your parishioners can buy copies for their families and friends
"Understanding the Catholic Mass" Discussion Guide with Catechist Guide.
"Drawing Deeper Faith from the New Words of Mass" to use as first in the series of bulletin inserts leading up to the DVD.
"Changes in the people’s parts, and their benefits" for next in the series of bulletin inserts.
"Under My Roof? Why do we quote the centurion?" as the final bulletin insert in the series.

Radical Love

2011-09-01T12:28:00.000-04:00

Radical Love: Good News Seminar Series

Presented by Terry Modica

A Catholic Seminar by Good News Ministries
in the St. Paul Seminar Room

Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay

5474 Williams Road, Suite 2B - Tampa, Florida

Part 1

God's Radical Love: Deus Caritas Est

Discover God's extravagant love for you!

Learn how to live in it and be healed by it daily.

We’ll dig into Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est.

Saturday September 17

10am to 12pm

Part 2

Radical Devotion in Marriage

For singles seeking soul mates and for couples,

as well as anyone who ministers to couples.

The secret of a happy marriage is a friendship based on the vocation of

helping each other fulfill the baptismal calling to love as Christ loves.

Saturday September 24

10am to 12pm

Part 3

Radical Love in the Sermon on the Mount

In a Bible study of Matthew 5, 6, and 7

we’ll decode what Jesus taught about

how to love with God's love, even in the most difficult circumstances.

3 Thursdays, Sept. 29 to Oct. 13

7:00pm to 8:30pm

Suggested minimum donation: $5 per session

Seating limited to 15: Register today!

< Download the Flyer & Registration Form >

The Smurfs

2011-08-25T16:25:00.001-04:00

What's in a Name: Breaking Your Mold

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

The Smurfs

Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, 2011.

Directed by Raja Gosnell, starring Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, and Katy Perry

"Nobody's just one thing."

Ok. Smurfs. I don't have any children. So why should I review Columbia Pictures' latest film, The Smurfs? Especially with the low ratings it's gotten from nearly every other reviewer. Well, I figured that since the upcoming series of films I'll be reviewing will be thrillers, dramas and comedies, I should probably throw in a kids' movie, too. Plus, I always enjoy watching Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria, so off to the movies I went with a morbid sense of curiosity.

The film, which is based on the characters created by Belgium cartoonist Peyo, opens in Smurf Village where the happy little singing blue Smurfs are preparing for their Blue Moon festival. We are introduced to Clumsy Smurf who after crashing and tripping his way into the village, has been told he can't participate in the festival's dance because no one wants to get hurt by his clumsiness. Disheartened, Clumsy goes to visit Papa Smurf who has just brewed a magic potion and saw a new vision of the future where the Smurfs are in danger. Worried about these future events, Papa tells Clumsy to stay put. Clumsy, however, goes out anyways and is quickly found by the evil wizard, Gargamel (played by the hilariously cartoonish Hank Azaria) and his cat Azrael. Gargamel and Azrael chase Clumsy back to Smurf Village where they start destroying everything in sight as Gargamel tries to capture the little blue villagers.

Most of the Smurfs race out of the village and into the forest to a secret location, while Clumsy takes a wrong turn into a dangerous area. A few Smurfs, including Papa (voiced by Jonathan Winters), Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry), Gutsy (Alan Cumming), Brainy (Fred Armisen) and Grouchy (George Lopez), follow him to catch up and save him. However, they all run into a mysterious and magic cave where a vortex has opened up in a waterfall. Gargamel and Azrael give chase and they all end up transported to New York City where Patrick Winslow (played by the incredible Neil Patrick Harris) has just been promoted to VP of Marketing for a cosmetic company.

The Smurfs hide in one of Winslow's boxes and are brought home where we meet Grace Winslow, Patrick's wife, who is pregnant with their first child. Amusing antics ensue as the Smurfs try to get back to Smurf Village, Gargamel tries to capture them in order to extract their essence, and Patrick tries to launch a new advertising campaign.

All in all, the movie was a decent kids' movie, and parents will get the opportunity to enjoy a few moments as well.

Now, onto the big question: Was there anything worthwhile to pull out of the film, other than quieting the kids for a couple hours? And the answer is, yes, of course there is. The film conveys a couple of great ideologies. The first one being: We need to take time to stop and enjoy what's going on around us, otherwise we'll miss out on a lot of great things. The second: As Grace Winslow says to Clumsy, "Nobody's just one thing." He's worried that he'll be clumsy all his life, and he's tired of that, but Grace encourages him to believe that he can be something else, something greater, such as a hero.

So my question for you, the reader, is this (and parents can start a great discussion with kids using this): Do you ever feel like you're only just one thing? Do other people try to pigeon-hole you or typecast you as one way or another? Do you do it to yourself? Too often we let what other people think about us dictate how we think about ourselves, especially if they think negative things about us. Why is that?

Why is it that we believe other people when they say bad things about us, but not when they say good things?

Our self-esteem is all too fragile sometimes. Ten people could come up to you and tell you that you're smart, funny, attractive, caring, and a great person, but if one person says that you're manipulative, or cold, or deceitful... that's all we focus on. We start to dwell on these negatives and not only forget about the positives, but we convince ourselves that those positive remarks are exaggerated and unjustified. Why are we so quick to believe that we are horrible human beings, rather than kind-hearted souls?

Clumsy didn't like the fact that he ruined everyone else's day, but he kind of just accepted it as a matter of fact. When Grace told him that he could be something more than that, it was the dawn of a new day for him. ("Grace." God's grace is meant to do the same for us!) He realized that he had the courage to be something greater. Sure, he'll still always be clumsy, but he won't be just that.

So, our challenge is to break out of the molds that we put ourselves in and realize that we are greater than any one trait. We are unique, dynamic, intricate, complex, beautiful masterpieces and we need to just accept that fact.

Stop telling yourself that you're mediocre. Stop thinking that you suck at relationships or that you're cold and heartless. Stop believing that you'll never accomplish anything or that you'll always be walked on by everyone else.

Start believing that you are worth it. Start telling yourself that you're clever, and brave, and curious and wonderful. Start thinking that you can accomplish whatever it is that you set your mind to do and that you can and will succeed by the grace of God.

During those times where we get down on ourselves and stressed out over every little thing, remember that you can do it. Take a moment, stop what you're doing, and just breathe. Enjoy the world around you, for God gave you this world as a gift. Look at the glory around you and take solace in His arms. Then, breathe in again and continue moving forward.

The True Nature of Joy

2011-08-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

Thought for the day:

We were made in the image of God. We were made to be loved by God and to love God and to serve God and thus spend eternity with God. This is our true nature. Unhappiness results when what is within us is disconnected from what is going on outside of us, when our true nature is squashed or blocked or ignored, when we live differently – because of the effects of others or our circumstances or our own decisions – than what our inner true self desires.

Question to comment on:

What connection between your inner true self and your outer life has been giving you joy?

Crazy, Stupid, Love

2011-08-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

Don't Stop Believin': A Lesson in Rediscovering Yourself

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Warner Bros. Entertainment and Carousel Productions, 2011.

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone

"I'm so mad at you. I'm really mad at you for what you did. But I'm mad at myself too. Because I should not have jumped out of that car - I should have fought for you. Because you fight for your soul mates."

A Midsummer Night's Dream meets every Journey song ever written. Crazy, Stupid, Love is a Rom-Com Drama starring Steve Carell and Julianne Moore as the high school sweetheart couple who, after over twenty years of marriage, have hit a relationship wall. The rest of the film details the escapades of Cal Weaver (Carell) after he meets womanizer and playboy, Jacob (played by the mysteriously sexy Ryan Gosling), who teaches him how to rediscover his "manhood." Cal's friends and family have their own, at times, ridiculous love triangle debacles and everyone learns the sobering truth that relationships and love aren't always easy and actually take hard work to be successful. While watching this film, the line that kept circling back into my mind was the immortal words of Will Shakespeare via Puck: "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" from his classic comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

While this movie is rated PG-13, it's not the best thing to show a younger audience due to its ideology of flagrant sexual relationships. Characters are shown flirting with multiple women with the implied idea of taking them home and hooking up; a different woman nearly every night. Additionally, Jacob mocks Cal when he says that he's only ever been with one woman his whole life and promptly sets to rectify the "problem." However, Jacob does have a change of heart later after he meets Hannah (played by the remarkable Emma Stone), the one woman who actually challenges him and doesn't immediately fall for all his lines. Jacob turns around and calls Cal asking for advice: "I met a girl and she is a game-changer. I'm in love with her and I don't know what to do about it."

This film would have been better if they had focused on these two couples and their relationship issues, rather than trying to add in another love triangle. Cal’s 13 year-old son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo), believes his 17 year-old babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), is his soul-mate, yet Jessica is apparently in love with Cal. This triangle leads to uncomfortable moments and tensions that detract the audience from really caring about Cal or Jacob’s character development. Plus, I don’t think anyone wants to hear about the sexual fantasies of a 13 year-old nor believe that a graduating 8^th grader is a valid relationship philosopher.

Back to Cal and Emily: They are very believable as the couple who after years of marriage have lost the spark that brought them together for so long. You see how they both still want to forgive and be forgiven, how much they still care about each other, but yet they just can’t get past their pride and hurt to truly make the relationship work. After Cal moves out, he still sneaks back late at night to take care of the garden. Emily still calls Cal just to hear his voice. And like so many of us, neither can drop the pretenses and admit they were wrong.

Finally, almost two-thirds of the way through the film, Cal comes to a sobering realization. He tells Emily, “I’m so mad at you. I’m really mad at you for what you did. But I’m mad at myself too. Because I should not have jumped out of that car – I should have fought for you. Because you fight for your soul mates.” To which she replies, “I miss you.” Then, madness ensues and the sentiment is temporarily forgotten.

“I should have fought for you.” Think about that for a moment. Guilt. Anger. Shame. Justification. Forgiveness. Realization. Sadness. Defeat. All of those emotions circle through that one line.

How many times do we think, “I should have done…?” Why do we say these things? Is it to help whoever we’re saying it to? I don’t think so. I think it’s to justify to ourselves why we failed. Now, that’s alright as long as we learn from our mistakes and work to remedy the situation, but all too often I think we allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity.

Pity for another is fine; we sympathize with those around us who are suffering and hurting. Self-pity, though, is useless… typically because it quickly spirals into a self-indulgent attitude ear-marked by boozing, promiscuity, or simple depression. Jacob, the womanizer, while sitting and chatting with Hannah, actually admits, “I’m wildly unhappy, and I’m trying to buy it, and it’s not working.” When we can’t stand to even look at the face in the mirror and when we are so overcome by shame and defeat, that’s when we need to remind ourselves that we are beloved sons and daughters of the most powerful, awe-inspiring, beautiful and glorious being in all of existence.

“Because you fight for your soul mates.” Realizing our own faults and taking responsibility for them, frees us to change and renew ourselves. Cal needed his wife to ask for a divorce before he was even aware that he had lost sight of who he was. Then, it wasn’t until Jacob took pity on him and showed him how to believe in himself again that Cal was even in a position to take back his life.

We should always strive to better ourselves: read new books, learn new things, and push ourselves physically and mentally. Ever wonder at how some people when they get old get “really old” and others are bundles of energy who surprise you when they say they’re 70 years-old? Among several things, it’s an attitude. Your life is your choice. No one can tell you how to live it. But the point is that you have to live it and living is difficult. Sometimes you have to fight for those you love, whether it’s against someone else or against yourself.

Cal had to learn the hard truth that you can’t just sit back and watch life pass you by. You have to stand up and actively participate. Simply “going through the motions” is a waste of time, whether it’s in a relationship, at work, at church, or in our faith… don’t be a spectator, get in the game, live your life. God wants you to actively seek Him, to pursue Him with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul.

Where are you seeking Him today? How are you going to fight for Him?

One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from St. Augustine of Hippo: “My heart is restless, Oh God, until it rests in you.”

Rediscover who you are in the sight of the almighty Father.

The Help

2011-08-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Living Proof: A Story of Courage

by Tammy Modica

Movie Review of

The Help

Dreamworks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment, 2011.

Written and Directed by Tate Taylor. Starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer

"Courage isn't just about being brave.

It's about overcoming fear
and daring to do what is right for your fellow man."

Definitely go see this movie. Read the book. The story is phenomenal. Seriously, it's powerful and it's as poignant today as if it were actually written in the 1960s prior to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's, famous speech. The book, published in 2009 by American novelist Kathryn Stockett, is about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s. The film, released nationwide on August 10, 2011, stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer along with an amazing supporting cast including Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek.

The story begins with the return of Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Stone) from college as she pursues her dream of becoming a writer. She gets a job at the local newspaper as the ghost writer for the Housekeeping Advice column, but since she doesn't have much experience in housekeeping, she asks her friend Jolene (played by Anna Camp) to ask her maid Aibileen (Davis) for help with the column. Thus begins an unlikely friendship.

However, Hilly Holbrook (played by the brilliant Bryce Dallas Howard) has drafted a new initiative known as the "Home Health Sanitation Initiative" which states that every white household must have a separate bathroom for the colored help. She goes on to explain that "they" have different diseases than white people and it's unsanitary for them to use the same toilet.

Skeeter disagrees with this sentiment and continues to talk with Aibileen about the column. Soon, she conceives of an idea to write a book from the perspective of the help, showing the true events of their lives in Mississippi. Reluctantly, Aibileen agrees to help after an inspirational sermon on courage by her pastor. She tells Skeeter that they always said they'd have a writer in the family, "I guess it's gonna be me."

Slowly, Aibileen's best friend, Minny Jackson (played by the comical Octavia Spencer -- who was actually Stockett's original inspiration for the character of Minny), joins them in telling stories of the families she has worked for. The three friends complete a few chapters and Skeeter submits it to her publisher in New York City (portrayed by Mary Steenburgen), who tells them that in order to be published, they'll need at least a dozen other maids. Seemingly a hopeless situation, it takes a tragedy for the other maids to agree to the project.

Their book nears completion while the white women continue in their petty squabbles and arrogant attitudes. Once the book finally hits the shelves, the town is turned upside down as the white women secretly recognize their own stories in the book and the black community applauds the courage of Aibileen who, when it was time to speak out, didn't let fear stop her. Aibileen and Skeeter showed strength of character.
Character, according Random House Dictionary, means to have "moral or ethical quality; qualities of honesty, courage, or integrity".

What's your character? Who are you?

In writing their book, they never intended to point out the faults of anyone specific nor tear down the families presented in its pages. They only wanted tell the truth. These women – the help – chose daily to love the families in their care. They forgave the women who ordered them around. Their book simply gave them a voice. It brought all of these women – black, white, single, married, mothers, daughters, friends, and enemies – to life.

So often we hear people, co-workers, family members, and others tell us to maintain the status quo. "Don't rock the boat" mentalities. But, what if the status quo is wrong? Skeeter's publisher told her to write about something that bothered her and no one else.

What bothers you about your world?

Is it the homeless man sitting at the traffic light with a sign asking for food? Is it the wife who routinely gets beaten and yelled at by her husband? Is it that guy who just cut you off on the highway? Is it the elderly widow all alone in the front pew? Is it the homosexual guy at the mall? Is it the Muslim family that moved in next door and yet no one has welcomed them to the neighborhood? Is it your parents who still hold to their racial slurs? Is it your kids who take all you give them for granted and have become selfish brats seemingly unable to know the meaning of compassion? Is it you... and your own personal hates that eat you up from the inside?

This world isn't perfect, obviously. Some would say that this world isn't very good at all. Just look at today's television shows that have rampant sexual escapades or flagrant swear words, video games that glorify mindless killing, corporations that care more about the executive's bonus than the hundreds who were laid off. Sin, pride, greed, and lust are all around us.

So, I'll ask again... what bothers you about your world? But, that's the easy question, isn't it? Ask anyone that and they'll rant and rave about one thing or another, whether it's the government or terrorism or climate change... it's easy to complain. How many of us are actually willing to do something about it?

The Bible tells us in Matthew 25:31-46 that we are called to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit and ransom the captive (prisoners), visit the sick, and bury the dead. These are known as the corporal works of mercy. They help show us explicitly what we can do for our brothers and sisters wherever we are. We're also told to bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living.

Remember, Christ often hung out with those whom society rejected. He didn't have "bridge parties," but he probably hung out beneath the bridges with the homeless, the prostitutes, the diseased, and the ignored. How often do we see someone different and choose to ignore them and walk away, rather than simply ask them how they're doing and offer a comforting smile? I'm guilty of it, more often than I like to admit. I always try to justify it with the excuse: "I'm too busy right now," or "Someone else will take care of them," or "I don't want to get involved." But... what if...? What if...?

Even if someone tells you every day of your life that you're not worth anything, that you can't do anything, that you're stupid, that you're unimportant, that you're invisible... take some comfort in the words that Aibileen repeatedly taught the children she raised:

"You is kind, you is smart and you is important."

Who do you need to tell that to today? Who in your life needs to hear those words? Be courageous. Dictionary.com defines courage as "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain, without fear."

Why do we continue to let ourselves live in fear? or act out of fear?

Have we forgotten that God is bigger than anything we might face? (This is why I don't like watching many horror films. If the characters actually realized that God was bigger than the boogie-man, the movie would be over in 5 minutes.) The devil may try to scare us into inaction or intolerance, but remember that you have more power in your little finger because of Christ who dwells within you, then the devil does in all his legions.

For whom or what will you be courageous this week?

Feel free to post a comment and share your own story of courage with us. I'd love to hear from you.

"Courage isn't just about being brave.

It's about overcoming fear
and daring to do what is right for your fellow man."

Here are a couple sites that I found interesting:

www.takepart.com/thehelp

www.charactersunite.com

And check out Mary J Blige's song "The Living Proof" written for the film "The Help."

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-06T20:45:00.009-04:00

My apologies for the late posting. I'm currently directing a production of "Man of La Mancha" with my church and have had late days of set construction and costume fittings. Enjoy!

The Big Bad Bully

By Tammy Modica

A Review of the Movie

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Twentieth Century Fox, 2011. Directed by Rupert Wyatt
Starring James Franco, Andy Serkis and Freida Pinto

Whenever a reboot of a classic series or franchise is done, you always must pay homage to the original if you want to be successful. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes does just that. It incorporates key classic elements, such as my favorite line, “Get your filthy hands off me, you damn dirty ape,” and other moments where fans of the original series will be able to go “Oo Oo” while pointing with glee at the screen and trying to explain that little subtle reference to their confused friends who never saw the original.

James Franco leads the cast as the Gen-Sys scientist Will Rodman, who has designed a new neurological drug that will hopefully cure Alzheimer’s disease. After a series of chimpanzee test subjects, one chimp is seen accomplishing the “Lucas tower” test, which is designed to show intelligence and reasoning skills. With this successful data, Franco’s character persuades his boss, Steve Jacobs (played by David Oyelowo) to get new funding from the Board of Directors. As he is presenting to the Board, though, his star chimpanzee, named Bright Eyes, mysteriously becomes very aggressive and crashes into the meeting, just as Rodman is explaining that there are no side effects to the drug. This debacle kills the ALZ-112 drug research; all the remaining chimps are ordered to be put down and Rodman is told to go back to the drawing board.

However, he soon finds out that the reason for Bright Eyes’ aggression wasn’t actually a reaction to the drug but out of protection for her newborn baby. The lab’s chimp handler, Franklin (played by Tyler Labine), refusing to put down another chimp, tells Rodman to take the baby chimp as he refuses to kill him, too. Rodman reluctantly takes the newborn home and introduces him to his ailing father, played by the magnificent John Lithgow, who is suffering from severe Alzheimer’s. They decide to keep the chimp and name him Caesar. He quickly becomes a part of the family and shows extreme heightened intelligence as a result of his mother (Bright Eyes) having been given the ALZ-112 drug.

We see Caesar grow up to three years old and then eight years old. He has been given an engaging play room in the attic and taken frequently to Muir Woods National Monument, a redwood forest, to climb the trees. Caesar has been taught chimp sign language and after an incident at the park, asks Rodman if he is just a pet. Rodman lovingly responds that no, Caesar is not a pet and is part of the family. At eight years old, though, Caesar is a large and powerful chimpanzee who wants to protect his beloved family. When the next door neighbor aggressively bullies Rodman’s senile father, Caesar leaps into action and attacks the bully. Animal Control is then forced to relocate Caesar to an ape sanctuary where he is left, by court order, under the protestation of Rodman. It’s heartbreaking to watch as Rodman is forced to leave and Caesar is tricked by the employees into his cell where he is brutally mistreated.

The abuse continues in various forms and Caesar begins to lose all hope of being rescued from this hell-hole sanctuary. So, he decides to take matters into his own hands and quickly establishes dominance over the other apes. He manages to escape the sanctuary to steal some of the new ALZ-113 aerosol drug and then uses it on all the other apes at the sanctuary. The ensuing revolt is more revolution style than out-and-out war, which nicely sets up this reboot story to have plenty of sequels.

I decided to name this article “The Big Bad Bully” because the film itself has an underlying theme of victimization. Sure, you could talk about evolution and the effects of someone trying to “play God” or war or genetic engineering, etc… but Caesar, played by the fantastic Andy Serkis, has a much more dynamic personality than that.

Caesar was the kid who was always different. He never fit in wherever he went. Yes, he was a chimp, but he was far more intelligent than that. His mother had died right after he was born. He had been adopted by a loving family, although they didn’t always know how to handle his particular situation or station in life. He deeply cared about his family, trusted them, and respected them, even so far as to fight to protect them from other bullies. But, then he finds himself betrayed by the ones he loves, because they are unable to protect him.

Alone and abandoned, Caesar is tricked, bullied, beaten, and tortured. So, what does he do? He casts off his remaining hope and decides to fight back. However, even as the leader of the ape revolution, he is still compassionate. He refuses to allow the other apes to kill any humans. Caesar is visibly pained when a human, one of the really mean bullies, is accidentally killed. The revolution isn’t about domination over humans; it’s about finding freedom. Freedom from abuse. Freedom from victimization. Freedom from oppression in all its forms. The other apes might be fighting for their own reasons and with less moral codes, but Caesar, the great leader, just wants to be allowed to be who really he is and to find a place he can call home.

How often do we see someone else getting bullied or picked on? How often are we the victim of bullying? We hear about it all the time on the news: Some kid was bullied at school and takes their own life; some kid was picked on and becomes afraid to go to school; or some kid who was always the outcast takes revenge on the oppressors. There are multiple campaigns out there (Stomp Out Bullying, Stop Bullying, or Be A STAR) that focus on trying to eliminate bullying, which are great resources and should be supported. However, the focus really shouldn’t just be to eliminate bullying, because the unfortunate human nature truth is that bullying has existed for thousands of years and will always continue as long there is a reason for competition between two people (Hello? Survival of the fittest, anyone?).

The focus should be on teaching children not just about tolerance but about how to deal with and react to bullying. We also need to step up our efforts and help those around us who are being bullied.

Bullying isn’t a one-on-one problem. It is a group dynamic. Caesar understood this and got the assistance of someone else in order to fight back against his ape-bullies. (It’s actually a really fun scene, so I won’t spoil it for you.) So, let’s help out the Caesars in our lives by standing up with them against the aggressors. Whether you are able to stand up physically in a situation and protect the Caesars of the world or you are the comforting and supportive ally who constantly helps them back up and tends to their wounds, you are needed. Don’t let others fight alone. A victim is no longer victimized if they have an ally. Be the ally.

Take, Eat and Drink

2011-08-04T17:22:00.004-04:00

"Take, Eat and Drink:

Drawing Deeper Faith through

Understanding the Mass"
Now Available on DVD!

The changes in the New Roman Missal and everything else about

the Catholic Mass are explained in this timeless documentary

produced by Good News Studios.

Watch the first 10 minutes of this 75-minute video!

The DVD is divided into 18 chapters to easily use this in church discussion groups. It's designed to appeal to all generations: youth, young adults, and older folks, from traditional Catholics to spiritual explorers who only occasionally show up at Mass .... Everyone will finish watching with a new, deeper appreciation of the Mass and a more lively relationship with Christ.

Features Father Rick Hilgartner, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Father Gary Dowsey of the "Hey Father Gary!" show on SpiritFM Catholic Radio, and Father John Gerth of the "Ask Fr. J" fame of Lifeteen.com.

• Download the poster

• Download the order form
• Download the info sheet with bio of presenters >

Ideal for church use to explain the Mass and the changes in the New Roman Missal in a way that evangelizes and builds interest in full participation in liturgy. It can be shown in short segments for use as a course that generates classroom discussions. Great for both youth and adults!

In addition to the DVD, you might also want....
Supplemental Discussion Guide < see a sample >
Published by Catholic Digital Resources, LLC, a discussion guide has been written by Terry Modica to go with this video (ordered separately from Catholic Digital Resources). Please go to catholicdr.com/evangelaids/MassUnderstanding.htm.

Supplemental Leaflets
• Drawing Deeper Faith from the New Words of Mass
• The New Roman Missal: Changes in the people’s parts, and their benefits
• Under My Roof? Why do we quote the centurion?
Three leaflets or bulletin inserts for understanding changes in The New Roman Missal are also provided by Terry Modica and published by Catholic Digital Resources, LLC. Please go to catholicdr.com/evangelaids/MassChanges.htm.

Or get them all in one Parish Workshop Kit
from Catholic Digital Resources, LLC

*How To Order this DVD from Good News Studios

Order here
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Take, Eat, and Drink: Drawing Deeper Faith through Understanding the Mass
HD Video on DVD
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NOTE: Good News Ministries does not charge a fee for anything. However, we are completely funded by donor generosity, and sadly we cannot currently afford to give away our videos to everyone who asks for it unless we receive financial help. Making and sending DVDs drains us of both time and money already needed for staff salaries, which is already lower than it should be. If you cannot make a financial gift in support of our video ministry, please use the free youtube version on our website. If your need for a DVD version is great, let us know why you need a free DVD, and we will be happy to serve the Lord by serving your need.

Cowboys & Aliens

2011-07-30T17:00:00.001-04:00

The Struggle for Absolution

By Tammy Modica

A Review of the Movie

Cowboys & Aliens

Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, and Reliance Entertainment, 2011.

Directed by Jon Favreau starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde

Arizona Territory, 1873. The Old West. A desolate city. Dirt. Blood. Sweat and Cowboys. A stranger with no memory of who he is or where he's from. An iron-fisted cattle rancher and Civil War colonel. A saloon owner just trying to make a living alongside his wife. A traveler who knows more than she lets on. A plain-spoken preacher. A kid... and a dog. Welcome to the town of Absolution.

Directed by the always-fun-to-watch Jon Favreau, this film may not be suitable for younger viewers with its, at times, brutal fights, though it is rated PG-13. Daniel Craig leads the cast as the stranger with no memory, Jake Lonergan, and plays opposite the hard-nosed Colonel Dolarhyde, played by Harrison Ford.

The film opens with Lonergan awakening in the middle of nowhere, injured, with a strange shackle on one wrist. Obviously confused as to how and why he’s there, he quickly overtakes some ruffians and makes his way into town where he is stitched up by the plain-spoken preacher. A little worse for wear, we are introduced to the residents of Absolution. Immediately, we see the obnoxious son of town benefactor Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford), who doesn’t believe that he should have to pay for anything he takes nor worry about carelessly shooting up the saloon, owned by Doc, played by the brilliant Sam Rockwell.

The town turns a blind eye and gives in to this loathsome bully. The only one who stands unafraid in the face of this self-entitled kid is the stranger. However, the town sheriff, played by Keith Carradine, all-to-soon identifies the stranger as Jake Lonergan, a man wanted for arson, robbery, and murder. Just before he gets arrested, Lonergan is approached by a woman who seems to know who he is without saying anything directly. After a brief fight, the sheriff arrests Lonergan and gets set to ship him off to the federal judge in nearby Santa Fe. Later that night, Sheriff Taggart’s plan is interrupted by unknown marauders from the sky. These high-tech demons capture half the town’s population, including Colonel Dolarhyde’s son, Doc’s wife and Sheriff Taggart himself, leaving his young grandson alone.

What follows is a fast-paced, wild West story of cowboys battling their way through bandits, Apache Indians, and ultimately aliens in order to save their loved ones. This film contains an epic amount of fun, with Daniel Craig pulling off a great American accent, Harrison Ford sporting a fedora, and an entertaining sci-fi twist to the classic spaghetti western. You will not find this film shown in/converted to 3D, as director Jon Favraeu adamantly stated that westerns should only be shot on film.

Now, with all that mayhem in the loop, and realizing that a film called “Cowboys and Aliens” is probably mainly about cowboys…. and aliens… one has to ask: Is there any moral lesson or faith-like discussion that can possibly be pulled from this? The answer is actually, yes, starting with the town’s name, Absolution. Absolution, as recognized by the Church and defined by the dictionary, is the remission or forgiveness of sin. So, let’s take a look at the journey that our cavalcade of characters go through and how that can inform us in our own daily walks of faith. As is classic for a western, there are a number of different characters in this film and although they are brought together due to this particular crisis (the abduction of friends and family by aliens), they all have very unique storylines and character developments, just like we do in our own communities.

Jake Lonergan (Craig) begins his journey of absolution before the film even starts. He attempts to give up his old way of life, but before he can enjoy his new found happiness, he is thrown into a hellish experience. He, like so many of us, struggles to find forgiveness throughout the rest of the film in everything he does, in order to find redemption and peace of mind. How often do we, even after receiving the grace of reconciliation, refuse to forgive ourselves for our sins?

Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford) is a prideful man who, though he loves his son, is disappointed in the way he turned out. Instead of becoming a man, his son is a petulant brat who’s always getting into trouble and crying for his daddy to fix it. The Colonel battles his own inner demons of anger and pride as he learns to accept the affection and camaraderie of those around him. Note the spelling of his name: Dolar – hyde. Money and greed coupled with a Jekyll and Hyde aspect. How often do we let our pride get in the way of God’s forgiveness?

Doc (Rockwell) is the simple saloon owner who is just trying to eke out a living with his beautiful wife. Always keeping to himself, never really standing up for what he believes in, Doc undergoes the transformative experience of accepting the grace of forgiveness and learns to believe in himself once again. How often do we feel unworthy of happiness?

Ella (Wilde) is the stranger who knows more about what’s going on than anyone expects. She is the last of her people, the only survivor of the aliens’ previous attack. She helps Jake along in his journey of realization in order to show him how to forgive himself and save the world. She offers herself as sacrifice for the many. How often do we actually allow ourselves to be sacrificed on the cross in order for others to heal?

Forgiveness isn’t something that’s easily defined, let alone easily understood. It’s a messy, confusing, unnerving, complex mystery of faith. It doesn’t make sense! Too often, we berate ourselves into thinking that we’re not good enough to even deserve to be forgiven, yet God forgives us freely. Why would He do that? Why when after all that we do, day in and day out, to ignore Him, to isolate Him, to defy Him, to rebuke Him, to slander Him, to fight against Him… why would He just freely forgive us? He tells us that all we have to do, essentially, is ask for forgiveness. But, as is human nature, how many of us are like Colonel Dolarhyde and are too prideful to admit when we’ve done wrong? Perhaps, instead, many of us are like Doc who live simply, yet somehow still feel unworthy of true happiness. Personally, I know that I’ve struggled like Jake, where even after the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation, I still won’t forgive myself. But then, really, how prideful is that! God forgives me, but I’m not willing to do the same.

Let’s overcome that pride, anger and hurt and receive that beautiful gift of absolution. Christ freely died for our sins… already (as in, past tense). Your sins have already been forgiven. All you need to do is ask God for that gift of grace and, guess what, He’ll joyously welcome you with open arms. Challenge yourself and overcome your own struggle for absolution. Go to Reconciliation this week and allow yourself to bathe in the grace of God’s love.

Mysteries of the Afterlife: Where Do Spirits Go?

2011-07-27T13:50:00.005-04:00

Question:
I am an avid reader of your daily reflections. It has helped me much; in fact the Lord talks to me through them in my daily walk with him. Every day the message hits home.

I have been going to bible classes with a Catholic priest who has studied scripture for over 30 years and is a scriptural scholar with many degrees in scriptural studies. He recently told us that heaven, hell and purgatory are not a place, it is a state of life. He said many think that they are going to heaven when they die, but it is not a place, or there is no burning in hell, because when we die we are spirit and a spirit does not occupy time and space. The Kingdom of God is in us and once we live in commune with the Triune God, follow his will and commandments, we are in heaven. There is no going up to heaven as we think, because we are already in heaven; where our spirits go is a mystery. I have asked other priests also, and they told me it's all a state of life, not a place. I sometimes see you mention in your reflections about going to heaven and also about the purifying fires of hell when we die, and I just wanted to share this with you. Please share your ideas with me; it would be nice to hear your perspective. Thanks. ~ Margaret on Facebook

Answer:
What you heard is correct, but it needs clarification. First, I want to point out that when I've written about purifying fires, it was about purgatory, not hell. Hell is eternal separation from God; there is no purification possible for those who don’t want to be purified.

Eternal separation from God is an eternal death, because God is the source of life. Thus, we can say that hell is a state of lifelessness, not a place. But scripture also says it’s a place of torture, like a “fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth,” as Jesus describes it in Matthew 13:50, which indicates an on-going consciousness that is, so to speak, being alive without having life.

We need to remember that human words cannot adequately describe what we have not yet experienced. During our present life, we are very limited in our understanding of the after-life, and our awareness of reality is confined in four dimensions of space and time, although scientists have discovered that there could be many more dimensions. Therefore, it is safe to say that the word "life" isn't the same in the after-life as what that word means in our current lives.

The same is true for the word "place." Does the word "place" always have to indicate a location? We often refer to hell as located down below our feet, below the ground we walk on, because the center of the earth is so hot that the earth's rocky core is molten and fiery. During the time Jesus walked the earth, the Jews in Jerusalem referred to hell as "gehenna," which was the name of a nearby valley where children were burned as a sacrifice to the gods. But hell is not literally located in that place.

Perhaps one way to attempt to give words to what hell is, is this: Being aware of our existence and of the horribleness of evil without the joy of being fully alive like God created us to be. The "where" of hell is not what matters.

Similarly, the location of purgatory and heaven do not really matter. Are they "up" in the sky? Jesus repeatedly said, "The kingdom of God is at hand," i.e., right here, right now.

The kingdom of God is heaven, i.e., the fullness of God and everything that belongs to God and everyone who loves God. We experience some of that during our life on earth. Death is not the door to purgatory and/or heaven; death is the door to the fullness of heaven, and if at the moment of death we are still carrying earthly baggage (sinful desires, attitudes, and attachments to anything that is not God), we are mercifully purged of them. Purgatory is a process of purification.

If it helps to think in terms of a place called purgatory and a place called heaven, then I like to say that purgatory is a suburb of heaven. It's part of the City of God, but on the outskirts. As we purge ourselves of everything unGodly, we move closer and closer to the center of the City of God where God sits on his throne. However, God is everywhere in heaven and on earth and throughout the universe in all of its dimensions, including universes and dimensions that we cannot yet see or know; he is not literally sitting on a literal throne. His "throne" is his power, his kingship, his authority, his love, etc.

Likewise, it is probably inadequate to say that souls literally "burn" in hell the way we see things burn on earth. The word "purgatory" comes from the Latin word for "cleansing fire," but this does not mean that the souls in purgatory are suffering from literal flames. Think of how your heart has "burned" for someone when you passionately cared about them. That's a little bit of purgatory! Or when you felt so bad about something you did, you suffered the pain of regret; that's a little bit of purgatory too.

Okay, do you have a headache yet from reading this and trying to grasp what we can never really understand while we're on earth? Here's another mind-stretcher: It's not just "places" after death that's impossible to understand; "time" is part of the same mystery. Here on earth, we measure time linearly: past, present, and future. The ancient Hebrews spoke only of time as past and future; the present moment is already the past. And now the next present moment is in the past. Ahhh, here's the present! Nope, it's past now.

In that "now" moment that is neither past nor future – that is "eternity." We don't live there yet, but it's here all the time. And from God's perspective, all times of the past and the future are really the eternal now. Sooooo ...... from God's perspective, the crucifixion of Christ is "now," his resurrection is also "now," and so is his Second Coming. And that means .... tadaaa! .... when we die (i.e., when we leave our earthly existence) and enter into the fullness of the kingdom of God, we will experience time differently than we do now. We will live in the eternal now.

Let's say, for the sake of this discussion, that the Second Coming of Christ is going to happen in the year 3700 A.D. On earth, that's 1,689 years from now. But in heaven, the Second Coming won't be in our future; it will be in our eternal "now," which means we will benefit from it "immediately" (another word that won't mean the same in heaven), which means we will receive our glorified bodies instead of floating around in eternity as a ghost-like spirit.

A "glorified" body is a human body like the kind Jesus exhibited after his resurrection. It was solid and not solid at the same time. He walked through walls to appear to his disciples, and yet Mary Magdalene could hug it, and the wounds could be touched by Thomas. This was a foreshadowing of the perfect bodies we will all eventually have.

And where will we go with these bodies? Don't ask me today. Ask me in the now of getting together in heaven someday.

________
For more about purgatory, including scriptural references, please visit http://wordbytes.org/doctrine/purgatory.htm.

For an online course that explains in easy-to-understand terms what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about the after-life, please see http://catholicdr.com/e-Classroom/Catechism.

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-07-21T16:39:00.050-04:00

The Heart of the Matter

By Deborah Sotomayor with Tammy Modica

A Review of the Movie
Captain America: The First Avenger

Marvel Enterprises, 2011 Directed by Joe Johnston
Starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, and Hayley Atwell

Remember that old saying, “The first shall be last…” Well, Captain America: The First Avenger, much anticipated Marvel comic book movie, is the last in a series of solo films leading up to next year’s release of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers and, chronologically, the first superhero the world has seen. This film aptly deserves the excitement of its fan-base, both for those devout followers of the series and those who are newcomers. All are welcome in this classic good versus evil storyline where patriotism is taken to a whole new level.

Created in March 1941 by Timely Comics Inc. (Marvel Comic’s 1940s predecessor) by writers Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the story is set with the backdrop of WWII and is purposely fueled with highly patriotic sentiments and anti-socialist ideals. The film treats these undertones with well intentioned humor to quickly propel us into the heart of the story. The characters, though sometimes stylized, are very believable, relatable and likeable, even in these our modern times.

We are first introduced to our hero and main character, Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid with asthma, as he is rejected yet again from the army recruiters. (Side note: The film’s special effects team did an amazing job at “shrinking” actor Chris Evans’ body into this skinny form. Upon further research, we found out that a body double was not actually used, but Evans’ real body was digitally shrunk down with parts of his physique digitally erased.) Steve Rogers is quickly placed into a handful of different situations that showed us his true nature: that of fearless courage, never backing down, and never giving up. His desire to serve his country and protect those in need is clearly shown with actor Chris Evans doing a remarkable job of placing boundless strength and courage in a frail body. His deeper voice lends gravitas to his emotion and passion and really allows the audience to be drawn into camaraderie with the character. You’ll be cheering for him all the way as he beats down the baddies.

Steve Rogers is soon introduced to German scientist, Dr. Abraham Erskine played by the talented Stanley Tucci, who is developing a serum that will create a super soldier for the Army. Rogers is considered to be the best candidate, in spite of his weak physique and Colonel Phillips’ discontentment (played by the humorous Tommy Lee Jones) because of his inner courage, his compassion for those around him, and ultimately his heart.

Rogers asks Dr. Erskine at one point: “Why me?” Dr Erskine explains that his serum does more than simply increase the muscles of the patient; it also enhances the person’s character. So, “What’s good will become great and what’s evil will be worse.” This message can make a great discussion starter for church youth groups, parents who see the movie with their teens (the movie is rated PG13), and other faith-based discussion groups. How often do we see a person’s true nature when they finally obtain power? Does power always corrupt? Or are there those that can survive it and still be decent human beings, using their power to protect others rather than feed their own ambition?

The secret to Captain America’s popularity throughout the past 70 years resides in his heart, or rather, his unquenchable spirit to stand up against bullies. Since this story is set within the backdrop of WWII, Nazis are the bullies of the world and Captain America, little Steve Rogers, is the biblical David who can bring down their Goliath.

Dr. Erskine asks Steve, “Do you want to kill Nazis?” Steve replies, “Is this a test?” Steve goes on to answer that he doesn’t want to kill anyone; he just doesn’t like bullies, regardless of where they come from. This is another great moment to focus on in faith-based discussions, since the obvious answer that we typically see in modern society is: “Yes! Kill the bad guys!” Look around; how many people today are still cheering over the death of Bin Laden? When did the focus become more about killing the enemy and less about protecting the weak?

Superhero stories are hugely popular now, especially with the lead-up to The Avengers coming in Summer 2012, but we should take a step back and see what message these heroes are trying to tell us. Why do these heroes resonate with us in such an essential way? What are the heroic truths that are displayed and embodied in these protagonists? Where do our hearts truly lay?

Every superhero, from Hercules of ancient Greece to Captain America and the Avengers, show us that being good is worth fighting for. We can stand up to bullies and protect those around us, regardless if the people around us are strong or weak. Steve Rogers, at one point, still in his weakened, sub-standard form, throws himself on a grenade to protect everyone around him, even though there were men stronger and faster than he was. He thought only of protecting and serving others, much like Christ himself, albeit Christ didn’t have to worry about grenades.

Captain America was able to withstand his powerful transformation from weakness to great strength due to his selfless nature and because he had a deep understanding and respect for power.

This story may have originally served as propaganda for what makes America great, but now it can serve to bolster the soul for what is great about serving goodness. It is in our weakness that we can come to appreciate true power found in being instrument's of God's mercy and kindness. In our weakness we experience the bully of evil, and we can vow to never put another in this state of oppression and fear. Captain America is a story filled with this purpose, which is ultimately grounded in the love of God. We cannot do good without being connected to the source of goodness.

Upcoming Reviews:

July 30: Cowboys & Aliens
Directed by Jon Favreau, starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde
A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all that stand in their way.
August 6: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by Rupert Wyatt, starring James Franco, Andy Serkis and Freida Pinto
An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
August 13: The Help
Directed by Tate Taylor, starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer
A look at what happens when a southern town's unspoken code of rules and behavior is shattered by three courageous women who strike up an unlikely friendship.

Harry Potter and the Mission of Christ

2011-07-14T15:33:00.004-04:00

By Terry Modica

As the final episode in a series of movies about Harry Potter drums up the largest “blockbuster” income for its producers in Hollywood history, let us join the hoopla prayerfully.

In other words, let’s remember to take Jesus with us into our decisions. Look at the people around you – especially the children – who are observing you. Every action we make carries with it an unspoken message that touches the lives of others. What do our decisions say about our faith in Jesus? More specifically: Is getting excited about the newest Harry Potter movie helpful or harmful to the spirits of those who observe us? Do we go to the movies in partnership with Jesus or apart from him?

Sometimes, what seems fun and harmless actually hurts the mission of Jesus. In partnership with Jesus, our goal is to love others enough to draw them closer to the love and healing and salvation that Jesus longs to share with everyone.

When I was twelve years old, I received a Ouija board for Christmas. This so-called game started me on a nine-year journey away from Christ. Today, Harry Potter and other occult-oriented stories and games contain the same danger. Even if our own children would not experiment with the occult because of such games and movies, the opposite is true for somebody else's children. If we reward the producers of occult-oriented books, games, and movies by giving them our money, we're supporting enemies of Christ.

Let us make a commitment to glorify God and only God in everything we do.

The bottom line is that if a child is well grounded in true faith and has a stable home and is taught to discern God's ways from evil counterfeits, the Harry Potter series is probably safe. However, I personally won't contribute my money to support the Harry Potter movies, books, and rides at Universal Studios here in Florida.

I raised my children to be well grounded in the faith, in a stable home, with the ability to discern God's ways from counterfeits. And yet my son fell prey to the occult in his late teens; he is now 30 and still messed up spiritually and psychologically and in other ways too, still dabbling in various aspects of the occult. The reason I share this here is to show that even under the best of faith backgrounds, the draw of occult powers – even when fictionalized in make-believe wizards – is insidious and more life-impacting that we’d like to admit.

I am not saying that ALL who read Harry Potter books or watch Harry Potter movies are drawn into the occult. But we Christians have a calling – a responsibility that we are each held accountable for – to do everything possible to lead others to Christ, to behave as Christ’s presence on earth, and to avoid everything that works against this.

It's like this: Would you give a child of alcoholic parents liquor at a party you hosted in your home? If your neighbor were a pedophile, would you dress your teenage daughter in a tight-fitting, low cut blouse and send her over there to visit?

Let us think beyond the little world of our own families and friends for whom Harry Potter is only a fun fantasy. Let’s see the bigger picture of the harm being done to others. Let’s care about them.

In partnership with Christ, let us pray for the youth who are being drawn into the occult through Harry Potter and other activities that are supposedly "harmless" games and fantasy books and movies. Let us care about those fans of Harry Potter who are vulnerable to the temptations of the occult. Let us be good witnesses to them, making decisions that glorify only God.

A Review of the Movie

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II

Warner Bros. Pictures, 2011 Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Ralph Fiennes

My thoughts on Harold

By Deborah Sotomayor with Tammy Modica

The character that launched a thousand books... or so it seems. For the past 14 years, the world has been saturated with the mythos and magic that is Harry Potter.

The series has vividly captured the imaginations of countless readers ranging from the very young to the very not-so-young. Its praises have been sung to the tune of a technology infatuated world learning the joy of reading once more and again. However, I believe my own fascination waned once I began to actually research the story's premise and take a closer look at the world created by J.K. Rowling.

The basic thread I found appeared to be the age-old, classical good versus evil motif, mixed in with bizarre words, spells, wands, and a cavalcade of characters. As we follow the life of Harry Potter, though, we begin to see a different spin on the classical nature of good and evil, whereby the tools are magic and they herald wizardry.

Putting aside the clichés and arguments of occultic imagery with dark mythologies, had the overall story been grounded in Truth – a Truth that involves the laws of creation and divine order – I would have come away from this experience a better person, a changed person, an enlightened person. Instead, I came away from this experience with more of a sense of "huh," having gained no sense of triumph over evil, and merely depositing ten dollars into the account of J.K. Rowling.

That being said, after exiting the theater, I was left with two questions: What does this all mean? And: To where has it brought me?

To you, the reader, I ask that you consider this: Every story, even those written in the Bible, are ultimately telling the story of us, humankind. The reality of life is the daily quest of finding out who we are. We can easily point to others, to teenagers or college students especially, and see them struggle to "find themselves," but in reality we all constantly search to find our own unique purpose in this life. The greater part of this search, though, is understanding where we came from, or rather, from whom. The stories that capture us can also, to a degree, help define us.

Magical spells and supernatural beings cover themselves in their own invisibility cloak, hiding their dangers and seductions within fantasy stories. We have watched our culture become infatuated with warlords and witches, vampires and werewolves, zombies, aliens, and monsters of all kinds. We have to stop and ask ourselves, though, at which point have we become immune to the evil contained within its roots? We have come to “dance with the devil in the pale moonlight” and have seemingly come away unharmed and oblivious. The reality is that this dance is a spiritual sedative, numbing us to believe we are the sole inventors and creators of our own world. It is the path which we find intriguing that is presented as harmless.

Harry Potter 8 presents the viewers with many images, challenges, attacks and heroics. The events that take us to its conclusion appear neither as purely good nor, really, purely evil. Evil is defeated, the right wins out. However, there is still no sense of ultimate triumph over the evil; rather, it's more akin to the idea that the last man standing is the winner. So, in the end, one struggles to find an enduring message.

As the characters continue on with their lives, some a little worse for wear, lessons are learned, but never discussed. The victory vanishes as quickly as the dementors that hovered over Hogwarts. Like a smoke and mirrors parlor trick, it claims that life can continue on as if nothing ever happened. No rebuilding, no memorial, no grateful acclaims to those that survived, just a big sigh of relief. Only the survivors know what transpired and are the better for it.

The greatest message found in this last of the series is a universal truth: We cannot go on alone. God made us to be a communal people, and even here in the world of Harry Potter, the defenders of good grow to understand how important this is. But it is the community, which in its core is grounded in goodness, holiness and self-sacrifice, dedicated to the "One-who-created-everything-out-of-nothing," from which comes life, meaning and purpose to those who need it most.

July 9 2011 News

2011-07-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

Dear friends of Good News Ministries,

The following is a newsletter sent to all the subscribers of the Good News Reflections on Saturday July 9, 2011. Since the message could be inspirational and helpful for others as well, I am copying it into this blog.

Thank you for your prayers. My husband and I are finally able to move forward in building a house that can accommodate my parents in their final years. I don't yet understand why this has been such an important battlefront for the powers and principalities of darkness (Ephesians 6), but there's been enough interference over the last 10 months to make me think that someday this house will provide more for the kingdom of God than just a place where we can help my parents while also taking care of our own needs for personal sanctuary.

Do you have time to hear the story? Grab a cup of coffee or tea and let's sit together as I share some personal news and spiritual growth.

A couple of weeks ago in this newsletter, I wrote near the end that "obstacles are illusions driven by fear." This realization came from my recent experiences.

An obstacle is any difficulty that stops progress. When it blocks us from doing what Christ is leading us toward, it's either because we don't like the idea of pushing forward through the hardship or else we can't see a way to move forward. It looks too expensive or too slow or too embarrassing or too risky or too something-or-other. We look at a difficult challenge and see no solutions. But there are always solutions to every problem. An obstacle is an illusion that feels very real because God's solutions are not yet visible because it's not his perfect timing for it or because it's not to our liking.

From God's perspective, there are no obstacles: Nothing is impossible for God. We give substance to obstacles by being unwilling to push forward or due to not knowing how to push forward. Our fears tell us that pushing forward will lead to disaster or that God doesn't care or that we're making a huge and costly mistake. Sitting down in front of the obstacle becomes a very comfortable and enticing alternative.

Sometimes it's the other person's unwillingness to overcome obstacles that becomes an obstacle for us. Sometimes the "other" is not a person but an economy or corporation or government.

I've learned that when a difficulty seems like an impassible obstacle, there is one type of prayer that melts obstacles like wax: fasting. Until recently, I couldn't fathom why fasting makes a difference except as a penance or self-discipline that gives us practice in strengthening our ability to resist temptations. Well, now I realize that fasting is the prayer of the body. Fasting puts our whole being into the prayer: body and soul.

As baptized followers of Christ, we are the body of Christ on earth. Therefore, of course our bodies should be praying along with our spirits, especially when the stakes are high.

Over the past 10 months, whenever I fasted for progress in our house construction project, some sort of progress always happened. When I added a novena of the Rosary to the fast, a more significant overcoming of obstacles happened. When I added your prayers - asking the readers of this newsletter to help us - this trio of spiritual aids provided a major breakthrough. Praise the Lord with me!

The battle is nowhere near being over. We are still at the early stages of getting the construction loan and the permits that will enable the builder to start working on our property. So please keep your prayers for us going!

In other news, here's a big announcement .... In previous newsletters I've shared that the video Take, Eat, and Drink: Drawing Deeper Faith through Understanding the Mass is in the final stage of production. It will be released by the end of the month. The BIG ANNOUNCEMENT is this: We've decided to give away free copies on DVD to parishes that agree to show it at a Premier Viewing event. What's a Premier Viewing event? Your parish would host a public showing of this documentary in your church, inviting all parishioners and distributing our flyer on which they can order copies (with a donation of $15 or more) to give to their families and friends.

Interested? Please contact our Media Office.

Thank you for your support. Be assured that every morning I ask God to bless all those who help Good News Ministries in any way.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica
Good News Ministries
http://gnm.org/

P.S. To help Good News Ministries in its mission, with a donation or a parish retreat, please visit:
http://gnm.org/support/donate.htm and http://gnm.org/events

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM
"The Lord has the right to be glorified by us at every moment ...
So if we waste time we are robbing God of his glory."
- Saint Josemaria Escriva

When a Catholic hero betrays us: The tragedy of Father John Corapi

2011-07-07T12:58:00.002-04:00

It is tragic whenever a priest or any other Catholic leader sins so terribly that it destroys his or her vocation. It is more than tragic - it's scandalous, tragic on a wide scale - when it happens to a high profile and much-loved figure such as Father John Corapi.

On July 5, 2011, a press release from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) announced that he has been ordered to stop all preaching, teaching, the celebration of the Sacraments and all other public ministry, because an investigation uncovered significant corruption. (See the CNA report to read what he did; I will not be writing about that here.)

One of the reasons why I'm writing about this tragedy is because Fr. Corapi is so well known and so highly admired that the shocking news about him is reverberating like an earthquake through many of my readers at Good News Ministries. Another reason is that I personally met Fr. Corapi before he became famous. In 1994, he was serving as chaplain of Good News Ministries in Pensacola, Florida, when my husband Ralph and I attended their School of Catholic Lay Evangelization. We benefited from his powerful teachings and even spoke to him about joining SOLT.

That was the birthplace of Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay, a year before Ralph and I knew that God was going to move us to Florida and call us to become founders of GNM in Tampa. During that in-between year, Fr. Corapi stirred up such trouble in the Pensacola GNM that the bishop banned him from doing any ministry in his diocese.

Let me make it clear right now that I am not writing about this to bad-mouth Fr. Corapi. I have such love for him that I am praying for him and I sincerely hope he can turn his life and ministry over to God in such a way that the world will someday see Christ's redemptive victory in it. The world needs Catholic heroes, i.e., role models of victory over sin and triumph over tragedy. Fr. Corapi needs this victory, I need it, we all need it.

Fr. Corapi's first victory made a very powerful testimony. Perhaps you've heard about his conversion from a sinful lifestyle as a playboy and drug addict. His addictions destroyed him to the point where one day he ended up in the gutter (literally), nearly dead, after which he turned his life over to Christ. This conversion began his journey to the priesthood.

The danger for anyone in ministry - especially a very effective ministry - is that we attract the attention of the devil, who will do anything to destroy us in order to ruin our ministry and, if possible, negate the good that has been done in our ministry. We who have been given much responsibility by God have the greatest need to work daily at our own purification. There is no such thing as resting in the spiritual growth we've achieved. Either we work hard at moving forward or we start to slip backwards. I call this the Law of Spiritual Entropy.

The devil will try to take advantage of our vulnerabilities, and therefore we must be very keenly aware of those vulnerabilities and do whatever it takes to heal them or seal them up in the mercy of Christ. Those who have addiction disorders are extremely vulnerable. On-going therapy and on-going relationships with accountability partners (as Alcoholics Anonymous emphasizes) is necessary, as is a sincere humility in submitting to the healing process without the interference of denial.

I learned a lot about this when dealing with the addiction disorders of the first chaplain we had for Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay. His addictions were much more mild than poor Fr. Corapi's, and yet they destroyed his ministry, too. I tried to help him reach victory for four years, giving him unconditional love, repeatedly forgiving him, encouraging him to get at the root of his unhealthiness, sending him to counseling and AA, etc., and sticking with him even after people condemned me for trying "too" much because they misinterpreted my motives. However, my friend remained in denial and gradually the problems worsened until my bishop ordered him to leave our diocese.

Eventually, my friend succumbed to a terribly painful disease that killed him after a couple of years of suffering, which I believe was a purgatory on earth. The biggest tragedy of his life was wasting his vocation. In the beginning of his priesthood, he had had very powerful gifts of healing and preaching; the Lord could have done much with him if only he had faced and dealt with the root causes of his sins and addictions.

So, I am not surprised at the news about Fr. Corapi.

The victory of Christ begins when we each use the news as a point of growth in our own purification. Rather than focus on Fr. Corapi, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. Rather than living in denial about how bad his sins have been, we must face the truth that we have been betrayed by a man we trusted to lead us in spiritual growth and holiness. Rather than condemn Fr. Corapi for betraying us, we must work daily and tirelessly at our own purification and healing process, realizing that we too have vulnerabilities that the devil is trying to use to prevent us from making a difference for the kingdom of God.

Let us all take up the calling that God had given to Fr. Corapi. What did you like about his ministry? Now that it's been destroyed, how will you allow Jesus to resurrect it in you and continue it through you?

Who says there's no persecution of Christians in America?

2011-06-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

Who says there's no persecution of Christians in America? There is and it's very real and widespread. Freedom of religion, here in a nation that was founded on freedom and worships freedom, is only an illusion that looks nice in principle but does not exist in practice. Freedom of religion does not, in actuality, translate to tolerance of religion. Those who chastise Christians for not being tolerant* are themselves intolerant of Christians.

Case in point #1: Good News Ministries has an account at TechSoup, through which non-profit organizations can apply for and receive huge discounts on software. However, whenever I apply for Microsoft software, Good News Ministries is rejected because of our religious nature.

Case in point #2: Google has a program called "Google for Nonprofits", which offers for free products such as Google Grants ("Reach and engage your supporters through free online advertising with AdWords"), YouTube for Nonprofits ("Broadcast your cause and raise funds by creating videos with an embedded Donate button"), Google Earth Outreach ("Visualize your cause and tell your story through Google’s mapping technologies") and Google Apps for Nonprofits ("Reduce your IT costs and help staff and volunteers collaborate more effectively."). Good News Ministries relies solely on donor support to pay our staff and office rent and other expenses; we could certainly benefit from these Google products. However, when I applied for them, we were rejected because our website has "religious content or proselytizing on website" and because we "use religion as factor in hiring or populations served."

How fortunate for our persecutors that we practice more tolerance than they do!

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*Catholicism does not teach intolerance toward anyone. What we do not tolerate is what God commands us in both the Old and New Testaments to speak up against: sin. Catholicism also believes in true freedom: the freedom of all to live life to the full. We are misunderstood as being intolerant toward women who choose abortion, when in truth we want their unborn children to have as much freedom as their parents. We are misunderstood as being intolerant toward homosexuals, when in truth we love and embrace homosexuals so much that we invite them to accept the freedom that comes with union to Christ. Sexual relations of any sort outside the Sacrament of Marriage breaks our union to Christ, because a "sacrament" by its very nature is union with Christ; this is equally true for heterosexuals, including those who are Catholic but married by civil law and not sacramentally. In other words, for the sake of love, Catholicism asks us to be intolerant of sin but not the sinner. For the sake of love, we invite everyone to look deeper into opportunities for true freedom, which on the surface don't actually look like freedom.

Was Mary the Mother of God?

2011-06-27T09:22:00.007-04:00

Here's a question recently sent in about The New Roman Missal:

Instead of saying that Jesus "was born of the Virgin Mary", the New Roman Missal has us saying he "was incarnate of the Virgin Mary." Why?

Answer:
To say, “Jesus was born of Mary” sounds like she gave birth to God. The original creed in Latin emphasized her participation in providing flesh (a human body) for Jesus, i.e., the "incarnation" of Jesus.

BUT -- Among the most controversial and misunderstood arguments over the years goes back to a very early Council of the Church, in which Mary is defined as the "theotokos" or Mother of God. Irenaeus wrote: "The Virgin Mary, being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God" (Against Heresies, 5:19:1 [A.D. 189]).

The incarnation means that Jesus was born of Mary, doesn't it?

No. And this is a good example of why many people are having a hard time accepting changes in the Missal. They want to know: Why is it even necessary to change the words?

We all need to become more aware of words, paying attention to semantics and the true meaning of words, rather than remain on automatic pilot, so to speak, making assumptions about meanings based on how one has used the words in the past. That’s one of the main reasons why Church authorities decided to change the Missal.

An example would be how we so readily say “I love pizza” when in fact what is meant is “I enjoy eating pizza”; one cannot “love” an inanimate object, because love is an act of doing good for and caring about someone.

To “bear” God and to “give birth” to God have two different meanings or intentions. We all bear God within us, since our baptisms. To “bear” means to “carry”. For example, “I am bearing a heavy load.”

To “give birth” to God means that God did not exist until conceived in and produced from Mary’s womb.

Mary is the "Mother of God" only by the fact that she carried or "bore" Jesus the Son in her womb and mothered him throughout his childhood years. She did not carry God the Father or God the Holy Spirit in her womb, although her womb did hold Christ's unity with the Father and the Spirit. And she certainly did not precede God, not even God the Son Jesus.

Semantically-speaking, for Jesus to be “born” of the Virgin Mary means he did not exist until conceived in her womb.

Because we've not been careful with our semantics, we the Church have caused some confusion about our beliefs. It has led Protestants to think that Catholics believe that Mary preceded God. And even within our own Church, it's hard for those who have not been well formed in the Faith to think of Jesus as existing before he was conceived in Mary's womb. Did you know that the Old Testament has stories of the pre-incarnated Jesus?

Is the Eucharist a cure for selfishness?

2011-06-27T08:02:00.004-04:00

How much selfishness do you see around you? Pope Benedict XVI said, on the Feast of Corpus Christi 2011, that the Eucharist is the cure for selfishness. What do you think? Have you seen it happen? Can it happen? How?

Quote:
"It is the Eucharist in fact that makes a human community a mystery of communion, able to bring God to the world and the world to God. The Holy Spirit, which transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, also transforms into members of the Body of Christ those who receive it with faith, so that the Church is truly the sacrament of the unity of men with God and of men with each other.

"In a culture that is ever more individualistic -- like that in which Western societies are immersed and which is spreading throughout the world -- the Eucharist constitutes a kind of "antidote," which operates in the minds and hearts of believers and continually sows in them the logic of communion, of service, of sharing, in a word, the logic of the Gospel."

Click here to read the pope's entire message.

Please post a comment.

The Pope on Human Ecology

2011-06-09T10:47:00.000-04:00

HUMAN ECOLOGY IS AN IMPERATIVE

VATICAN CITY, 9 JUN 2011 (Vatican Information Service) - This morning the Holy Father received the credential letters of six new ambassadors to the Holy See: Stefan Gorda of Moldavia, Narciso Ntugu Abeso Oyana of Equatorial Guinea, Henry Llewellyn Lawrence of Belize, Hussan Edin Aala of Syria, Genevieve Delali Tsegah of Ghana, and George Robert Furness Troup of New Zealand.

The Holy Father gave one speech addressing all the new diplomats and then gave letters to each individually, which addressed the specific nations they represent.

In his introductory speech, referring to the "innumerable tragedies that have affected nature, technology, and the peoples" in the first semester of this year, Benedict XVI noted that "the States should reflect together on the short term future of the planet, on our responsibilities regarding our life and technology".

"Human ecology", he emphasized, "is an imperative. Adopting a lifestyle that respects our environment and supports the research and use of clean energies that preserve the patrimony of creation and that are safe for human beings should be given political and economic priority".

The Pope highlighted that "a change in mentality" is necessary in order to "quickly arrive at a global lifestyle that respects the covenant between humanity and nature, without which the human family risks disappearing. ... Every government must commit themselves to protecting nature and assisting it to carry out its essential role in the survival of humanity. The United Nations seem to be the natural framework for this type of reflection, which should not be obscured by blindly partisan political or economic interests in order to give preference to solidarity over particular interests".

"It is also helpful to ask ourselves", he continued, "about the appropriate role of technology" because "believing it is the exclusive agent of progress or happiness carries a reification of humanity that leads to blindness and misery. ... Technology that dominates human beings deprives them of their humanity. The pride that it generates has created an impossible economism in our societies as well as a hedonism that subjectively and selfishly regulates behavior. The debilitation of the primacy of the human person provokes a loss of the meaning of life".

Benedict noted that "it is urgent that we match technology with a strong ethical dimension. ... Technology should help nature develop along the lines envisioned by the Creator. In working together, the researcher and the scientist adhere to God's plan that desired humanity as the apex and the administrator of creation. Solutions based on this principle will protect human life and its vulnerability, as well as the rights of the present and future generations".

What's the Value of Sacrifices?

2011-03-28T14:00:00.002-04:00

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "Lent is a time when we relive the Passion of Christ. Let it not be just a time when our feelings are roused, but let it be a change that comes through cooperation with God's grace in real sacrifices of self." In this video reflection, Terry Modica examines how our sacrifices make a difference beyond our own lives when we have true solidarity with the Passion of Christ.

Is Hell Crowded or Empty?

2011-03-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

"An internet controversy is percolating around a soon-to-be-published book by well-known evangelical preacher Rob Bell. In this text, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell apparently advocates the 'universalist' position on salvation, according to which everyone in the end is saved and that Hell, accordingly, is empty."

So begins a very helpful article by Father Robert Barron, the creator and host of a new ten episode documentary series called "Catholicism" and host of programs on Relevant Radio, EWTN and at WordOnFire.org.

At Good News Ministries, I am often saying that fewer people end up in hell than we might think, because when we meet Jesus face to face at the hour of our death, everything becomes clear. Even someone who has rejected the Christian faith during his life on earth, at the moment of death, when Jesus comes to meet him (or her), he finally sees Jesus as he really is and for the first time truly understands who he is, how much he loves us, and what he has done for us to bring us to salvation.

Anyone who has loved others will recognize Jesus as the one who is the source of that love and to whom our love for others ultimately goes -- and thus, being a loving person, he (or she) will want to spend eternity with Jesus. With this new and complete clarity of understanding, he (or she) will regret the sins that he had not purged from his life and will want to choose purgatory as the final purification process so that he can live eternally in the fullness of God's love.

This is my belief after studying what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about life after death. But I do not say that everyone will want to spend eternity with Jesus. We simply cannot know what anyone experiences at the moment of their death, not even the most vile, hate-filled person. Did their hatred and evil-doings come entirely from free-will choice or were they perhaps, to some extent, living out the wounds that had been inflicted upon them earlier in life? Only God knows how accountable anyone is for their sins.

I doubt that Rob Bell is right about hell being empty. But I also strongly suspect that it's a lot less crowded than we imagine it to be. Father Barron explains the Church's teaching on this very well. Please read his article, Is Hell Crowded or Empty?

Get to Know a Pope: Episode 1

2011-03-24T10:54:00.001-04:00

First in a series produced by Good News Studios!

Who was the 2nd pope? Peter was the first, Benedict XVI is the current... and everyone loves JP2, but what about the ones in-between? This first episode of the Good News Ministries series "Get to Know a Pope" covers Saint Linus.

CIVILITY: Some thoughts on our violent times

2011-01-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

by Donald R. Repsher, retired Presbyterian minister
with Terry Modica, his daughter

A congresswoman has been shot in the head. Others were murdered and some were wounded. One reaction to this avoids any heart-searching. Another is willing to inquire into the dark side of America's otherwise good-naturedness.

It all comes down to words. Words can create a climate that puts an "okay" on violence. Do people have a right to use whatever words they want? Those who defend hateful and angry rhetoric between political opponents or any other opposing parties by claiming it as a right of "freedom of speech" unfortunately reveal a lack of knowledge about both history and the Bible. Every freedom must morally be balanced by responsibility.

Those of us who lived through World War II remember very well how the power of Adolf Hitler's words inflamed his world with hate and violence. Today we openly condemn the Taliban for using words that inflame people to murder children, women and men (and ultimately themselves), but do we hold ourselves to the same accountability?

The Bible begins with a story emphasizing that an entire world can be created by the power of words. The New Testament describes the power of words: "How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire … a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 2:5-10).

An entire civilized world can be destroyed by the power of words. No leader, however, can create a world of violence without listeners who are content to listen without protest to violent words. On the other hand no leader (no matter how benevolent) can lead without listeners. And this world needs listeners with a good heart who are willing to say to the fiery-tongued: "Hush. We refuse to hear you."

Only then can we hope for freedom from violence.

When good-hearted people don't object, they become part of the prevailing climate. America -- and the world -- needs people who are able to discern the capability for evil in the words of those who think it's smart to defame and distort.

Jesus is the Master of Peace, and we are all called to live by his example. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers…." (Matthew 5:9). Are we Christians doing enough to stand up against violent rhetoric so that we can rightly be called peacemakers? Are we changing the world by leading by example as Jesus calls us to do? Or are we just hunkering down in our homes and churches, wringing our hands in prayer, waiting out the violent storm like children trembling in a hurricane shelter, hoping that the Second Coming of Christ will happen soon so that he can rescue us from all this?

How can we say we're genuine Christians without bringing to the surface what is right and good instead of silently condoning what us unfair, bigoted, angry, and ultimately deadly? Anything that is ultimately deadly is called, in Catholicism, a "mortal sin." To condone evil by doing nothing about it is therefore also a mortal sin.

We cannot solve any problems without soul-searching. We need to look inward at our own soul with courage and then begin to bring peace into the world by doing something that expresses our moral rejection of violent hearts, violent speech, and violent deeds.

Blessings Rummy - A Game to Uplift Your Spirits

2011-01-01T13:50:00.001-05:00

New Year's Day is a good opportunity to reflect on our blessings and take notice of how God is working in our lives. It sets the new year off on the right foot, or perhaps I should say, with the right attitude. It occurred to me that instead of making any New Year's Resolutions on how to improve my life, I should think about how God is already very involved in improving my life. So many trials and hardships over the past year has made it difficult to remember all the blessings .... and thus came the inspiration for this game. It brings to the surface of our minds the many blessings we have. I invite you to try it with your family and friends!

Blessings Rummy

Thisgame is based on the basic rules of “Rummy”.

Deal the cards:

Cardsare dealt clockwise, face down, one at a time, for a total of seven cards toeach player (in games of five or six players, each receive six cards). Thedealer then puts the rest of the deck, face down, in the middle of the table (thisis the “stock pile”). A single card is drawn and from the top and placedface-up next to the stack (this is the “discard pile”).

Playing the game:

Playbegins with the player on the dealer's left and proceeds clockwise. Each playerdraws a card from either the stock pile or the discard pile, chooses whether ornot to keep it, trying to collect melds. There are two types of meld:

§ Sets of 3 or 4 cards sharing the same rank. Forexample, 8♥-8♣-8♠.

§ Runs of 3 or 4 cards of the same suit insequence. For example, 3♥-4♥-5♥-6♥.

Acesmay be used as a “1” in sequence with 2, 3, etc. or as an ace in sequence aftera king of the same suit.

Theplayer’s turn ends by placing one card on the discard pile, face up. However,if the card was drawn from the discard pile, it may not be discarded during thesame turn.

Blessings statement:

Atthe time a player draws a card, he/she announces what suit it is and thenanswers a question indicated by that suit:

Diamonds represent treasures or gifts: Name and describe a treasure or giftthat you have had or now have or is currently being discovered in your life.

Hearts represent love: How do you know you’re loved? What hashappened or is happening in your life that tells you that you are loved?

Clubs represent the Holy Trinity: How is God blessing you, or how has Godblessed you?

Spades represent a shovel: What is being dug up and removed fromyour life (or what has been removed) that clears the way for blessings?

If aplayer has no answer, he/she states, “I pass,” then discards and loses a turn.That player’s next turn is forfeited.

Responses to blessings statements:

Theplayer making the blessing statement may not be interrupted. When finished, otherplayers may challenge the answers stated, but only for the sake ofclarification. No disagreeing is allowed unless to invite further explanation. Afterthe person making the blessing statement finishes, others may discuss it toexpress insights they gained from hearing it or to add their own insights, butnever to disagree or take attention away from the player whose turn it is.Also, no tangents onto other topics are allowed.

Duringthe course of the game, no player may repeat one of his/her previous blessingstatements. If multiple games are played, the games become more challenging aseach player must continually come up with new answers. However, new elements ofa previous blessing statement are okay. Other players may ask for deeperinsight or further expansion if it sounds too much like a previous statement.

Winning:

Thefirst player to collect two melds ends the game. That player places his/her lastunwanted card face-down on the discard pile and reveals the winning melds.

Inthis game, actually all are winners because of the blessing statements.

These instructions can be downloaded from the Good News Ministries website as a PDF file.