BOOKS: FR. BARRON ON "AUDACITY OF HOPE"

SCIENCE, ETHICS (PHILOSOPHY), RELIGION

EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH

"While claiming to separate politics from science, he [Obama] has in fact separated science from ethics."

--Bishop John D'Arcy of Ft. Wayne-South Bend

"FROM DEMOCRACY TO DESPOTISM"

MOVIES: "KUNG FU PANDA"

"There is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness." Jack Black does awesome and attractive voicing of this loveable, out of shape, noodilicious bear. There I was, thoroughly enjoying all the martial antics and Asian flavor of the movie when--Hi-YAH! (big, furry, black-and-white, rolly-polly spoiler alert)--the long-awaited contents of the practically sacred Dragon Scroll were revealed and they were...EMPTY! "There's nothing." Yes, folks, everything behind everything in this movie is nothing. As I look back at it, perhaps it was a Zen joke, but, as Randy Newman sings in the "Monk" theme song: "I could be wrong now, but I don't think so."

AFTER seeing nothing in the scroll, the Kung Fu Panda (who is the messiah-figure Dragon Warrior) sees himself. It's important that it happened in that order. A big deal is made of the fact that there is NOTHING. Then it reverts back to the Panda to reach down inside of himself and find his own strength and courage and whatnot. So, why did the Panda win out over the much more powerful Tiger-dude (who also saw the empty Dragon Scroll and believed mightily in himself)? This is not explained. There is a Kantian (unfounded) assumption here that goodness is somehow preferable. (The good-hearted Panda.) That goodness wins. That people want to be good. But if nothing's where it's at, why be good?

However, I had a revelation of SOMETHING. Earlier in the movie the cute old tortoise wisdom-figure keeps saying: "Believe! Believe!" This staple catchphrase of Hollywood feel-good movies has long irked me. Everyone from Tinkerbell to Polar Express to Elf to Prince of Egypt* uses it. Just what the hey are we believing in??? And if "KFP" is speaking for the rest of the tinseltown fare, it IS nothing!

Pretty nihilism. The whole discipline of Kung Fu and the master-student is empty. We ARE alone in the universe. Nothing is "special." "It's only special if you say it is, treat it like it is" (KFP's Dad). Nothing has intrinsic value and meaning, only the value and meaning we give it. Oh dear, oh dear.

Please hear me out. I am NOT one of those watchdogs who see subversive images and messages in every Disney animated flick. But a constant repetition of this message, or rather non-message, this omission of God, the natural law and the integrity of each thing that presents itself to us, does go into little minds. If God is so great, why can't we talk about Him? At least hint at Him? I'll never forget the kid in my mother's third grade CCD class: "If Jesus is so great, how come he's not in my history book?"

There's something very deliberate in the faithlessness of "KFP" (lack of faith in ANYTHING). Perhaps the "law of attraction" and "positive thinking" was at work here, and maybe my ignorance of the mindset required in the martial arts is coloring my understanding of "KFP" (e.g., maybe if you THINK you can break a stack of 2 x 4's with your noggin, you can). Or perhaps it's the "nothingness" of Buddhism that's suddenly being presented to KFP and his companions (who didn't seem to be aware of it before). I could be wrong now, but I don't think so.

_____

God is not really a character in "Prince of Egypt." It's more of a nationalistic movie.

MOVIES: "NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST"

N & N is a surprisingly sweet romance. It has the look and feel of a low-budget, amateurish student film. Even the inspired acting looks amateurish, all except for Michael Cera (what a pro--this movie made me "get him" for the first time) and Ari Gaynor (Norah's perpetually drunken friend). These two probably just don't know how to practice their craft amateurishly--if that's what the movie was going for. There is real chemistry and romance between Nick and Norah. Kat Dennings plays Norah with the awkwardness of the girl longing for love who never gets noticed. Michael Cera plays the fool hopelessly in love with the girl who's only playing. Nick and Norah bond over true compatibility: they're both obsessed with music--the same kind of music. Norah sees into Nick's soul--something his cheating, self-absorbed, superficial, off-again-on-again girlfriend will never be able to do.

I'm not exactly sure what the title of the film means, but it does underline the rather perfect soundtrack accompanying the film, sometimes as diagetic (the characters hear it too), sometimes as simple soundtrack.

There's nothing rushed about this small film, AND it's really a journey film, a road trip, albeit only lurching around New York City in a bright yellow Yugo--reminiscent of the troubled yellow VW bus in "Little Miss Sunshine"--all in one night, searching for the elusive band "Fluffy."

Nick's gay friends (and fellow band members) feel like a throwback to the requisite "product placement" gay folk of a decade ago: one-dimensional, saintly, the only kindly ones, the only ones who know what love is, the only ones who can help their straight friends with their romantic troubles, etc.) There are a few religious slams: Caroline (Norah's drunken friend) "finds Jesus" at a gay, Christmas-themed cabaret where altar boys don't wear pants.

Unfortunately, very unfortunately, the sex scene mars the whole thing. It is very discreet, a highly original set-up in a recording studio, but trivial. Oh so trivial. Not only is it one of the fastest sex scenes ever, finding the band is more important. Nick can't get away from Norah fast enough, and she has to run after him to catch up. Nice. What a gent.

One line of dialogue jumped out suspiciously at me: "Nick, the Beatles had it right. No one wants to be married to you for a hundred years, they just wanna hold your hand." They don't? I'm not worth that? Life is just a one-night stand?

Kat Dennings is natural and lovely. Michael Cera is actually cute when he turns on the charm. If only the friends in this movie, so solicitous looking out for each other in so many ways, could extend that solicitude to the most intimate and sacred of human interactions (as in: wait till you're committed, save it till you're married). Seriously, the gum got more TLC.

BOOKS: "PORN NATION"

This is an excellent book by a regular, successful businessman (ironically or fittingly, he was in the fledgling, mid-20th-century computer industry) and family man who became a porn addict and lost his job, family, everything. He has lots of good advice for recovery (but not quite as much for prevention).

He calls our nation "Porn Nation" (because the first generation who grew up with internet porn is coming of age). This is a step-by-step profile of how it happens (and it doesn't happen overnight). He also makes some chilling predictions about the future:

1. hypersexual media content +
2. enabling technologies =         
3. sociosexual pathologies in a great number of what would have otherwise been sexually well-adjusted individuals

The author now devotes his life to taking his anti-porn message to college campuses and all around the country (even debates reguarly with ex-porn star Ron Jeremy). He has been on Oprah.

YES I DID.

Save your shekels and get it. I realized this is the most economical way to buy books. I had been buying them used on Amazon, but $3.95 on Kindle for a $19.95 hardcover? AND, best of all EVERY book you buy also doubles as an audiobook because Kindle will read it to you (out loud or with headphones)! (The female electronic voice sounds more human than the male voice.)

There is also BASIC WEB on the Kindle 2! You can surf and do your email (mostly text-based sites). Very strong signal that works EVERYWHERE.

They also changed the horrible design where you had to hold it by the corners or you'd keep turning the pages hitting the long page-turning bar. AND the power button is different so you don't keep turning it on inadvertently. AND the battery lasts for hours, especially if you keep the wireless turned off unless you're using it. It's also super-flat and super-light. You can almost use the QWERTY keyboard like a regular keyboard (instead of texting-style with your thumbs.)

It holds 1,500 books. (The old Kindle held about 200.)

I feel like a traitor because this is killing the book industry, not helping it. But it is SO cheap and convenient, especially if you travel and read a lot (I do both). Authors and booksellers get a PITTANCE for each book sold on Kindle. Amazon refuses to say how many Kindles have been sold.

CHANGE? HOPE?

FROM A CHICAGO TRIBUNE COLUMNIST:

Stem cell policy shift brings a sinking feeling

John Kass

12:07 PM CDT, March 14, 2009

When President Barack Obama signed his executive order to allow human embryos to be mined for their stem cells in order to help older, more powerful humans, there was much excited applause.

The applause came from so many, their eyes bright, lit as if from within. It came from those who believe in scientific progress as the answer to the problems of the modern world, believing as fervently as any monk on the slopes of Mt. Athos believes in the Resurrection of Christ.

In signing the order last week, the president said that the Bush administration, which strictly limited such research, had offered a false choice between science and morality. He said his new order "is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda—and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.."

There it was. Ideology, a pejorative applied to faith, offered up during Lent by our president.

John Kass Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

As a Greek Orthodox Christian, I'm troubled by all of this, as are many Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others who are taught by the faiths of our fathers that life is sacred. And I know there are many who belong to these faiths and see nothing wrong with stem cell research.

But many of us watch in quiet horror as America rationalizes the conversion of life into a medical product to further other lives, as our culture ignores the cost to our humanity.

Proponents of stem cell research dress themselves in pure reason, as a counterweight to what is often unfortunately referred to as religious superstition (Obama's "ideology"), but there is something about the political selling of it that speaks to a salvation of sorts, too, particularly for our loved ones whose bodies would be helped by such research.

Science for the scientists, yes, but perhaps more than that for those who hope such research will provide much-needed cures. So more human embryos are cracked open, the life inside them used to protect us from diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, now stalking the once-youthful but still politically powerful Baby Boomers.

The applause washed over Obama all week, from biotech investors and especially pro-abortion rights groups, because if embryos are a product fit for dissection, it follows they are property, not life. Naturally, establishment media editorialists and political writers praised it, even supposedly neutral news accounts trumpeting this as a victory of light over darkness.

"It's a difficult and delicate balance," said Obama. "And many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about or strongly oppose this research. And I understand their concerns and I believe that we must respect their point of view. But after much discussion, debate and reflection, the proper course has become clear. ..."

He is a gracious man trying to be reasonable, fulfilling a campaign promise. Though I disagree with him, I've always felt the decency in him. But as he spoke, I couldn't help but think of someone else.

The drowning man.

When I was a boy about to go swimming with my friends, I was warned about the drowning man. And just then I knew, with the rapture of scientific certainty, that President Obama was also warned as a boy.

It may have come from his mom, or grandparents, or some camp counselor at the edge of the water, an adult responsible for his safety. The kids knotting up in groups on the shore, sand hot on their feet, bright sunshine overhead, eager to jump in.

We all were warned, each of us, you too. As parents, my wife and I told our boys, and Barack and Michelle most likely have told their girls. All kids lucky enough to grow up and become parents will warn their young if they have even the slightest sense of responsibility.

You stay away from the drowning man.

The drowning man isn't an individual, exactly.

The way I remember things, it was the figure of a man drawn in some first-aid pamphlet of long ago, a dangerous hieroglyph thrashing in the water, threatening those who approached.

The drowning man wasn't evil. He wasn't good. There was no history to him.

His dreams and kind acts didn't matter. His betrayals and bitterness weren't counted against him. If he had any sins, their residue wasn't apparent in his expression. There was no face, at least not one with clearly defined features.

Only a head and arms waving in the water, the drowning man going down.

The grown-ups told us that when you're swimming and you see someone struggling and thrashing, you call for help. You might extend a towel or a shirt as a rope. But you don't go near, because you might get grabbed.

Panicked, the drowning man wants what all life wants, to continue. He can't comprehend that he's pushing you down to push himself up. It's not his fault. He's afraid. He's drowning. He's dying.

But we're all dying, aren't we? And what happens to us, as we take other lives, in order to live?

jskass@tribune.com">jskass@tribune.com

 

June 2008--June 2009 Year of St. Paul

"St. Paul is not a stern wielder of the sword, but the most ardent and tender lover of Christ. He has a mother's heart that loves immensely, and a father's heart that give unqualified support."
--Blessed James Alberione, SSP, Founder of the Daughters of St. Paul & the Pauline Family

Sr. Helena Burns, fsp
Daughters of St. Paul / Pauline Books & Media
172 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60601 USA
blog: http://hellburns.blogspot.com
facebook: helena burns
skype: helena.burns.fsp
Publishing House / Vocations / Spanish: www.pauline.org
Movie Nights, Women's Book Club, Bible Studies, Theology of the Body:http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/bookcenters/chicago/index.html

MOVIES: “BROTHERS AT WAR”

Wikipedia defines a documentary as an attempt to visually express and document reality. "The Complete Film Dictionary" defines it as a film that deals directly with fact and not fiction, that tries to convey reality as it is, instead of some fictional version of reality. "Brothers at War" comes as close to this definition as any documentary I've seen. (Wikipedia admits that "documentaries" are continually evolving with no clear boundaries, but if we are thinking "traditional" documentary, "Brothers" is it.)

At first, I wasn't able to put aside the immorality and illegality of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, but filmmaker Jake Rademacher "disarmed" me, because "Brothers" is more about family than it is about war, or rather, a story of war that is woven into a story of family. This is simply NOT a political film.

Jake is the oldest of five brothers and two sisters from a close-knit DeKalb, IL, family. He had planned to join the Army like his brothers Isaac and Joe, but bad eyesight made it impossible. He got into acting instead. "Brothers" is, in part, Jake's quest to see "what might have been" in his own life as he goes to Iraq to film Isaac, Joe and their fellow soldiers in action. He is also interested in winning his brothers' respect and wants to show the rest of his family (and the world) what his brothers are doing "over there." Jake's narration is humble and insightful with an open, straightforward Midwestern sensibility. He inserts himself into the story sparingly. "Brothers" is almost about the war tangentially, or only insofar as it matters to his brothers, which of course it does. It seems to matter to Jake only secondarily.

Nothing truly sensational transpires beyond the tedium and danger of a long war made of up IED and sniper attacks, surveillance, community PR, and a matter-of-fact death or two (some sanitized, some not). The pacing and editing are consistently engaging. Flashbacks to the Rademacher boys as kids is wonderful. They have continued their tactile playfighting, jokes, and hugs into adulthood. Jake tells his family's story in a non-dramatic, unemotional way. I've never been so touched without crying. This is a war documentary made by a sensitive guy. He is determined that he and his brothers are not going to "grow apart" emotionally, and he'll do whatever it takes—even follow them to Iraq—to make sure that doesn't happen. Jake's quiet strength and other-giftedness (the arts) are his gift to his family that they will treasure now for generations.

There is just so much love in this family, so much other-centeredness and thinking about and looking out for each other. I wonder if they realize that this is their true greatness? Do they know how LUCKY they are? The whole family, including parents, have their say, but it's the brothers who are the focus. How Rademacher made this film so objectively and yet so intimately about his own family with their full cooperation is truly amazing. If the Rademachers had been any less remarkable, this film would not have been possible.

Jake gets nicknamed "Hollywood" by the troops, and he looks truly out of place in Iraq. Jake admits he's "soft," but he doesn't care. As the oldest, he seems to hover protectively over his family, even describing helping out with his siblings when he was growing up as "parenting." What better way to hover than with a camera? Jake is the nostalgic one of the family. He seems to want to draw them all around him forever: "If we know our brothers better, maybe they'll never be gone from us." The fear of Isaac or Joe getting killed is always lurking, especially after having lost one of his five brothers, Thaddeus, when Thad was age 20 (not war-related).

Isaac comments that Jake embedding with troops on a five-day mission will help him find what he's looking for, the heart of the American soldier, and it is then that we catch soldiers jawing about the usual: girlfriends and wives; why are they doing this, anyway?; their love of America and freedom; and one young man sums up: "It's confusing: I'm home for a year, away for a year, home for a year. I love the adrenaline rush of kicking doors down, but I love my family, too." The love extends to the Iraqi people and their struggle. One wisecracking New Yorker is assigned to train Iraqi forces, and for all his impatience with them, he really cares. The camera captures a certain simplicity and child-like innocence in these neophytes, and even our Yankee tough guys are a bit gentled by their genuine, unmasked humanity. The Americans seem to be actors, cowboys, philosophers, and well-trained/well-disciplined warriors, while the Iraqis seem to have more spontaneous reactions of fear, joy and pride. The contrast is often comical.

There is something wholesome about this documentary. U.S. snipers eat M & M's as they do their job, and it doesn't feel the least bit wrong or surreal. Either Jake just sees these episodes as the banality of wartime duty, or he's a masterful propagandist, getting us to swallow anything. I think it's the former. I've read and watched other accounts of both Iraq Wars from very different, darker perspectives, but that doesn't make Jake's perspective any less real or true. For the most part, Jake shows us what is truly good in the "American spirit," in our American military, in his brothers. What's true and real is the love at the core of his family, and each military "band of brothers." A love "stronger than death." And a love story in wartime trumps all other stories. Or so we were taught at UCLA. There is another kind of "brother" and family here as well, that is, the brothers in arms—that camaraderie that we women just don't have. These guys worry more about each other getting killed than themselves. They know they will be friends for life. They know that nobody but these "few," these "happy few" understand.

One young soldier say: "I would give my life for America any day. I wouldn't think twice." And he means it, and he knows exactly what that means now, and he just might have the chance. Most amazing of all, and I have heard this since the beginning of the Iraq Wars from those serving in the military: they don't seem to care whether people back home understand or appreciate what they're doing. What matters is that they know why they're doing what they're doing. So that people may live free. So that people may be free to criticize the military or kill themselves eating too many hotdogs. One soldier even says: "There must be chaos so that others may live in peace." There is honest talk of the less altruistic motivations: military are higher caliber people to be around, make Dad proud, I didn't want to get stuck in my little town, etc. In the end, most soldiers agree it's all about family. They do what they do for family, even for the baby girl who may not remember who you are when you return.

Gary Sinise executive produced, "Special thanks to Jon Voight" (why???), Metanoia Films distributed (Eduardo Verastagui's company, star of "Bella")

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY--This is textbook men's spirituality, from their own lips. My problem with war is that first of all, it is blowing up other human images/temples of God (that we drone on and on about in religion). How dare you? Who gave you the right? And second, I think war takes that natural, good impulse of men to guard, protect and defend their families, and then actually takes them AWAY from their families, and they begin to be almost permanently directed away from their families OR are so damaged when they return to their families that they no longer know how to or are incapable of being directed toward them. In short, war is a big lie, whispered in men's ears century after century.

Vatican considering document on communications in age of 'new media'

 

Below is a link to a news item from Catholic News Service about the Vatican considering document on communications in age of 'new media'.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901066.htm

 

ONE OF THE BEST THEOLOGY OF THE BODY BOOKS EVER!

"Theology of His / Her Body"--two-books-in-one--by Jason Evert is one of THE best TOB books out there!!! Written for teens, but ANYONE will benefit from this lucid, straightforward, book that goes right for the most sublime, beautiful truths of the Theology of the Body and makes them easily understandable in no time. I have no idea how Jason did it! This is a fantastic introduction to TOB, but it will keep you pondering, marveling, agreeing with it, and living it for a long time! Available from http://www.ascensionpress.com/

 

MOVIES: UNSUNG AMAZING ACTORS

"Changeling"--the kids

"Slumdog Millionaire"--the kids

"The Wrestler"--the people buying meat at the deli

"Changeling"--the serial killer (Jason Butler Harner)

"Tropic Thunder"--the special effects guy (Danny McBride)

"Gran Torino"--Thao (Bee Vang)

"Happy-Go-Lucky"--Scott (Eddie Marsan)

15 REASONS WHY MOVIES MATTER MORE THAN EVER

1. "Every picture tells a story, donut?" How much more a moving picture.

2. Seeing is believing.

3. We are fast becoming a post-literate civilization.

4. Movies force us to look at other people's lives, stories. (Like we used to have to do scanning newspapers. Now we just cherry-pick our news.)

5. Movies surprise us. Even jaded us.

6. Movies (in theaters) force us to shut up and watch/listen. For 2 hours. Quite a feat. Even with a little texting going on. It's one of the most contemplative experiences we have in our frenetic world.

7. It's very hard to read a book and multi-task. And we are a society of multi-taskers.

8. Movies are the new lingua franca.

9. Movies give us an experience. And postmoderns highly value experience. And movies are one of our few shared experiences in our niche-market world.

10. Brain science is revealing that our brains light up (involuntarily) in imitation mode of whatever stimulates us visually (see the book "Mirroring People").

11. A picture is NOT worth a million words, unless it is somehow self-explanatory. Movies give us pictures AND words.

12. Show, don't tell.

13. Movies touch us on so many levels (head, heart, senses, memory, moral imagination, etc.) all at the same time (words, pictures, movement, emotions, music, sound, life and death events and dilemmas, etc.), and all larger than life (in the theater)!

14. Studies show that as our culture's word-intelligence descreases, its visual-intelligence is increasing.

15. "The movie has a greater effect than the press, because the spectators are more numerous and because it acts upon a greater number of the human faculties."

"Great is the mission of the movies! ...More than anything else, consider the impression that the movie makes on a soul. That impression is much more profound than that made by a bad companion, or reading a bad book.... This mission is great, therefore! If well done, a film impresses itself upon the soul and makes a greater impression on souls than a sermon, than the catechism. This is because the sermon speaks to the sense of hearing, whereas the film speaks a bit to all the senses: sight, hearing, sentiment, imagination, heart. It alsmost takes possession of the individual and dominates him." --Blessed Fr. James Alberione, SSP, filmmaker and Founder of the Pauline Family

MOVIES: “GRAN TORINO”

"Get off my lawn!" is the new "Make my day!"--and old is the new cool, thanks to Clint Eastwood in my favorite movie of 2009.

I can't say enough about this movie, but queen of verbosity that I am, you know I will. Since the Sacrament of Confession figures big into "Gran Torino," I'll start with my own confession: I did not know what a "Gran Torino" was. I thought it was like "Casino Royale," a hotel or something. My brother, a mechanic/technician who owns his own shop, is constantly floored (no pun intended) by my gross ignorance of all things "car." (His first word was "car"--"cah" with the Boston accent.) I once ground up the transmission of a convent van (by jamming the car into reverse while going 45 mph) and called him for advice. When he asked me make and model, seriously, all I could tell him was "green." The weird thing about it is I LOVE 70's muscle cars! I used to drool over them when I lived in SoCal. But I can't tell you the first thing about them. OK, am I absolved?

First of all, the trailer makes this movie look soooo serious and it's HYSTERICALLY funny. I could not stop laughing. That take-you-by-surprise, rolling laughter that keeps coming back in waves as the implications sink in of just HOW funny that scene was. It's "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding" kind of laughs, evenly spaced out, but constant. Not cheap laughs, but tee hees bubbling right up from the characters we are getting to know like the back of our hand. And yet, the film IS mighty grim. Not as grim as the Holocaust, but think "Life Is Beautiful."

Clint's character, Walt, is a Korean War vet (we don't see that too often). This, too, is personal for me. My brother and I are my father's second family. Our half brother, PFC Jere Eugene Burns, went M.I.A. in Korea, October, 1952. He was 23. My brother was born on his birthday and has "Jere" for his middle name. For a long time—which deeply irked my father—it was simply called "the Korean Conflict."

I think Clint is laughing at himself in this film. Yeah, he's cool—even with his old guy, hiked-up-to-his-ribs pants—and scary (he's got a gun and he's not afraid to use it), but more than anything he's a grumpy old curmudgeon in love with his Pabst, his dog and his car, and would like nothing more than to be left the hell alone, thankyouverymuch. But this man runs deep. He's "the greatest generation" America that lives by a code of honor, decency, hard work and valor that makes his consumeristic, shallow son and his family look like caricatures. But he is also troubled, fighting demons of deeds done in war time, deeds that commanding officers did NOT order.

I really don't want to spoil the film, you just have to see and enjoy it, but the film has many complementary themes. Just as in the Vietnam War (which the Vietnamese call "the American War"), the U.S. was fighting both for, with and against Koreans in the Korean War. So Walt's relationship with Asians is ambivalent. Wouldntcha know, a Hmong family moves in next door. Still don't know who the Hmong people are? (I didn't either.) You'll know by the end of the movie. And you will also know every possible racial epithet for "Asian." But Walt is an equal opportunity racist. No one, not even his Polish and Irish buddies are spared, and the sheer preponderance of his Archie Bunkeresque ethnic slurs makes them downright empty.

"GT" is a kind of urban Western. An ailing senior citizen standing on his porch--as a gang of young thugs ominously drives by--is this depressed Michigan neighborhood's best hope. "GT" could also be called: "How To BECOME a Guy in 10 Days." Again, see the film.

Some of the dialogue was on the nose, and I didn't believe Clint WASN'T mumbling to us when he was mumbling to his dog. But who cares?? This is a brilliant film, and Clint Eastwood (don't you LOVE that name?) has never been so exposed.

Columbia College in Chicago teaches a course on the films of Clint Eastwood. I am now intrigued by this film legend. I used to watch him in movies on TV as a kid—this impossibly good-looking, impossibly slender, impossibly stiff, monotone actor that always looked like he was trying to remember his lines. But he's been trying to tell us something. Now I want to know exactly what. (I didn't understand "The Unforgiven" at all.)

"Gran Torino" proves my theory right. Hollywood has been watching us (the Catholic Church) for a very long time, and chronicling us rather accurately, especially our foibles. Tell me if the young priest in this movie isn't representative of our new priests? I know this guy! Yes, he's fresh-faced, green and idealistic, but he can't help that, and he's not backing down. He knows who he is, and he will roll up his sleeves, get in there and learn. Hooray for Hollywood! Mini-spoiler: Note how Walt, the old man, calls the younger "Father," or "Padre," and the young man calls Walt "son"—because that IS their relationship and they both understand that.

Do the following lines tickle your funnybone? "Don't call me Wally." "Have a nice day." "I gotta go." "Toad, I need your help." Well, your funnybone will be in traction after hearing these lines delivered by Eastwood's growly, raspy Walt. That's genius writing. We're so deep into the character's world by the middle of the movie that we're in on a very funny joke we wouldn't get at all a half an hour earlier.

Many things "came to me" during the film. It's so contemplative. Four things freaked me out: 1) Can you ever LEARN reverence for human life if you never "got it"? 2) Only myself and another woman my age were laughing our fool heads off. 3) Walt's granddaughter was very, very frightening. 4) Almost the entire audience in my packed theater ran out the door at the end, chatting gaily. How could they??

"GT" is a quintessential "nonviolent action" (aka "pacifist") film. Yes, you heard right. The ending is ingenious. Could this be Clint's reparation film for his bloodier fare? Is this a Eureka! film for him? I don't know. I'll have to take the course at Columbia.

Theology of the Body? Yo. Walt understands that a man is to guard and protect. Walt understands that life isn't cheap. Walt tries to make a man out of Thao (as questionable as that whole business is). Walt knew that the love of a good woman was the best thing that ever happened to him. Walt fights for the honor of a woman. Walt lays down his life for his friends. Walt takes upon himself the evil of the world.

P.S. BIG, FAT, CATACLYSMIC SPOILER ALERT!!!! A film reviewer asks: Did Walt commit indirect suicide at the end? I think not, otherwise, we might be able to make the case that Jesus committed suicide.

March 2009 update: This is proving to be Clint's biggest grossing movie overseas. Why? Besides it being a great film, I'm wondering if it isn't in part because how well it expresses the immigrant experience AND how the American Dream seems to be dying (certainly in Detroit, America's fastest "dwindling" city according to recent stats). Mexican immigration has fallen of 48% because "there is no longer an American Dream."

MOVIES: OSCARS HIGHLIGHTS

So, who wants to rehash old news? Well, you know how pizza often tastes better the next day…? For those who missed the Oscars OR fell asleep during the Oscars OR didn't watch even half of the Oscar-nominated movies, this retrospective is for you.

Of course you know that "Slumdog Millionaire" swept the Oscars with eight wins. Why? Probably because it's the little movie that could. It might as well be called "Underdog Millionaire." Various winners of the night reiterated: "Anything is possible. Work hard. Don't give up." Perhaps "Slumdog" encapsulates this Hollywood dream. It boasts an unusual story-line (along with being fantastically unbelievable), amazing child actors, and is a feel-good romp with a pounding, dance-friendly, Bollywood-meets-Harlem soundtrack (which won Best Original Score AND Song). Decide for yourself if it should have won eight awards INCLUDING Best Picture. (My pick for best picture: "Benjamin Button"—a beautiful and difficult story to tell, an incredible movie-making feat, pulled off with flying technicolors.)

"Benjamin Button" DID win for Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects. These were important categories for it to win because these are what made the movie. It wasn't really an actors' movie. However, it WAS a director's movie, and I think David Fincher should have won.

Best Actor: Sean Penn for "Milk," the story of California's first openly gay elected official. Both Sean Penn and writer Lance Black (who won Best Original Screenplay) took the opportunity to advocate for "gay marriage rights." I actually have no problem with celebrities using their notoriety OR award ceremonies for political activism, but, of course, there is no such thing as "gay marriage," and Penn and Black are only adding to the confusion. The part of Black's tearful speech about the fact that God loves same-sex attracted people (my terminology) and that they deserve to be treated with dignity was truly touching, and I couldn't agree more. The "curious case" here is that if Hollywood espouses a cause, celebrities may blather all they want about it. But do you remember the flak (and subsequent blacklisting) Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon got over simply mentioning their opposition to the second Iraq War? For all their hatred of censorship, Hollywood demands that its stars espouse the "right" causes only.

Best Actress: Uber-talented Kate Winslet for "The Reader," nominated six times with no previous wins. This Oscar felt misplaced (like Denzel Washington winning for "Training Day" when he should have won for "Malcolm X," or Sean Penn winning for "Milk," when he should have won for "Dead Man Walking"), especially with the other incredible female performances "The Reader" was up against here.

Best Actor/Best Actress: Two longtime character actors were nominated: Richard Jenkins for "The Visitor," and Melissa Leo for "Frozen River." Although they didn't win, this was a wonderful nod in the direction of hard-working thespians who are the glue in many of our favorite movies!

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger. This award was well deserved, and not just because Heath died. Heath totally appropriated his character of the Joker in "Dark Knight" and stole the entire movie.

Best Animated Feature: "Wall-E." Again, well deserved, but Wall-E should have won more awards, especially in the sound and music categories.

Best Documentary: A delightful moment here that will go down in Oscar history. "Man on Wire" won. The French tightrope walker who strung a wire between the Twin Towers in the 70's and did his thing (illegally) was present to accept the Oscar which he promptly balanced on his chin.

Adapted Screenplay: "Slumdog" again. However, "Doubt," adapted from stage to screen was quite masterful. It's unfortunate that "Doubt" didn't win anything. This would have been the best category for a victory.

Best Foreign Language Film: Again, the competition here was stiff: "The Baader Meinhof Complex" (political unrest in post-Nazi Germany), "The Class" (the French anti-"Freedom Writers"), "Waltz with Bashir" (a former Israeli soldier remembers a slaughter in Lebanon). "Depatures" (a Japanese cellist becomes an undertaker) won.

Biggest Pity: "Gran Turino" wasn't nominated for anything.

Post-Oscars is a great time to rent must-see movies "Benjamin Button," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Doubt," "Frozen River," "Dark Knight," and those hard-to-find Documentary Features, Documentary Shorts, Animated Short Films, Live Action Short Films (hopefully available from Netflix).

Oscar Night planners promised a new look and a new way of presenting. Host Hugh Jackman (a hoofer and singer!) wowed us with interspersed Broadway-style numbers, turning the Academy Awards into a true show. The stage was revamped and much closer to the audience. However, no clips of nominated movies were shown which was a disappointment. A cadre of former winners (Hollywood greats) addressed each nominated actor/actress personally (tres exciting!)

MOVIES: “FROZEN RIVER”

Run to the nearest video store and rent…oh, wait, we don't have to do that anymore, do we? Run your fingers over your keyboard and put "Frozen River" at the top of your Netflix queue. This indie gem is getting Oscar attention for a reason. Although all the brouhaha is focused on Melissa Leo, this is really a story of TWO tough chicks, one white, "Ray" (Melissa Leo), and one native (Mohawk), "Lila" (Misty Upham) living on the New York/Canada border. They're both short on cash, a man, and both are struggling to raise children. They don't like each other, but they need each other and do things for each other that even best friends wouldn't do. Both are rather bigoted and judgmental towards the other. The characters are written so realistically--carefully avoiding stereotypes of both white trailer trash and noble, wronged Indian. Yet, each of them is exactly who they are and nothing more. They live in very limited, defined worlds with small dreams and aspirations. The everyday tenuousness of their respective situations doesn't allow them the luxury of daring to think too big. However, precisely because of their hardscrabble lives, every decision, every altruistic gesture that Ray and Lila make takes on gigantic proportions and consequences. There is absolutely nothing angelic about these women, and yet hints of transcendence creep in here and there at unlikely moments.

A lucrative smuggling operation of illegal aliens is too tempting for either woman to pass up. They use Ray's car (because of the trunk) to transport human cargo over a frozen river. But there are State troopers, kids left home alone, house payments, shady underworld characters, and literal thin ice to be dealt with. The women form an alliance of convenience and don't think too far ahead—it's just too scary to do so. The power shifts between Ray and Lila, as do their manifestations of human tenderness. (They can't afford to both be caring at the same time.)

Not to be overlooked is Charlie McDermott's performance as Ray's teenage son, T.J., poignantly named after his absent father. He's trying valiantly to be the man around the house and take care of his younger brother, but his methods are as criminal as his Mom's. I don't want to spoil the ending, but there's a whopper plot point that could either be a head-scratcher or simply overlooked. You need to know something about "First Nations" (what native Canadians are called) to appreciate its momentousness. First Nations peoples had a slightly different experience than Native Americans. They were never slaughtered or hunted down. They didn't sell land or sign treaties (that's why some are demanding Vancouver back). The white people just kind of moved in on them, set up reservations, pushed them around, etc. The agreement from the beginning was "self-governance," so, technically, First Nations peoples are not bound by white man's laws. They have their own tribal police and tribal justice system, which, by the way, works well. T.J. gets a taste of this tribal justice, or rather, mercy.

I must digress further. Dwayne "Dog" Chapman of the A & E real-life TV hit show "Dog the Bounty Hunter" is part native, and you will see this same justice/mercy dynamic at work in his tactics. "Dog the Bounty Hunter" is THE most Christian show on TV. There, I said it. Dog (who comes from a long line of bounty hunters and is a Christian) has as his motto, "give everyone a second chance" (as God did for him). He shows forth the mercy of God the Father to each fugitive while upholding just laws. His first aim is to treat each person with dignity. Second: rehabilitation from drugs and/or a life of crime so you can go back to your family. Third: serve your time, pay your dues to society.

"Frozen River" is a near-perfect little movie. The only thing I woulda done differently was have Ray break down and really bawl when she hugs T.J. toward the end, but maybe, again, that's not an option for a hard-luck woman like her. The highs and lows in this movie come and go in a matter-of-fact way, as in the lives of the poor, yet the movie never bores. I have never felt so UNmanipulated by a film. Kudos to writer/director, Courtney Hunt. I eagerly await her next project.

I'm sure that Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (who was half Mohawk and migrated in the opposite direction, from Auriesville, NY, to Kahnawake, Quebec, where she's now buried in the church of St. Francis Xavier) smiles down on "Frozen River." http://conservation.catholic.org/kateri.htm

OK, can't let this tidbit go: I just looked up Misty Upham's biography on www.imdb.com --where actors can write their own bio. Misty is self-described as "pro-life"! You go, girl!

DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL AT TEXAS A & M!

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY STUDY GROUP--FR. THOMAS LOYA--FEB. 11, 2009

Somewhere around page 429.

[utterly useless comments by Sr. Helena in brackets]

The physical allows us to participate in the spiritual. In reality. The first Catholic was God because every time He made something He said, “It is good.” Adam was the second Catholic.

Singleness is not a vocation because there is no permanence to it. [No one can say their vocation is to “be alone.” Permanently.] It’s not the fault of the single person, it just hasn’t happened yet. But the single person can still live spousally (God is our ultimate spouse). Everyone is called to live spousally. A vocation is something permanent. A permanent giving of a gift. Singleness tends to be more temporary, unless there is a gift given permanently in the single life.

If we’re united to Christ here on earth, we’re united to Him forever (and to others) here on Earth and then in heaven. We should realize we’re really all together at Mass in a unique way (even if we’re sitting together with family!) When we serve at Mass, we leave our family in the pew to be part of the larger community.

Second marriages were frowned upon in the Eastern Church (even after death of spouse), and the second ceremony had a penitential tone. (Because marriage is forever, even in the next life, but transformed in the next life so that Jesus said: “There is no marriage in heaven.”) Paul said you could get remarried if you had to. Married Eastern priests cannot remarry after first marriage. There’s a belief that the “continence” rule came from Apostolic times (the Apostles). And it meant that after the laying on of hands/ordination, the wife (had to agree) and husband did not have relations. So, even the passage in NT where Paul says Cephas (Peter) and others had their wives with them, they may very well have been continent. Why? Because at the end of the day, we’re focused on God. Eastern priests’ ordination is like a marriage ceremony. Not a sacramental/EARTHLY marriage, but a mystical/HEAVENLY marriage (to the Church).

Chastity=the living out of your sexuality purely.

Married priests in the Eastern Church aren’t allowed to have sexual relations if they celebrate the Eucharist the next day. (ONE of the reasons the Orthodox don’t have daily Mass, as well as to emphasize the Lord’s Day Eucharist.)

If we totally separate marriage and virginity, we won’t know how to live either!!! That’s why we’re so bad at both today! It’s one of our problems today! One subsists in the others. Marriage=union, Virginity=singularly (all) God’s.

Women’s “non-ordination”: Some people who have a problem with it say that the only thing the Church officially teaches about it is that “Jesus didn’t do it.” But we have a clue why God does what He does. If we’re only going to live by the bare bones DOCTRINE, we’re going to miss a lot of life. AND then we can also tear the doctrine down: Jesus only ordained men because of the times, etc.….

No separation in East between doctrinal/mystical doctrine! If you’re a mystic, you’re a normal person. You know God. The rest of us need to become normal. Because it’s normal for people to know God. Paul gives us dogma and Christology because He knew Christ. They mystical is the MOST REAL. [Flannery O’Connor said dogma is the guardian of mystery.]

Why do we yearn for marriage? Because intimacy and fruitfulness is what makes us like God!

Fr. Tom doesn’t let people call him “Tom,” because his reality/relationship is different from that. Spiritual fatherhood and motherhood are very real things. And they’re not “formal,” they’re the best, deepest relationships!

If Fr. Tom was giving a retreat to married people and celibates, it would sound very much the same, because both groups are married, just in different ways. A married man is celibate to all women except one. A celibate man is “married to all women” but none in particular.

Q: Is the gift of self “natural”? A: Yes, because of our bodies. They speak the language of gift. Concupiscence gets in the way, though, so we can’t always hear our bodies.

Celibate priests need a sense of spousal love like religious women, otherwise their celibacy really doesn’t mean anything, and become empty.

Q: So how do men experience the love of God? God doesn’t want them to become women, but they have to become receptive. Men love to be doing things and rescuing, but you can’t rescue God. A: Spirituality in a sense is harder for men. Men/priests must develop a real deep love of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we say men have to adopt the female principle, it’s mystical language. Men wrestle with God. Men grow through battle and resistance. Men draw strength from God, the way men draw strength from one another. Men MUST experience this to grow into men. Men become men externally. It’s not intuitive for men. It’s about connecting with something outside of them. How do we know that? Again, the body. Priesthood is synonymous with manhood. A priest is a man, a man is a priest. Men become men by having something external bestowed on them: “This is my beloved Son.” Men absolutely need approval (1. From father, 2. male world, 3. beloved—wife), bonding, rites of passage. But our world is taught to put men down, that men are buffoons, so they are getting the wrong message (which redounds negatively to women!) Men want to know that they have what it takes, that they’re adequate, that they can get the job done. Priests/men must develop relationship with God through prayer. Men experience God’s love as Father, brother, friend. That’s why the doctors of the church are theologians—theology (esp. Jewish theology) is wrestling with God! Men in the Jewish Temple would approach God while the ladies stayed back. It was thought of as an awesome thing and the guys would handle it!

There’s no such thing as marriage problems: only TOB problems! Men and women have to understand each others’ legitimate needs and fulfill them.

Just listen to the language of your body!

“Garment of skin”—[the ancient rabbis said this, too]—Church Fathers posited that our bodies didn’t have genitalia before the Fall….but they didn’t have developed theology yet, and certainly not the Theology of the Body!

Q: Would Jesus still have become incarnate without the Fall? A: The Church doesn’t teach either way, but theological speculation leans towards that He would have come—joining with His Creation would be the apex of Creation.

We can become very non-Catholic in our attempt to be very Catholic (prudery) and we can cause another sexual revolution!

We can’t retrieve the original innocence of Adam and Eve, but there is an “echo,” and in Christ we are propelled forward to the future when it will be even better than what Adam and Eve had….

Q: What’s the diff between “human being,” and “human person”? A: Person is deeper. We are persons because God is Person (3 Persons). [God is so intimate that He is 3 Persons in one.][Think of conjoined twins Abbey and Brittany who share 2 legs, 2 arms, but each has their own heart/lungs and head. They are teenagers. One girl operates one side (leg and arm) and the other girl operates the other side.]

Virginity/celibacy and marriage “interpenetrate” (JP2G). Father likes to say: “subsist within each other.” Married people show celibates what God’s spousal love looks like. Celibates show married couples what God’s spousal love looks like. :]

What makes you a TRUE parent is a SPIRITUAL INVESTMENT in the child for the child’s sake, not just giving biological life to your kids.

“apophatic theology”—knowing God by who He is not….. (Eastern church likes to use….)

[If we ARE our body, then it is a person, not a thing—we can’t USE it.] [male spirituality—EXTERNAL, concrete, git ‘er done, pragmatic, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION]

If some Catholic person has a problem with TOB, they simply don’t get it. [There’s also Ordinary Magisterium.] [The status/classification of what kind of Church teaching TOB is in the Introduction to TOB.] TOB IS dogma—it’s JP2G’s rearrangement, compilation of it. He looked at old things in new ways. “Go back to the beginning.” He connected the dots. He shook the box with the Catholic Faith jigsaw puzzle pieces inside and they came together in a way we could see. Different saints/ teacher thru the years did this.

FCC rules on the radio were determined by what would offend Catholics.

We’re letting millions of people flounder by not preaching this word, esp. thru the media. St. Paul would have done that. Fulton Sheen did it.

FAVORITE MOVIE FOR GUYS: “Braveheart”! We need to tell a good story. The best stories use the Catholic ethos.

“Marley and Me” made by a Catholic…. Father liked it a lot. Refreshing, very Catholic. “Bella” was too overtly too Catholic…. [“message movie”] Too contrived, too goody two shoes, if people think it’s religious or something, THEY THINK THEY CAN’T RELATE TO IT (AND PROBABLY CAN’T)—IT’S NOT THEIR EXPERIENCE. JP2G started TOB from people’s experience.

We should be able to say of a married person: they would have made a good priest/nun. We should be able to say of a priest/nun: they would have made good married persons. Because we are all called to live spousally with others and with God. Even couples who practice NFP are living monastically, celibately for a time. [Because, ultimately, sex is liturgical! The liturgy goes by the chronos—time, cycles, nature, etc.!]

For the 1st 1,000 years in the Church, both East and West had married priests, but there was always the question that from Apostolic times, once a man was ordained, he was to be celibate—so the Church has always leaned a little more toward celibacy for priests. Since the 1920’s the Eastern Rite in the New World required celibacy for its priests. But then JP2G allowed married men to be ordained in the Eastern Rite in the New World, but it was not to be with fanfare so that the Western Church would say: hey, how come not us? And the Eastern Church fixed their canon law so that the Western priests wouldn’t come flocking over just for that reason. :]