If one were to judge be the number of films made (and books written) on "spiritual" topics lately, you might conclude that there is no danger that Christian faith will succumb to the allurements, such as they are, of atheism or at least secularism. Is there a growing hunger to connect with the divine? In this pluralistic age, that desire can lead in many directions. Last night, Mt. Athos on 60 Minutes; today (at least in Chicago) public television is airing Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer. I have not seen this so I don't know its quality (though I've heard good things about the companion book). It is airing in various cities around the country, and there is a list here. I do note that it was not being aired by any PBS station in the vicinity of New York City. Is that because it really is a bastion of secularism? Just a question.
Worthy of note, also, is the current run of the film Of Gods and Men about the Trappist Monks of Algeria who were slain not so long ago, the coming release of There Be Dragons, about Christians in the Spanish Civil War (including the priest-founder of Opus Dei) and Cristiada, a film about the persecution of the Catholic Church by the government of Mexico in the 1920s. And, also, a recent film by Emilio Estevez starring Martin Sheen called The Way, about a father who takes up the pilgrimage on Camino de Santiago, The Way of St. James, across northern Spain when his son dies there on the pilgrimage. I do not know the spiritual content or "message" of each film, but do suspect that they at least take faith very seriously. Many are wondering if they know The Way.
Recent Comments