Man in the Iron Mask 

[This is the culmination of the film.  King Louie XVI (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a terrible king, and the 3 musketeers have tried to replace the king with this twin brother Philippe (Leonardo DiCaprio), the man in the iron mask.  D'Artagnan, the man who saves Philippe, is their father.]

This scene is so moving for me.  D'Artagnan is this man who seems always to be caught in the middle of warring parties even though he is trying to do the right thing.  D'Artagnan is the father of both Philippe, and Louis.  He wants to have the brothers not fight, and not harm one of another.  He views reconciliation, and the nobility of character far above revenge or hate.  D'Artagnan did what all father's should do lay down their life for the sake of their children.  

The love that D'Artagnan has is shown again by the fact that he is laying their dying he takes the time to instruct his son, Philippe about what is the right thing to do.  You should not raise your hand against your brother to kill him even if your brother would do the same.  He wants his son to be a good man, both of them.  

We have problems in our society today because people do not take the time to be good fathers as D'Artagnan was to his sons.  He we need men to step and be the father that they are called by God to be.  

New in Town

[Lucy (Renee Zellweger) is a big shot executive from Miami visiting a small Minnesota town to try and shut down a factory.  She is having dinner at one of the local workers houses.  Ted (Harry Connick Jr.) is one of her main antagonists during the process.]

Don't you just love those tense dinners?  Hopefully your thanksgiving is not like this.  None the less though this brings up an interesting perspective.  Is Ted right, or is Lucy right in this conversation?  Are there good things about living in the city?  Are there good things about strong successful women? Or is it Ted's argument, do women sell their body as sex objects?  Or is Miami (big town) filled with drug lords? 

I would like to propose that both have something to learn.  It is good that we support living in the city, and successful women.  The question is what is the end goal of that success.  What is the measure for success?  Is it money? fame?  Or is it something that is when we are away from the crowds, away from the business?  Can we look at ourselves in the mirror and be happy with who is looking back at us?  Lucy needs to understand that it is not good for a woman to be successful at the expense of her dignity. 

Ted needs to learn that just as much as he feels that he is being prejudged, he is doing the same thing to where Lucy comes from.  So the take always from this clip is that we have to remind ourselves what success is, but more importantly that we need to be open to new worlds, and perspectives.  We need to be careful not to be hypocrites, and cast ourselves with the same measuring stick.  

Black Hawk Down

[Eversmann (Josh Hartnett) and Hoot (Eric Bana) have just come back from Mogadishu, Somali to base having been pinned down in the field for over a day.]

First thank you for all those who have served in our military.  Thank you for the sacrifice, and those that are made by your family. 

After having experienced real horrible things out there Hoot decides to go back out.  Why?  The simple answer that he gives is the men beside you.  This is the point of our faith, this is why we do what we do, because of a Presence.  It is because when we look at the person in the gutter, or sitting on the side of building, or somebody suffering from depression, or loneliness we seem somebody like us.  We notice that person needs saving, and if we are in the position to offer something it is our obligation to do something.  Life is about looking at our fellow man and being moved with compassion for him, since we have been cared for by Him. 

It is the fact that we are loved first that motivates us to follow Him.  The amazing thing that a lot of people forget is that the times that we are most moved in our faith it is usually at the hands of a person, or somebody being the instrument through which God reaches down and plays this beautiful music to us reminding us that their is hope, and that life has meaning.  That is why I love that this clip ends with hope: Hoot reminds Eversmann that it is a new week.  Hoot is alive and ready to embrace that life that is new everyday and that we are given this day for a purpose.  

D2: The Mighty Ducks

[This is team usa (comprised mainly of the mighty ducks) of the junior good will games in between the 2nd and 3rd period.]

This is the Church.  Imagine and think of the Church as a team, and in this example as a hockey team.  They are gathered from all different parts of the US.  Notice how each individual person's origin does not detract from the whole.  We are Catholic, we are an overarching family, but we have different origins and gifts to offer.  Not everyone on the team can be a goalie, or a winger.  

The coach, Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), tells them to be who they are.  Bombay reminds them that we are unique and who we are is good.  "We're not bullies, not goons..."  and that we are not.  We are not to spread the Gospel by bullying people, or bashing them over the head with the truth.  We convert people by how we love them.  It is how we play the game, and how we treat the others on our team that attracts people to the faith.  

And lastly it shows the best thing about the Church, the Church succeeds most when she is under persecution.  People might be claiming to discount us, or the sky may be dark ahead, but "ducks fly together."  We shall never fail, it was a promise made to Peter from the Lord Himself that the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  

Law Abiding Citizen

[Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is on trial for killing two men.  Nick Cannon (Jamie Foxx) had represented Clyde in a case about 10 years ago. It is a very connected plot, but that should suffice.]

This is an interesting movie to say the least. It really does talk about justice, and personal responsibility for the choices we make (it is violent and has language issues).  The reason I posted this clip is about how the argument goes in this court of law.  I find it very interesting that citing one case, and using a little bit of logic Clyde was about to be let go.  The judge changes her opinion at the faulty logic that Clyde gives.  

How often do we listen to an argument made by people arguing against the Truth, and we go along with it?  Clyde brings up the point, that apparently he just killed two men, and the judge would be willing to let him go?  That is bizarre.  Think about justice in sense of providing for the common good, and defending what we know to be right.  So often I have heard, whether in debates on TV or YouTube, or high school classrooms, or even parishes that just because somebody gives a seemingly logical argument for something contrary to the truth, we fall back to you have to go on faith.  

Our faith is logical.  It is not something that we take on blind obedience.  We are asked to take faith on evidence.  The beginning of an disagreement needs to make sure that you are on the same footing.  Are you arguing from the same assumptions?  In this case that a murderer is a potential threat to the good of society, and that for safety precautions should be detained until the case could be decided one way or another.  Does your logic come from the reasons and evidences presented in reality or are your own skewed perspective?  We have to be ready to except reality for what it is rather than us forcing our views upon it.  

The Family Man

[Jack (Nick Cage) has suggested moving into the City and having all the rich things that he had in his old life.  Jack is married to Kate (Tia Leoni).]

Is it naive of Kate to want that?  I don't think it was too much to ask for, but the point I want to show in this clip is the power of love, true love.  True love, since our notion of love is so muddled by people's varying definitions.  When I say true love I mean St. Thomas Aquinas definition, "to love is to will the good of another."  Kate wills the good of her husband Jack.  She is willing to sacrifice her joys, her dreams for the sake of her beloved.  

She does not just throw her dreams away though, she holds on to truth.  She asks Jack, "if you really need this..." to see his commitment to the decision at hand.  Kate is not asking Jack to ignore himself, but asking what does he really need.  In essence, is this something that will make you happy?  This is exactly the kind of love that God looks at us with us.  He has this dream for us, this beautiful, full picture.  We so often tell God though that we need something other than this beautiful relationship full of life and happiness.  And just as Kate does in this clip, God says "if you really need this...because I choose us."  God chooses us and will follow us because He loves us.  The direction of this relationship believe it or not is left up to us.  We decide if we follow His dreams, His wants, or if we will pursue our own selfish desires.  

How often do we think God is naive in His wishes?  I ask you today to consider what God is asking of your relationship?  Spend some time mulling it over, think about what He wants out of the relationship?  Dialogue with the person who chooses you so much that He is willing to die on the cross to let you have your way. 

Saved

[Mary a girl at a christian high school has gotten pregnant, and has stopped being as involved as she once was, so her friends try an intervention.]

How often have we been Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore)?  We think we know what is best for our friends.  We think we know love because we can quote Scripture in and out, or that we follow all the rules.  When we become this kind of Christian we are being the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. We think that it is about following rules, or about being in the Father's house and toeing the line.  But we forget that God wants our hearts, not just our rule following.

Now I am not encouraging people to break the rules, but ask yourself why are you following the rules?  Are you following the rules so that you can be better than somebody else?  Do we use the Bible as a weapon to put others down?  "Stop judging, that you may not be judged." Mt. 7:1  Why is is that we judge so often?  We almost think that the people who go to hell are those that I am compared to.  We constantly want to put a sliding scale for Jesus to judge us, "well I'm not as bad as that guy" or "I am just as good as that girl."  God does not judge us according to others, but rather according to what has been allotted to us, and according to His Divine justice.  The beauty though is that we must realize that we all fall short.  We all have sins, and we cannot make it on our own.  This is why Pope Francis stated in an interview "who am I to judge?"  I struggle with sins, and so do you whether you admit it or not.  

There is a reason why Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, they recognized their sin, their lack, their NEED for a savior.  It is the Pharisees and Sadducees that did not need a savior.  If you don't want help, how can anyone help you?  If you don't think you are ever sick, will you ever go to a doctor?  No.  Hilary Faye doesn't think their is anything wrong in her life, so she seeks to bring her friend Mary back to her perception of good and evil.  Hilary Faye doesn't know love because "If I speak in human and angelic tongues...And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains...If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." 1 Cor. 13:1-3

Bruce Almighty

[Bruce (Jim Carrey) had had the powers of God (Morgan Freeman), and despite all the power he could not make Grace, the woman he loves, love him. So God after a whole lot of mess is asking him to pray.]

I like showing this clip for two reasons.  First being Bruce shows us what it is to pray.  Prayer is meant to be about what moves us.  As God asks Bruce, what do you really care about?  God wants us to be happy, and he wants us to share with him what is on our heart.  He wants to here all of what it is...even if it ain't that pretty.  He can take it.

And second is Bruce shows what love is.  Love is willing the good of another.  Love requires sacrifice.   How can you claim you love something if when the rubber hits the road you put yourself in front of the beloved.  The whole point of falling in love, and loving another is that you will their good above your own.  This takes all sorts of different twists and turns in our life.  Sometimes the best, and loving thing that we can do for someone is to take ourselves out of the picture.  And even though often it is painful, love puts you at peace because you know it is the right thing to do.