When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one
of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the law?’
Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The
second resembles it: you must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two
commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’
Matthew
22:34-40
To the question: What must we do to love God, our neighbour,
and ourselves? The Baltimore Catechism (1941) advised: To love God, our
neighbour, and ourselves we must keep the commandments of God and of the
Church, and perform the spiritual and corporal
works of mercy. The chief corporal works
of mercy were (and are): to
feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to visit
the imprisoned; to shelter the homeless; to visit the sick; to bury the dead.
The chief spiritual works
of mercy were (and are): to admonish the sinner; to instruct the ignorant; to counsel the doubtful;
to comfort the sorrowful; to bear wrongs patiently; to forgive all injuries; to
pray for the living and the dead.
From the Catechism's point of view, obeying all the commandments and the prescribed laws of the Church and fulfilling the corporal and spiritual works of mercy is how we must love God, our neighbour and ourselves.
You
would also need an outstandingly strong self-esteem (since much of what is
required is totally selfless giving) and be extraordinarily mindful of others. And if you were able to fulfil all these then your
example would indeed be worth following. The problem that Jesus had with the
Scribes and Pharisees was that they made living a good life seem so difficult,
so miserable. They surrounded what seemed like common sense with so many rules
that it was almost impossible to live the ‘good life’ they proclaimed. The
Catechism's advice, though most admirable, lays before each of us a yoke to
place around our own necks.
There might well be
further pieces of good advice that you might add to the list of rules, laws and
commandments. Some of these you might have learned from your parents, teachers,
friends, books or just by being aware of yourself and others. There can be no
doubt that Jesus gets right into the heart of what makes a good life. It is by
loving others just as I love myself. The key here is, of course, knowing how to
love yourself. As parents we have our child’s self-esteem in our hands, we have
the capacity to build up resilience, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity
to teach them to love. It’s never too late. If we start here, I am convinced
that loving our neighbour and our God will flow.
Peter Douglas
Netflix is having a Catholic moment. Here’s your guide on what to
watch.
13 October 2017
In September it was announced—to a flurry of heart
emojis on America’s
Facebook page—that Netflix will be producing “The Pope,” an original feature
film starring Pope Francis’ doppelganger Jonathan Pryce (“Game of Thrones,” “Pirates of the Caribbean”),
with potentially Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict.
Although the announcement caused a stir, this is
not the first time Netflix has jumped on the Catholic bandwagon—it is not even
the first Pope Francis biopic the streaming service has made available to its
audience. “Call Me Francis,” first
released in Italy in 2015, follows the life of Jorge Bergoglio in his younger
years.
And it’s not just “the Francis effect”; Netflix has
a goldmine of content featuring Catholic characters and subjects. In 2017
Netflix released “The Keepers,” an
original true-crime documentary that explores the mysterious and tragic murder
of a religious sister in Baltimore nearly five decades ago; “Juana Inés,” about
the 17th-century Mexican nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (the so-called “first
feminist of the new world”); and “Father Brown,” a mystery series based on G. K.
Chesterton’s short stories.
America has compiled a list to help you find all the Catholic
entertainment you’ve been looking for but didn’t know was there. (Disclaimer:
Not all the content listed here takes its Catholic themes as seriously as
others.)
Biopics
“The Letters” ponders St. Mother
Teresa’s letters to her spiritual adviser, in which she describes her struggles
with her faith.
“Liberating a Continent: John Paul II
and the fall of Communism,” is a biographical documentary about St.
John Paul II and the role he played in resisting Communism in Poland and later
as pope.
“Juana Inés,” reviewed by America, is about
Catholic sister Juana Inés de la Cruz and her contributions to literature.
“Call Me Francis,” reviewed
by America, tells
the story of Pope Francis’ life before he was pope.
“Father Joseph” explores the
work of a priest working against great resistance to help people in poverty in
Haiti.
Shows about Priests (or Priests-in-training)
“Father Brown” is a British
television series about a crime-solving priest. G. K. Chesterton’s stories
served as inspiration for the show.
“The Church Men” is an
award-winning French series that takes place in a Capuchin seminary, following
the trials and tribulations of five different students.
Horror Movies
“The Craft” is a 1990s film
set at a Catholic school, where the new girl falls in a with a coven of
witches.
“The Rite,” starring Anthony
Hopkins, is a thriller about a priest attending exorcism training at the
Vatican.
“Hostage to the Devil”
follows a priest who illicitly performs exorcisms.
Catholic Comedies
"One Day At a Time," is
a Netflix reboot that has explored the central family’s Catholicism with
humor and sensitivity.
“Jim Gaffigan: Cinco” and “Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed” are one-hour specials
by one of the country’s favorite Catholic comedians, in which he talks about
raising five kids, exercise and weddings.
“Kathleen Madigan: Bothering Jesus” and
“Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again,” are one-hour
specials by Kathleen Madigan on her Irish-Catholic family, growing up in
Missouri and more.
Documentaries
“The Keepers,” reviewed
by America, is a
true-crime documentary investigating the unsolved murder of Sister Kathy, a
beloved teacher in 1960s Baltimore.
“Secrets of the Shroud”
investigates the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin.
“Tierra de Maria” is a
Spanish-language documentary about an antagonistic attorney who interviews
women about their relationships with the Virgin Mary.
“Marias: Faith in Womanhood”
is explores what the Virgin Mary means to women in Latin America.
Biblical Revisits
“Full of Grace” imagines
what Mary of Nazareth had to say to the disciples after Jesus’ death and
resurrection.
“Peter: the Redemption”
follows Peter’s early evangelization.
“The Bible” is a cinematic
portrayal of the Bible.
“Son of God” is the sequel
to “The Bible,” following the life of Jesus.
On the Sex Abuse Crisis
“Spotlight,” reviewed
by America, is an
Oscar-winning drama that tracks a team of investigative journalists as they
uncover the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in the 1990s. America also interviewed the film’s
director, Tom McCarthy.
“El Bosque de Karadima” is a
drama based on real life, following the victims of a priest convicted of sex
abuse crimes in Chile.
Historical Dramas
“Borgia” is a Netflix
original series about the Borgia family’s entanglements in the Vatican and
beyond during the Renaissance.
“The Borgias” provides yet
another take on the Catholic dynasty, and Jeremy Irons stars.
Coming of Age Catholic films
“Stations of the Cross”
tells the tale of Maria, who desperately wants to be a saint—and inflicts the
suffering she thinks sainthood entails upon herself.
“The Apostate” is about a
young man determined to renounce his Catholicism.
“Amar, Akbar and Tony” is a
comedic tale of friendship between a Sikh, a Muslim and a Catholic.
“Little Sister,” reviewed by America, tells
the story of a woman in training to become a Catholic nun. She has her faith
tested when she returns home to visit her brother, a veteran traumatized by the
Iraq war.
Eloise
Blondiau is a producer at America.
This article was first published in America
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