Again, I know I've also said this before...So many people wonder why anyone would stick with the Catholic Church. There are so many serious problems with the institution. However, if you watch this film and follow the story of these nuns, you'll see the answer. Every once in a while, you get a reminder of what the church is actually supposed to be about..helping people, following Jesus' example, spreading the Good News!
This film comes at a major crossroads in the Catholic Church, and the nuns are everything that's right with the institution. They stand with the marginalized, and won't be bullied by the hierarchy. I feel a deep connection to the women featured in Radical Grace.
I'd love to get some of the super conservative priests I know to sit down and watch this film. These nuns are just so inspiring, with their example of giving and actually living the gospel message. The film traces three nuns as they go about their missions. It also follows the Vatican campaign against nuns in the U.S. This Vatican intervention was instigated by Pope John Paul 2 and his successor Pope Benedict. They reprimanded the nuns, charging them with "the promotion of radical feminist themes, incompatible with Catholic faith...focussing too heavily on promoting issues of social justice." Really? Can you focus too much on social justice? Are there so few problems?
There's a very powerful moment in the film. One of the sisters, Jean Hughes, who works with ex cons, says, "My goal is to try to love people as unconditionally as I can, so that they have that experience at least once in their life." It's one of the most holy things I have ever heard anyone say. The filmmakers follow up that simple, beautiful message with a quote from one of the Vatican bishops, looking to chastise the nuns. Among other things, he says, "The mission of the Church is to help people get to heaven...The goal is to be forever with God in his kingdom....The question is...Are you still religious, are you still nuns? Are you still Christian?"
And there you have it. Those two quotes pretty well sum up how I see the church today. There are folks who genuinely want to follow the spirit of Vatican 2, just follow the basic message of Christ. Many, like the nuns in this film, are in their 60's and 70's. They were around for Vatican 2 and they remember the promise of that time.
Then there is the institutional Church that wants to promote rules and regulations and thinks that pursuing an afterlife is way more important than how you live this life now. One of the nuns puts it this way, "They (the institutional church) have substituted rules for real spiritual leadership."
These nuns and many of us, see Pope Francis as a ray of hope. No, he's not perfect but he's a real breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, as someone told me, turning the institution of the Catholic church around is as difficult as turning a huge aircraft carrier around in the ocean. It can't be done all of a sudden.
If you don't catch it on CBC, go to the Radical Grace website and have a look. Spending a while watching even part of it, is probably among the holiest of ways to spend Holy Week. These strong, inspirational women and these filmmakers have given us a real Easter treat.
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