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randomuser
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Has anyone else seen the Roger Ebert documentary “Life Itself”? (It’s currently in limited release as well on-demand and on iTunes.) There’s something very “Catholic” about a movie that goes to extraordinary lengths to show Ebert in his hospital bed getting treated for his throat cancer. “Secular” society would say, “No, you can’t show that - stick with video of Ebert when he was healthier,” but isn’t a lot of this reflective of Pope John Paul II’s statements on suffering? And, more specifically, reflective of a Catholic outlook?
“And Christ, through His own salvific suffering, is very much present in every human suffering, and can act from within that suffering by the powers of His Spirit of truth, His consoling spirit.”
~Salvifici Doloris- On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering- Pope John Paul II-1984
Whether or not you liked Ebert or any of the movies he praised, I would highly recommend “Life Itself” because it really does put suffering front and center for a good portion of the movie. I rarely, if ever, see that in a movie anymore - particularly in a movie about movies. If Ebert had been raised Protestant, not Catholic, it’s doubtful the hospital-room footage would have even made it to the movie.
“And Christ, through His own salvific suffering, is very much present in every human suffering, and can act from within that suffering by the powers of His Spirit of truth, His consoling spirit.”
~Salvifici Doloris- On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering- Pope John Paul II-1984
Whether or not you liked Ebert or any of the movies he praised, I would highly recommend “Life Itself” because it really does put suffering front and center for a good portion of the movie. I rarely, if ever, see that in a movie anymore - particularly in a movie about movies. If Ebert had been raised Protestant, not Catholic, it’s doubtful the hospital-room footage would have even made it to the movie.