There aren’t many movies about the Eucharist. OK, there is the recently released documentary, Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, but as far as feature films go, you’d be hard pressed to find one that specifically addresses the Eucharist.
Yes, there have been cinematic depictions of the Mass, but they usually happen in the context of a story about a Catholic character. For example, there are films like The Sound of Music, Sister Act, Romero, Entertaining Angels, or On the Waterfront where a character may attend Mass, or even celebrate the Eucharist if he’s a priest, but the Eucharist is not the focus of the film.
There are also films which could be seen by faith audiences as symbolic representations of some aspects of the Eucharist. Some are “foodie” movies which lend themselves to a Eucharistic comparison such as Babette’s Feast, or The Big Night. But there are others, such as Of Gods and Men or Places in the Heart, which have scenes that could evoke reflection on the Eucharist.
In Eucharistic devotion, whether Mass or Eucharistic Adoration, we bring our whole lives before the Lord. What are movies other than the stories of life?
Let’s look at three aspects of Eucharistic devotion and the stories of life from film that reflect them.
First, the Eucharistic celebration, the Mass, is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, alive and in this moment made present to us, offered to God the Father on our behalf. We participate in Mass, not so much because the Church says we have to (with the Sunday obligation), but because we want to express our gratitude to God for everything he has done for us, especially for saving us in Jesus Christ.
Recently, I saw a film called Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot which moved me to express my gratitude to God. The movie is based on the true story of a small Baptist community in East Texas that adopted 77 children out of the local foster care system in the 1990’s. As I experienced the unfolding of the story, seeing the struggles the parents went through giving love to troubled kids, I felt so grateful because my own parents adopted when I was young and I couldn’t imagine my life without my adopted brother (although he was never in the foster system).
When I’m at Mass, part of my thanksgiving to God for our salvation in Christ is gratitude for my brother and his role in my family’s life. After seeing Sound of Hope, I also thank God for the Possum Trot community and the amazing love shown by all those parents who adopted in order to give those children a better life.
What film stories cause gratitude to bubble up in your heart?
Second, when we come before the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration, we bring our most authentic selves, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We don’t have to hide our failings and sinfulness from Jesus. We can pour out our most secret or dark thoughts and Jesus will still love us. A spiritual director once told me, “Just sit there and let Jesus love you.” It sounds easy but sometimes it’s not, especially when you’re acutely aware of how underserving you are of that love.
Arthur the King, a film that came out this past spring, tells the true story of an arrogant, selfish athlete who was taught to value others in a most unexpected way. As he and his team of adventure racers were competing in the Dominican Republic, a stray dog attached himself to the team. Taking care of the stray taught the athlete that caring is more important than winning. He was forced to take a good look at himself, admit his weakness and seek to change his life. Isn’t this one of the things we seek by uniting ourselves to Christ in Eucharistic Adoration?
Lastly, both in Mass and in Adoration, we bring the needs of the world before our God through intercessory prayer. Film stories showcase the best and worst of humanity. Have you ever experienced a film that led you directly to prayer? I remember watching Cry Freedom back in the late ‘80’s and immediately praying to God for all those suffering from the system of apartheid in South Africa. Last year’s Sound of Freedom had the same effect, sending me to my knees for those children who are victims of human trafficking and asking God for the conversion of the perpetrators of this sin against humanity. The recently released Cabrini had me praying for the immigrants of today and for the healing of social systems that do not respect the dignity of every human person.
You might notice that almost every film I’ve mentioned falls into the category of “based on a true story.” I suppose these are the easiest stories to relate to because some semblance of them actually happened to real people.
There are other genres, such as fantasy, science fiction, comedy, anime, romance, and so on that are fictitious and not based on true stories. In one way or another, these, too, tell stories of what it means to be human, even if the characters are not human themselves (just think of Trolls). If movies didn’t say something about humanity, then the audience wouldn’t have anything to relate to. No one would go to see them.
So next time you’re enjoying movie entertainment, ask yourself: what story of life is this movie telling? Let that story move you to express your gratitude, authenticity, or intercession as you participate at Mass and pray before our Eucharistic Lord in adoration.
