Kathryn Lopez writes at National Review about David Gregory's memoir published last September. She notes that George Bush asked Gregory "How's your Faith."
She then writes about Bush's book "Decision Points" and how his Faith shaped his approach to his responsibilities and decisions. She notes:
You don’t have to agree with all his decisions to see that his faith was more than a “sense of comfort” and “safe harbor,” as Gregory had once described it in a question to a Republican presidential-primary candidate several cycles ago. It was, as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once described to me his own faith, “his North Star.” It guided and inspired and humbled Bush, giving him more strength and power than any elected office or esteemed position in the world.
She then discusses this current season, Advent, and how that question posed by Bush to Gregory is very apropos.
Her closing paragraph is very good:
I have to laugh as I look around and see Dunkin’ Donuts ads urging us to “share the joy.” I won’t deny that if you bring a dozen donuts to work on a Monday or Wednesday or any other day, you’ll bring some cheer, or at least a possibly needed sugar rush. But true joy — knowing there’s more than the current burdens and even love — transforms. So while Christmas shopping or holiday partying, take a moment to ask, “How’s your faith?” Does it mean something more than a calendar date or an obligation or a consoling ritual? Would anyone ever know it from the way we live?
Be sure to read her entire article.
The movie, Arrival, is a very good science fiction movie. It has received a number of favorable reviews ( National Review, Catholic News, The Federalist), but the one I found most interesting was not so much a review, as it was an analysis, by bishop Robert Barron.
He uses the plot of the movie to discuss the interpretation of Christian Scriptures. He writes:
But I would like to elaborate upon what this film says, at least implicitly, in regard to what we call divine revelation. One of the core convictions of the Christian faith is that God has spoken to his people, that a real communication has come from his transcendent realm and entered into our consciousness. Furthermore, believers hold, this communication is codified in the Bible, which, accordingly, is not one book among many, not one more human attempt to express our convictions about God, but rather, in a real sense, God’s word to us, God’s language, God’s speech.
When I wrote to my sister about this movie, I used the subject of the email to refer to the movie Aloha which starred Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone. Rachel McAdam's character's son (Mitchell) asks Cooper's character (Brian) "Are you the Arrival?" Mitchell is taken with Hawaii mythology and movie making.
I also thought it very interesting that all hell breaks lose in Arrival when the earthly interpreters think that the aliens are talking about a weapon. I was reminded of a line from the movie The Book of Eli. Gary Oldman's character (Carnegie) who is desperately searching for any copy of the Bible that may still exist says to his right hand man "It's not just a book, it's a weapon pointed at the heart of every man."
I highly recommend this movie, and reading bishop Barron's article.
You might also want to watch The Book of Eli, and Aloha.
