Book Review: "The Bible's Best Love Stories"

"The Bible's Best Love Stories"
by Allan F. Wright
Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press

When one mentions love stories, I’d be willing to bet that the first thing that comes to mind is not the Bible. One tends to think of romantic movies or novels. Perhaps one might think of couples one knows whose love stands out in the crowd. Yet, God is the author of love and the Bible, as the word of God, is a wonderful place to look for examples of love and role models for our own relationships. In “The Bible’s Best Love Stories,” Allan F. Wright examines some of the very human love stories contained in the pages of scripture. These stories do not show an idealistic portrayal of love. Rather they show the full range of deep emotions and all the challenges along the way. Wright does not only study the portrayal of romantic relationships, but also the love of good friends and familial relationships.

Wright begins his examination, as one might expect, with the relationship between Adam and Eve, “the world’s first lovers.” Before the first sin, they had the beauty of the ideal relationship; it was a union of the whole person – body and soul. They loved each other as God loved them. But then, they thought they knew better than God and sin came into the world. Their relationship, which had been so perfect, now was one of shame and blame. Things would never be the same for them, or us, again. We will come up short, yet we are all called to still strive for that original self-giving love that existed before sin.

Wright then turns his attention to other famous pairs of the Old Testament: Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Abigail and David, Tobiah and Sarah, and the unnamed lovers in the “Song of Solomon.” He also explores the familial love of Joseph and his brothers and Ruth and Naomi and the bonds of friendship that existed between David and Jonathan. The New Testament features fewer romantic relationships, but Wright looks at Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, and Priscilla and Aquila. Some of Jesus’ friendships are highlighted, such as those with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, as well as his bond with Peter. His relationship with the “sinful woman’ is also examined. The relationship between Saint Paul and Barnabas, and that which existed among Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John are also looked at. While some of these stories are relatively familiar, Wright looks at them with fresh eyes, pointing out things we may have missed in the relationships and holding up certain aspects for special attention.

The Bible illustrates all the different types of love. It shows that loving anyone will require commitment and sacrifice. There is no such thing as an easy love, although some days will certainly be easier than others. Love will sometimes need to be waited for, but trust in God is paramount. Wright has done a beautiful job portraying these stories with understanding and wisdom. For each story, he offers a prayer, a relevant quote, reflection questions, and an idea for putting love into action in one’s own life. These additions help make this book ideal for a bible study or for private reflection.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Bible's Best Love Stories

Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

Movie Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

I reviewed the novel here. When I heard it was going to be a movie, I wondered how the story would be handled. There's a lot of jumping around and changes in point-of-view, switching from Henry to Clare and back again. How would a movie audience not become confused?

Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin did an excellent job. The movie begins with young Henry DeTamble in the car with his mother, an opera singer, on a fateful Christmas Eve, when Henry discovers his ability to move through time. An older Henry (Eric Bana) meets him at the side of the road, bringing a blanket, and reassuring young Henry that, although this experience is strange, it will be okay.

Flash forward several years. A young student, Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams), needs a book in the Collections section. She is referred to the librarian, whom she recognizes as Henry. However, Henry hasn't met her yet, so he's confused. Over dinner, Clare explains how she knows Henry from her childhood. And why his time-traveling doesn't surprise her.

It does surprise the boyfriend of her roommate, however. Gomez (Ron Livingston) is very protective of Clare. When he sees Henry fighting in alley while wearing a pink ruffled top and cutoff shorts, he has a few questions. He has a few more when Henry breaks into a surplus store and when Henry disappears. Gomez tries to tell Clare, but, of course, she knows all about Henry's traveling.

Henry's travel causes several awkward moments, especially since he seems to "travel" during times of stress. His traveling has also created a rift with his father (Arliss Howard), who wants to know why Henry can't prevent his mother's death. And, apparently, time traveling is genetic. Clare has several miscarriages as the developing fetus "travels" out of her uterus. (Why this didn't happen with Henry--or where his time travel gene came from--is never explained, which bugs me a bit.)

The emotions and relationships among the characters are well done and realistic, especially when Henry and Clare deal with the miscarriages. There is one, almost obligatory, slam against Clare's father who is "a Republican and he hunts." Of course, the fact that this particular Republican paid for Clare to study art in college is never mentioned. Ignore that and the miscarriage/gene plot hole and enjoy the movie.

The ending, although different from the book, is poignant and satisfactory.

There are some sex scenes which are more sensual than sex. When Henry time travels, he arrives nude, but these are also tastefully done. There is one phrase ("Oh, sh..!") that recurs, but usually in situations where I'd say the same thing. It's rated PG-13, which seems appropriate, but I don't think many younger teens would enjoy it.

I made Hubs take me to this movie. To quote him, "This is a chick flick a guy can enjoy!" There's the science fiction element, it's not mushy, and there is some action--Henry is definitely not a beta male.

On the March Hare scale: 4.5 out of 5 Golden Tickets

Crossposted at The Mad Tea Party

Book Review: Your Personal Apostolate

Your Personal Apostolate: Accepting and Sharing the Love of God
by Michele Elena Bondi
Rochester, MI: Joseph Karl Publishing, 2009



“Your Personal Apostolate: Accepting and Sharing the Love of God” is a small book that packs a big punch. Walking in the footsteps of St. Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Michele Elena Bondi explores what it means to “accept, return, and share God’s Love.”

Bondi is a mother, writer, and clinical psychologist. Her words are full of insight and wisdom. She combines words from scripture and the saints as well as reflections on her own personal (and sometimes painful) experience to offer testimony to the great Love of God. She acknowledges that all three aspects: accepting God’s love, returning God’s love, and sharing God’s love can be very challenging at times. At the conclusion of each chapter, she offers questions that can be used for personal reflection or in a group setting. This book would be a wonderful resource for a Bible Study or prayer group. I heartily recommend it.

Here are some powerful quotes from “Your Personal Apostolate” to offer some food for thought and personal reflection:

“How crucial it is to remember not to discard our faith when we need God the most! We must persevere and not abandon Him during trials, for He remains with us and He has important plans for us. . . We must remember that God knows and sees things that we do not.”

“The members of the Holy Family were obedient, though doing what God asked did not always make sense to them. They were obedient when the outcomes of their efforts were not guaranteed in advance.”

“Handing one’s life over to God completely is not always easy or comfortable. In fact, it can be downright frightening. However, it is crucial to our relationship with Him, to our sanctification, and to our life’s work.”

“God wants us to ask for healing and also embrace repentance and forgiveness so we can share in His great ministry of love. God is always ready and available to heal us, so ask God to mend the wounds you have acquired during your life.”

“Ordinary work is made extraordinary with the power of God’s love.”

For more information, please visit http://www.godisatworkinyou.com/


Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http//spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

Movie Review: Marley & Me

Ostensibly, Marley & Me is about the world's worst dog. In reality, it's about family and love.

John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan are newlyweds. Jen has their life together all planned: moved somewhere warm, get jobs, buy a house. When a houseplant dies, Jen complains, "How am I supposed to take care of a kid when I can't take care of a stupid plant?", John realizes what Jen's next "step" is. He discusses this with his bachelor friend and colleague, Sebastian, who recommends getting a puppy. So John takes Jen off to a breeder where they get a "Clearance Sale" puppy--Marley.

Marley turns out to have a few quirks. He eats anything and everything. He's afraid of thunderstorms. He has nearly unlimited energy and an unconquerable will. He is untrainable. And he loves John and Jen unconditionally.

And they love Marley, despite all the chaos he brings to their lives.

John is offered a chance to write a twice weekly column. Initially, he's reluctant to accept it because he sees himself as a reporter. But the offer includes a raise, so he takes the assignment. His first column is about Marley. His editor (Alan Arkin) reads it and, perfectly deadpan, says, "This is hilarious. I'm laughing my ass off here."

Eventually, John and Jen decide to have a baby. Jen announces she's pregnant at the same time John's colleague, Sebastian, is offered a chance to go to the Middle East--and he wants to bring John along. John has to make a real choice here: career versus family.

And then Jen has a miscarriage.

John doesn't know what to do. But Marley does.

The Grogans do have children eventually and Jen has choices to make as well. Although Marley doesn't treat the children as chew toys, he's still pretty incorrigible and Jen becomes overwhelmed with it all. John is feeling the stress as well: he's the sole breadwinner and his column is now running five days a week. A decision--a serious one--has to be made about Marley and his place in the family. John and Jen also have to make a decision about their future as well.

Because the movie is based on the real-life experiences of the actual John Grogan, many of the scenes hit home for Hubs and me. The conversations John and Jen had were conversations that we've had, albeit with wittier lines. Their relationship with their kids, as well as the relationship of the kids with Marley, rang true. Despite the comedy, this movie does not sugar-coat the sacrifices each partner makes so that marriage and family life works.

The ending is predictable but not overly sentimental. The parents acted like adults, not hiding the facts of life from their children but helping them cope with the inevitable.

Bring tissues.

This movie is rated PG but I wouldn't bring young children (although there were some in the audience), mostly because the emotional undertones might be overwhelming. There is some swearing, a couple of implied sex scenes between John and Jen (hey--they're married, right?), one implied nude scene (again, it's John and Jen in the privacy of their own backyard). DD#2 (who is 15) enjoyed the movie, although she didn't always laugh at the same parts Hubs and I did. On the way home we talked about the dogs in our family, especially our current dog who broke through a closed window as a puppy--twice--and was notorious for chewing stuffed toys and underwear. (Fortunately, old age has mellowed her. She is currently sleeping on the couch next to me.)

The casting, by the way, is superb. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play off each other well. They look like real people who have lived real lives. They're sweet and goofy and serious when they should be. Alan Arkin plays John's unsentimental editor who pushes him to grow into adulthood. Kathleen Turner has a great cameo as the obedience school trainer. Eric Dane is Sebastian, the eternal bachelor and the life John Grogan could have had. Sebastian could be a sleaze, but he's not. The actors who play the Grogan kids are not precocious or overly adorable.

Kudos also to the animal trainers and handlers as well as the dogs who played Marley at different ages. Having a dog misbehave on cue is no small feat!

On the March Hare scale: 5 out of 5 Golden Tickets. An especially good "date night" movie for us old married couples who have raised a dog and a kid or two.

crossposted at The Mad Tea Party

The Bucket List: Movie Review

Hubs was up for a movie and I was ready to see something other than the four walls of the family room, so off we went to the local cineplex. Just our luck: The Bucket List was playing. Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, how could this be a bad choice?

And it wasn't. Mr. Nicholson plays Edward Cole, a self-made multi-millionaire who, by his own admission, is better at work than at marriage. One of his specialties is taking over bankrupt community hospitals and turning them around--including eliminating private rooms. So when he needs to be admitted, he ends up sharing a room with one Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman). Carter is a mechanic who is a history buff. In fact, he wanted to become a history professor, except that his wife became pregnant and being young and black, he took the first good-paying job he could find and abandoned his dream. He's been married to the same woman for 45 years, has two sons and a daughter in college. And he's been through chemotherapy before. He's now on experimental treatment.

Edward wants a private room, but his assistant, Thomas (played very well by Sean Hayes), reminds him of his public pronouncements about the same. So Edward and Carter develop a friendship, born of proximity and their common struggle against cancer. Carter notices that Edward's only visitor is Thomas. Edward notices that Carter can't seem to ever find his doctor, and so tells his doctor (played by Rob Morrow) to take over Carter's care as well. The news for Carter is not good.

Carter has begun to write a list, called "The Bucket List," based on an exercise originally from his freshman philosophy professor. Once he receives his prognosis, he throws the list away. Edward retrieves it and convinces Carter that this is a great idea; they should do this together. Edward has money enough and isn't particularly anxious to have people hover around watching him die. Carter reluctantly agrees, although his wife is not at all supportive. (I wouldn't be either, if my husband went traveling around the globe and didn't take me!)

During their journey, secrets are shared. Carter confesses that once the children had left the house and it was just himself and his wife, he wondered if he still loved her. Edward confesses that he has a daughter, from whom he is estranged and eventually tells Carter how the estrangement came about. They discuss faith: Carter has it; Edward doesn't. On top of one of the pyramids in Egypt, Carter talks about the two questions the ancient Egyptians believed they would be asked after death: Did you have joy in your life? Did you bring joy to another?

In Hong Kong, Carter is faced with a choice and realizes what is important to him. And, eventually, so does Edward.

The ending is perfect.

Nicholson, of course, excels at playing the cantankerous old man. Sean Hayes, as Edward's assistant, is no mere milquetoast, however, and gives as good as he gets. Edward seems to appreciate that.

There is some mild language, an implied sexual encounter, and some frank talk about sex and bodily functions, so the PG-13 label is deserved. Both DD#2 and DS#2 saw it (DD#2 with us; DS#2 with friends) and while they probably didn't appreciate some of the "black" humor like Hubs and I did, they enjoyed the movie. Facing death is approached positively, and the message that we can control our attitude if not our circumstances is a positive one. As is the fact that Carter and his wife have been married for 45 years and she is the only woman he has ever "had."

On a personal note, Carter's youngest daughter was a "surprise," a reference which made me nudge DD#2 (our own personal "surprise") and made her smile. Also, one of the items on the list is "Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world" and I cried when Edward crossed that off the list.

Other funny moments: skydiving and driving the Mustang Shelby.

I only hope I meet someone with deep pockets when I'm ready to make up my own "Bucket List." :)

Seriously, this movie provides a way for families to discuss death and what they would like to accomplish in their lives. Especially for those of us with older parents, the movie makes a case for mending fences and for Not Waiting Until the Right Time. There is no Right Time. If you can, do it now. And this movie makes the point rather quietly and with humor, rather than pounding A Message over your head.

On the March Hare Scale: 4.5 out of 5 Golden Bookmarks. I'm classifying this as a "Pro-Life" film because it is--pro-life to the very end, rather than "I'm dying, so put me out of my misery." I think positive "End of Life" messages are as important these days as positive "Beginning of Life."

Emily's Hope: A Pro-life Love Story

Emily’s Hope
Author: Ellen Gable
Full Quiver Publishing, June 1, 2005
Paperback: 360 pages

Emily's Hope is an engaging love story and a young Catholic woman’s search for the truth as she travels the difficult journey from adolescence to adulthood in the late seventies through the present day. It also depicts the story of another woman’s journey, that of Emily’s great-grandmother, who appears to be the antithesis of Emily. While Emily is an innocent, unselfish, religious young woman who seeks the truth in life and love, and discovers their real meaning via Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, her great – grandmother, journeying through the early part of the 20th century to the 1960’s, abused as a child, raised without religion, married to a man she doesn’t love, haphazardly enters into one affair after another, and embraces Margaret Sanger’s philosophy. The two stories are craftfully interwoven, creating a delightful suspense for the reader.

The target audience for Emily’s Hope is clearly the young adult, aged 16 – 30, though men and women of all ages would enjoy this compelling personal story which is written in a lucid, intimate style. Young women will most certainly be drawn into the story by the romance and the lively escapades of adolescence and adulthood presented, and at the same time, will learn about the Catholic teachings regarding sexuality and marriage.

What I found most interesting about this semi- fictitious story based on the real life experiences of the author was the relationship that Emily shares with her boyfriend, who later becomes her husband. A young, Catholic man (at the peak of his sexual drive), strongly grounded in his faith, he convinces Emily, the older, and slightly more “worldly” woman, of the importance of chastity and abstinence. He is an excellent model for male youth today – someone for them to emulate in their struggles with chastity.

There is so much to love about Emily’s Hope – the innocence of young love, the beautiful, miraculous, healing power of love, and the beauty of sacrificial married love and its life-giving splendor. The story is not a fantasy, but is a tender and sensitive portrayal of what makes love real and lasting.

My rating: ***** out of a possible 5 stars.

~ Jean M. Heimann, Copyright, 2006

Crossposted at Catholic Fire.