A Christmas Carol

I wrap up this year’s tribute to Christmas carols with a nod to a carol of another kind. The film, The Man Who Invented Christmas, relates Charles Dickens’ struggles in creating his classic, A Christmas Carol. And while I take exception to the title (Dickens did not invent Christmas and I suspect he’d find the title alarming), it’s all I take exception to. Daniel Stevens as Dickens shows us a man struggling: to deny his childhood traumas; to escape disreputable relatives; to provide for his wife and children; and to find something worth writing. Justin Edwards, as Forster, shows us why Charles so trusted his good-hearted agent. And Jonathan Pryce, as Charles’ father, is both endearing and disturbing.

The cinematography and scripting mesmerize. Fixtures and personalities from Dickens’ life weave themselves into his emerging story, giving viewers a glimpse into the writing life. Dickensian costumes of all kinds abound, depicting stitch by stitch the chasm between upper and lower classes. Pair that with the streets of London: from Dickens’ upscale neighborhood to the squalor of his childhood home, and you have social commentary paired with story magic.

And then there’s Christopher Plummer as Scrooge: sardonic, cold, cruel—and absolutely perfect.

Our family saw The Man Who Invented Christmas at a second-run theater. I don’t know why the film didn’t get a wider release. It’s family friendly holiday fare and explores the creation of one of our most beloved Christmas stories. What’s not to love?

When The Man Who Invented Christmas is available on DVD or streams on your online service, I hope you’ll give it a view. It’s now a cherished part of our family’s holiday festivities and just might delight your next holiday as well.

Happy 2018. And God bless us, every one!

 

Holy Week Spiritual Practice: Releasing Idols

When God Walks Away: A Dark Night Companion

Each day of Holy Week, I will post spiritual practices from my book, When God Walks Away. The book (pictured) likens the dark-night journey to the events of Holy Week. Since engaging with art can be a spiritual practice, you will notice references to music, films, and visual artworks in addition to more traditional forms of spiritual discipline.

I hope these practices provide nourishing soul food as you make your way toward Easter.

Books:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Who in this book did not have cause to rethink themselves? Austen, in her lighthearted but sharply satirical style, invites us to think again about what—and whom—we idolize. (The BBC miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth is an excellent adaptation of Austen’s book.)

Sabbath by Wayne Muller: A needful read for anyone (like me!) who equates work for God with love of God. Its short chapters and hands-on spiritual practices make a pragmatic as well as a thoughtful read.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: Hmmmm…what would you say Scrooge idolized? And if he were sent, Marley-style, to my chambers, what word would he have for me?

Film:

Footloose directed by Herbert Ross, Chocolat directed by Lasse Hallström, and Babette’s Feast directed by Gabriel Axel: Each film begins with the expected—a status-quo churchology embodied in Footloose’s grieving pastor and father, in Chocolat’s repressive mayor, and, in Babette’s Feast’s sisters who divinized their stern father. Ironically, the “pagans” in the films (Ren, Vianne and Babette) free the “professional Christians” to enjoy the Christ adventure.

Endurance Exercises:

Basket List: Turn a journal (a spiral notebook will serve) into your wonderings basket. Write down your theological questions and ask Jesus’ guidance about them. In a year’s time, look back on your “Basket List” and see where your wonderings led.

Life Mission Statement: After a season of discernment (see the “Ignatian Discernment Exercise” in Appendix K), craft a statement for your life that defines your highest value and how you wish to live daily in the world. Let the statement be less about doing and more about being.

Music:

“Things We Leave Behind” by Michael Card: What the mystics call detachment, Card describes through gospel stories. Card’s real-world theology calls it straight: it costs to let go, and freedom is worth any cost.

“Hi-De-Ho That Old Sweet Roll” by Blood, Sweat & Tears: Who can resist heaven described as “an old sweet roll”? The song explores the cost of living too much for the adoration of others and a freeing confrontation with the devil.

“Desperado” by the Eagles: Here’s some old West, card playin’ spirituality set to a tune that weeps. Is it a coincidence that desperado sounds so much like desperate?

Visual Art:

Milo of Crotona by Pierre Puget*: A mesmerizing, disturbing statue about a troubling, terrifying myth. Milo was so taken with his own strength that he tried to uproot a tree bare-handed, got his arm stuck, and was eaten alive by a lion. Let us hope our idols do not lead us to such desperate ends (bad pun intended!).

* Find this artwork in your neighborhood or Internet library.

Our Business

A job test. Passed. A job interview. Seemed to go well.

“We’ll let you know in six weeks or less.”

Six weeks later the hopeful applicant sends a carefully worded “checking on the status of my application” email.

“We should decide no later than the end of next week,” is the response.

End of next week. No word. Then, on Saturday, a form letter: “We have filled all available positions.”

The sad thing about this story is that I don’t need to convince most readers this actually happened to someone. The scenario is far too familiar: someone with a job, attendant paycheck, and the ability to buy groceries treats job seekers like lower forms of life. Why? Does trodding on the downtrodden feed a sick sense of power? Does such behavior stem from a lack of imagination: the inability to stand in another’s shoes? Or is it cowardice: hiding behind protocols to shield oneself from legal ramifications or simply from an uncomfortable interchange?

Whatever the cause, such treatment is unjust. A job seeker  left in limbo for weeks on end deserves a phone call or, at the very least, a personal email. Whatever discomfort the bearer of the bad news feels is nothing compared to what is experienced by the receiver. Especially when the receiver is treated like just one more mundane task to check off a to-do list.

Everyone of us gets rejected. The how of that rejection can make the difference between temporary bewilderment and permanent self destruction. If we must reject, let us do so with humanity.

“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,’ faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.

Business!’ cried the Ghost, writing its hands again. “Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forebearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” ~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol