Suddenly, I don’t want an image of blue veils,
lowered eyes and folded hands anymore !
I want an image of Mary that is alive and dynamic…
I want an image of the woman going to the village well
with the other women, a water-jar on her head,
attentive to each one who needed someone to talk to.
If you are looking for a good Christmas movie, go to see “The Man Who Invented Christmas.” This is a new way of approaching that great Christmas classic “A Christmas Carol.” Dan Stevens (Matthew in “Downton Abbey) plays a Charles Dickens coping with writer's block, a growing family and mounting expenses. The film focuses on the working of the novelist's creative imagination as his characters come to life and move the story (and its author) toward kindness, forgiveness and reconciliation. Christopher Plummer is certainly the best Scrooge since the wonderful 1951 performance by Alistair Sim.
I was at our TAVDA (Toronto Archdiocese Vocation Directors Association) meeting here in Toronto. A questionnaire directed to young people is being widely circulated. Pope Francis is asking to hear from Catholic youth. It takes about 40 minutes to respond – some students do it online, right on their phone. Here is the link http://survey-synod2018.glauco.it/limesurvey/index.php/147718 Click on language to get to English. We heard that students approached seem generally positive and willing to participate. For any of us who have student contacts, this is an invitation to encourage involvement.