Posted on Thursday, September 27, 2018

251. Transforming Your Mass Experience with the TOB Lens Pt. 1

[NOTE: This two-part series of blog posts are excerpted from Christopher’s new book Word Made Flesh: A Companion to the Sunday Readings (Ave Maria Press). The book highlights the next liturgical cycle (C) beginning with Advent, and subsequent cycles will be released before Advent in 2019 and 2020. Order the book individually or at our exclusive 50% parish bulk discount here (US shipping only at this time). Order the e-book version here.]

Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, a word which is “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living” (St. Bernard). If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45).

—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 108

The sacred words of Scripture are, of course, critically important to our faith. “Still, the Christian faith is not a ‘religion of the book,’” as the Catechism insists (108). It is the religion of the Divine Word that “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14). Scripture, in fact, will remain a dead letter unless every word of it is read in view of the Word made flesh.

That is the purpose of the volume you now hold in your hands. Inspired by the scriptural vision St. John Paul II unfolded for us in his 129 Wednesday audiences from 1979 to 1984 that came to be known as the “Theology of the Body” (TOB), the brief, prayerful reflections on the Sunday readings in this book are intended to “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures” by reading them in light of “the Word which is incarnate and living.”

Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

COR THOUGHTS 273: Seeing the Gratuitous Beauty of the Human Body

In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus employs some extreme words to warn us of the seriousness of sin: “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna.” Modern adaptation: “If your iPhone causes you to sin, throw it away. If your laptop causes you to sin, get rid of it.” Yes, this is the seriousness with which we should seek purity of heart. But, let us also be clear on this point: If at first we must “pluck out our eyes” in our struggle against sin, “if we persevere in following Christ our Teacher,” says John Paul II, “we feel less and less burdened by the struggle against sin, and we enjoy more and more the divine light which pervades all creation.” In turn, this light affords “an ever greater awareness of the gratuitous beauty of the human body, of masculinity and femininity,” says John Paul II. “This is most important, because it allows us to escape from a situation of constant inner exposure to the risk of sin – even though, on this earth, the risk always remains present to some degree – so as to move with ever greater freedom within the whole created world [including in] our relations with … the opposite sex” (Memory and Identity, p. 29). Lord, give us eyes to see!

Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Are Friendships a Thing of the Past?

[Guest post by Hudson Byblow]

Recently, a female friend shared with me about her relationship with her friend who is of the same sex. Her words struck me to the core, especially in this over-isolated and over-sexualized culture. Here is what she said:

“I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with [name]. I care about her so much; we talk almost every day, we have a lot in common, and we genuinely care about each other. When I first met her, she was so beautiful and so cool that it really caught me off guard. I found myself really drawn to her and I really want to be her friend — strictly her friend — and at first, that scared me. I had to remind myself that it is okay to want to be around someone of the same sex, to be close to someone of the same sex, to be intimate friends with someone of the same sex. And that intimacy does not require sexual/romantic interaction (in thought or action). It just seems as though society has forgotten this.”

Again, her words echoed in my heart. Friendship. What does that even look like anymore?

Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2018

How the Theology of the Body Made Me a Better Filmmaker

Few filmmakers have captured the gaze of the male and female character relationship like this classic scene from “Casablanca.”

[Guest post by filmmaker Matt LaFont]

Movies are still considered to be one of the youngest art forms of storytelling. With the invention of the motion picture camera in the late 19th century and the evolution of the editorial process, films have entertained audiences all over the world for many years.

As one of the most labor-intensive art forms, filmmaking itself requires an enormous collaborative effort of many different talented artists who all contribute to the same goal of creating an entertaining story for people to experience.

The process at times can be stressful, but after immersing myself in St John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB) and working in the film industry for almost a decade, I’ve found my work more rewarding as it relates to the human experience. With the ups and downs of reality in my own life, it can be easy to connect with a compelling fictional story through beautiful images, a complementary score, and realistic sound design. Life’s biggest questions always seem to reveal themselves as the story unfolds, but during the creative process, you need to dig a lot deeper to find that story which awakens the sleepy heart. Even from my early childhood, I always sensed this was a career path I should take and JP2’s TOB constantly reaffirms this calling.

Art has the ability to engage the body through the senses with a variety of perspectives. The art of filmmaking has a unique way of taking someone’s mind away from reality for the duration of the film. Usually if someone responds to a film, it is because they engage their minds and hearts with certain characters of a story. Like any story, characters are usually faced with a conflict that needs to be resolved, and it is our job as filmmakers to guide the viewer throughout the journey of resolution.

In the cutting room, which is where the bulk of my work comes from, the editor must analyze the character’s inner soul through his or her body language in each shot, keeping the overall character arc consistent throughout the film. Observing these qualities of a character, which is a whole and complex human being, the editor can determine the emotional climax of any given scene. With my experience in editorial department, this careful examination is simply encountering the body and inner soul with a creative eye, and I feel the Theology of the Body has enhanced my craft as an editor.

My first glimpse of this “new way of seeing” was during my first feature-length documentary “Dog Man.” As the interview process began, it was hard to feel the full scope of emotion during the interview as everything was happening in real time. Once in the cutting room, I was allowed to play back and replay back what he or she said, hearing and seeing them laugh or cry again. Then it hit me… these are human persons who have intrinsic dignity, and it was my responsibility to show the truth regarding the things stirring in their hearts (since they permitted me to share their story in the first place). It wasn’t that I didn’t respect them during the interview, but that I was blind and did not truly see this dimension of their dignity as a human person. I had a deeper connection with them in a sense… not realizing that I was encountering God.

Almost like a interviewee in a documentary, the actor places a trust in the director’s vision as they work together to bring a character to life. It’s fair to say that most of Hollywood would not know anything about JP2 and his teachings, but you can’t deny that they are in touch with their inner desires as fallen and broken human beings. This is exactly why Christopher West uses movies to bring out themes of the Theology of the Body. You cannot separate the body from the soul, and during the actual filmmaking process, this is more evident than ever. I would argue that this is what makes or breaks a film. Just like a porn movie separates the soul from the body by allowing the indulgence of our desires with no limits, so too does the “so-called” Christian film (with good intentions) separates the body from the soul by forcing the Christian message in their art and only relying on the spiritual dimension of the human person. The fact is, God is already present in our art. God is present in His creation as He already speaks through us, through our bodies and through our souls.

Recently, I decided to answer God’s call to produce a narrative short film that is close to my heart. The story is about a man who discovers a beautiful woman expressing interest in meeting on his dating app. But after they meet, neither of them will see the other in the same way again. One of the greatest gifts you can give a person is a good and honest story. Stories can leave questions in a person’s heart… questions that awaken the desire for true love. In a world with so much sexual tension and confusion, it is hard to fathom how the healing process can begin. A simple short story can make people ponder life’s biggest questions without judging someone’s heart.

Please click the button below to learn more about the project and consider making a contribution (large or small) to help make this project a reality and possibly make an impact in today’s hungry world.

Click to Support Matt LaFont’s Short Film Project Connected

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matt lafont CROP

After completing his bachelors at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2010, Matt LaFont has been working at River Road Creative (rrc.la) for 8 years as an editor for title designer/filmmaker, Richie Adams. During his time at RRC, LaFont has traveled from L.A. to NYC on commercial projects, and even as far as France at the Festival de Cannes, where LaFont served as an on-location editor for filmmaker/talent interviews for client, Variety magazine. See Matt’s commercial reel and other highlights at his website MatthewLaFont.com.

Matt edited the feature length documentary, “Dog Man,” which the Times-Picayune cited as one of the top 10 films to watch at the 2015 New Orleans film festival. LaFont served as assistant editor for Adams’ acclaimed narrative feature, “Of Mind and Music,” and most recently was the co-editor with Adams of “American,” an award-winning short film starring George Takei about the internment of Japanese Americans in the U.S. during WWII. He continues to edit commercials, mini documentaries and title sequences for feature films. With vast experience in the cutting room, Matt is excited to make his directorial debut with “Connection,” a short film about the lost of the “original” union between human beings. Please support his project here. Check out his IMDB page here.

Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2018

COR THOUGHTS 272: Redirecting Our Passions Toward True Fulfillment

In this weekend’s second reading, Saint James asks his conflicted audience, “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?” Then he points to the root cause, the war within: “Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?” There is a war within the members of our body driven by the disordering of our passions that resulted from original sin. We see the good that we want to do, but we cannot carry it out. In his Letter to the Romans, Paul wonders who will rescue him from this awful situation. Then he cries out in thanksgiving to God for the gift of Jesus Christ (see Rom 7:15-25). Christ does not want us to repress our passions. He wants to help us redirect them toward infinite satisfaction. While it’s true that our passions often draw us toward vice, we become even more lost if we think the solution to this tendency is to annihilate them. As Saint Augustine is often quoted as saying, “He who is lost in his passion is less lost than he who has lost his passion.” Why? Because to lose our passions is to become a non-feeling, non-desiring automaton. The war within ceases not as we tyrannize our passions, but as we allow God’s grace to redirect them toward everything true, good, and beautiful.

The Cor Project

Category Archives: Blog

251. Transforming Your Mass Experience with the TOB Lens Pt. 1

COR THOUGHTS 273: Seeing the Gratuitous Beauty of the Human Body

Are Friendships a Thing of the Past?

How the Theology of the Body Made Me a Better Filmmaker

COR THOUGHTS 272: Redirecting Our Passions Toward True Fulfillment