the magic of movies

A few months ago I discovered a life saver of sorts ... the local $4 movie theater. Keeping in mind that I live in the NYC metro area where movies are normally in the $10 range, this is a major find! As an added bonus, they seem to have some artsy movies in their repertoire. Last month I saw the Last King of Scotland and Amazing Grace there. It is nice to take an occasional break from the novitiate and spend a few hours in another world through the magic of movies. I find it does wonders for my sanity!

Today, I went with a few groovy sisters to see Miss Potter - the story of Beatrix Potter. The pair I went with were excited because they had visited the Lake District/Beatrix Potter land when they were visiting our English groovy sisters last year. I was excited because my movie boyfriend Ewan McGregor was one of the stars. (If you're wondering if nuns can have movie boyfriends, click here for further explanation). It was a delightful movie and everyone was happy!

Back to Amazing Grace - it is the story of William Wilberforce who has the "force" behind the movement to abolish the slave trade in England. It's a great movie, especially for those exploring the idea of vocation, and not necessarily in the religious vocation sense.

Two scenes from Amazing Grace that struck a cord with me:

Scene 1:William Wilberforce is praying outside in the garden when his butler happens upon him. I say William is praying, but really he is boyishly enjoying the wonders of nature and is embarrassed to be discovered. "Have you found God sir," asks the butler. "You could say that he has found me," replies William. Do you have any idea how inconvenient that is?"

Scene 2: William Wilberforce is struggling to discern whether God is calling him to the clergy & a solitary life or to become politically active. He is at a dinner party arranged especially by a friend who wants him to get involved in the movement to abolish slavery. One of the guests who is aware of his personal dilemmas says: "We understand you are a having problems deciding if you are to be doing the work of God or that of a political activist. We humbly suggest you can do both."

(By the way, my friend V told me that Ioan Gruffudd - who plays William Wilberforce - his her new movie boyfriend, replacing Colin Firth of Mr. Darcy fame)