TSUNAMI OF NEED RISING BENEATH THE PANDEMIC

COVER STORY—America’s more than 350,000 congregations are working overtime to serve families with a wave of new online inspirational offerings—as well as tangible help including new kinds of community service and food distribution. What no one is discussing, in the midst of this crisis, is the years-long impact of the pandemic on public health as well as the medical debts families will shoulder for many years.

That’s why David Finnegan-Hosey’s new book, Grace Is a Pre-Existing Condition—Faith, Systems, and Mental Healthcare—should be in the hands of clergy and small-group leaders in congregations nationwide, right now. There is not a more timely—and uniquely focused—book for congregations this spring. The book comes from our friends at Church Publishing, the publishing arm of the Episcopal Church.

Please, read our cover story this week and share it with friends. Every one of us can help spark this important national conversation.

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Remembering Motoko

MANY OF OUR READERS sent us heart-felt notes, this week, about the passing of Motoko Huthwaite (our cover story last week), including links to additional media coverage of her remarkable life. Among the most inspiring is this video report from the TODAY show, which includes images many of us had never seen before of Motoko’s early life. (Because it’s a network show, you will have to watch a short ad first, but it’s worth the wait.)

Motoko lived through World War II as a Japanese-American—living both in the U.S. and Japan during the war—and developed a deep commitment to peacemaking that spanned the rest of her life. She is most famous for serving, after the war, in the now-famous corps of Monuments Men and Monuments Women, specializing in recovering and restoring looted cultural treasures.

Missed this story last week? Here’s a direct link to last week’s tribute to Motoko—along with other links to stories about her life. And please remember our suggestion: You can honor Motoko by ordering a copy of Friendship & Faith, which benefits the women of WISDOM, a group she strongly supported.

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HELP FOR CAREGIVERS AND THOSE WHO GRIEVE

FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING offers a variety of books to help families coping with the burdens and the grief of the COVID-19 pandemic. Susan Stitt recommends and describes four books, including our Guide for Grief, Never Long Enough and Dying Well—plus the valuable Guide for Caregivers.

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Ramadan Ends

MUSLIMS WORLDWIDE FACE AN EID—
MINUS THE CELEBRATIONS

AN EID WITH NO CROWDS? In Muslim communities around the world, families are contemplating the unthinkable. No one alive today can recall an era when the celebration ending the Ramadan fast was all but cancelled. Of course, the intention of the celebration remains the same and will be observed in individual homes—but public gatherings define the Eid, so it feels as though the heart of the festivity is missing this year.

Thanks to our colleagues Stephanie Fenton—as well as Larbi Megari reporting from Algeria—we have a full story on the dramatic changes Muslim families are facing this week.

Care to see all of our Holidays & Festivals columns? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the address InterfaithHolidays.com

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Looking toward Washington

 

Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, we all respect Lincoln’s wisdom—and his articulation of American values. That’s why Lincoln scholar Duncan Newcomer writes: “Abraham Lincoln is the soul of America, calling us to our best as Americans.”

• THIS WEEK’s episode 7: Duncan Newcomer’s Abraham Lincoln Quiet Fire 7: Lincoln looks toward his spiritual hero, Washington
• ENJOY MORE LINCOLN RIGHT NOW—Get a copy of Duncan’s 30 Days with Abraham Lincoln—Quiet Fire. Each of the 30 stories in this book includes a link to listen to the original radio broadcasts. The book is available from Amazon. ALSO, you can order from Barnes & Noble.

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FAITH & FILM 

INSPIRING AND SIMPLY GOOD FUN—What did Jesus look like? Sacred images of Jesus grace churches worldwide, but millions of moviegoers picture Jesus from classic films. In his book Jesus Christ, Movie Star, Ed McNulty invites readers on an inspiring journey, meeting Jesus again through a dozen big-screen stories of Christianity’s founder. His book is available from Amazon, from Barnes & Noble—and also from our own bookstore.

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LIFT YOUR SPIRITS WITH STREAMING

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns are these 10 recommending videos available for streaming right now. 

1. REDISCOVERING ‘INSIGHT’—One of the great gems of classic TV was the Insight series produced by Paulist Productions. This week, Ed looks back at that remarkable and long-running series, which included a Who’s Who of top Hollywood talent. Through its 250 episodes, viewers saw performances by stars including Carroll O’Connor, Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, June Lockhart, Celeste Holm, Meg Tilly and Patty Duke. Best of all, Ed shares with us the YouTube link to enjoy many of these classic episodes.
2. PROLONGED EXPOSURE—Ed writes, “This film might seem slow moving by anyone who has been misled by the false posters that imply this is an action thriller. Mr. Thoms’ insightful script is more of a character study.” (4 out of 5 stars)
3. HALA—”Writer/director Minhal Baig brings us a very unusual version of the teenager coming of age story. Who has ever filmed this from the perspective of a 17-year-old Muslim girl, daughter of strict Pakistani parents who are only half acclimated to their new country? Although the pace of the film might try the patience of some viewers, it offers a rewarding time for those concerned about a young woman on the cusp of discovering her freedom.” (4 stars)
4. THE ELEPHANT QUEEN—”Documentary filmmakers Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone treat us to some of the most beautiful and intimate shots of African elephants ever made. Shot over a 4-year period in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park, the film focuses upon an extended family headed by the long-tusked Athena as she guides them in their quest for food and water.” (5 stars)
5. DICKINSON—”Those of us who enjoyed A Quiet Passion might well have mixed feelings about Alena Smith’s Apple TV+’s series Dickinson. The approach is very different from that of British filmmaker/writer Terence Davies in his 2016 biopic.”
6. In honor of Motoko Huthwaite’s passing: MONUMENTS MEN—Ed writes, “I love it when an old genre, such as the war film is revisited from a fresh perspective–such as this George Clooney WW 2 film.” NOTE: The Clooney production, based on a best-selling book, helped to make this remarkable team world famous—but the movie focuses only on the European theater. Motoko worked in the Pacific theater. (4 out of 5 stars; rents for streaming from Amazon for as low as $2.99; also available from Netflix’s DVD service.)
7. COME SEE THE PARADISE—Want to learn more about the wartime treatment of Japanese-Americans? Ed gave 5 stars to this 1990 feature. “Alan Parker’s film puts human faces on the dark, tragic era of American history when an entire people were uprooted and moved inland into concentration camps. (Streaming on Amazon)
8. A HIDDEN LIFE—Want to learn more about courageous peacemakers? “Terrence Malick raises important questions about faith and loyalty to one’s country versus loyalty to one’s conscience. And how do you know that you are right when most everyone else is of the opposite view? These are universal questions, applicable here today as well as in 1940s Europe.” (The Franz Jagerstatter story is streaming from Amazon; also from Netflix’s DVD service.)
9. TIGERTAIL—Ed writes, “The past is not something we leave behind, but, as long as we have memory, is always with us, inside our heads and hearts. Or so writer-director Alan Yang seems to be saying in the title of his remarkably acted story centering on a failed father-daughter relationship.” (4.5 out of 5 stars)
10. ALONE IN BERLIN—”Most WW 2 era films about resistance to Nazi tyranny are set in France, Poland, or some other occupied country, so Vincent Perez’s story of a middle-aged German couple becoming disillusioned with Hitler is most welcome. Based on Hans Fallada’s novel Jeder stirbt für sich allein (Every Man Dies Alone), it is a fictionalized version of what happened to the real-life Otto and Elise Hampel.” (4.5 stars)

 

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