WE MUST REMEMBER
COVER STORY—As this new weekly issue of ReadTheSpirit goes public on April 24, 2017, the day marks both Yom Hashoah and Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. As we say in our Cover Story this week, it’s tragic to find yet another global dispute sparked by deniers of the Armenian Genocide—this time involving dueling feature films, one of which tries to deny the scale of that World War I-era crime against humanity. To help with our collective call to remembrance—today, we recommend some films and books you may want to read and share with friends.
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HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS
The easiest way to remember Stephanie Fenton’s Holidays & Festivals section of our magazine is via the simplified address: www.InterfaithHolidays.org.
ACROSS INDIA—This week, make an investment, buy a bit of gold—or sip a cool cup of sugarcane juice—and you’ll be following customs associated with the festival known as Akshaya Tritiya.
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WELCOME THE LIGHT! Some of the biggest Beltane headlines, each year, come from Scotland and the fiery festival held for many years in Edinburgh. But Beltane festivals—welcoming the brighter half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere—now circle the globe. Stephanie Fenton has that story, too.
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RIDVAN—The festival of Ridvan recalls a sacred period when Baha’u’llah, the Promised One for Baha’is, entered and temporarily took up residence in the Najibiyyih Garden, in 1863. The site was renamed by Baha’u’llah as “Ridvan,” meaning “paradise.”
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CINCO DE MAYO—This popular May 5 observance is an occasion to revel in Mexican food, culture, dance and music. Many American schools and communities hold Mexican educational events, and iconic Mexican symbols—including the Virgin of Guadalupe—are displayed.
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OPENING BUTTERFLY WINGS
GOD SIGNS—In this week’s column, Suzy Farbman introduces Kim Cornetet, whose family encouraged her to spread acts of kindness. Eventually, Kim discovered that this goal had become the core of her life’s vocation. Recently, Kim was honored as a visionary by a national nonprofit that empowers girls—and, as a colorful symbol, she was given a set of butterfly wings. You may want to share this story with friends.
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FILM & FAITH:
Last chance on free movies!
ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work freely published at VisualParables.org.
Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with complete study guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.
IN APRIL, Ed is offering 5 free movies on DVD and/or Blu-ray to 5 men and women who either subscribe for a year or renew their existing annual subscription for another year (before April 30). Here’s how it works: As April ends, we will put the names of people who subscribed/renewed into a hat and draw 5 winners. Then, Ed will email the winners, in the order their names were drawn, and give them a choice of the free movies. There are some wonderful movies available! The list of 5 prizes starts with the thought-provoking Silence and includes the hit movie Arrival, as well. Click here to subscribe/renew and get in on this drawing.
Among Ed’s latest free movie reviews are:
- FRANTZ—Given this week’s theme in ReadTheSpirit, this heart-felt German-French production is a terrific choice—set in the World War I era and exploring the human cost of war long after the conflict ends. (5 out of 5 stars)
- PERSONAL SHOPPER—Starring Kristen Stewart, the movie seems to be a mix of genres, including ghost stories and thrillers. (4.5 stars)
- BORN IN CHINA—It’s appropriate that Disney engaged Chinese director Lu Chuan to helm this beautiful nature film, most of which was shot in the China highlands. (4 stars)
- AFTER THE STORM—Japanese director/writer Hirokazu Koreeda explores the broken life of a Japanese family in both a dramatic and humorous way, bringing out well the universal theme of not living up to one’s early promise. (5 stars)
- LAND of MINE—In his Oscar-nominated film, Danish director/writer Martin Zandvliet gives us a new slant on WW 2, as well as an always needed lesson on human decency. (5 out of 5 stars)
- LOGAN—The latest X-men thriller also gets 5 stars.
- ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE—Ed reflects on the Holocaust film along with excerpts from Psalms. (4.5 stars)
- WHITE HELMETS—”We are indebted to Netflix for making documentarian Orlando von Einsiedel’s short film so widely available,” Ed writes. (5 stars)
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