Saturday, December 17, 2011

It's A Wonderful Life

My favorite Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.  This 1946 classic, I believe, portrays an essential element of the laity's call to universal holiness.

The movie chronicles the life of George Bailey as he faces a life crisis. While on the edge of contemplating suicide, George makes a simple prayer asking God to help. His prayer is answered in the form of an angel in training named Clarence. Clarence, through God's intervention, grants George the opportunity to see the lives of his friends and family if he had never lived. George gets to see how he impacted the lives of many people by simply being a caring and loving friend. These encounters make him realize that his life had meaning.

I believe this goes to the heart of what we, the lay faithful, are called to do in our everyday ordinary lives. We are called to live our lives as living examples of Christ's love (see Lumen gentium, Chapter 4). In this way others will know we are followers of Christ (John 13:35).

What's your favorite Christmas movie and why?  Enjoy the movie trailer below.

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