When the kids and I made a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette for Mass, Reconciliation and a visit to the Doors of Mercy there, I learned that the shrine would be hosting Mercy in the Family movie and discussion nights once a month.
What a fun idea! I thought, and put the first movie night on our family calendar.
Unfortunately, about an hour before the kids and I were to leave to go to LaSalette, I took a fall that left me in too much pain to drive. So, we had to skip the movie.
My children were disappointed that they'd miss participating in the first Mercy in the Family film night with friends, but they also understood that they had a perfect opportunity to exercise virtues. Mama was hurt. They could offer up their disappointment, nurse Mom a bit, and make the most of the night together at home.
That is exactly what we did.
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We also ordered Willy Wonka from our local library website. Our hold on the film came in within a day, so we were able to watch and discuss the film tonight as a family.
After enjoying the movie, with some pointers sent from the priest at the shrine, we discussed:
- what we liked about the film
- which characters we connected with and which we did not
- how Charlie's family was quite poor, but also quite filled with love
- how Charlie was not demanding like the other children
- how Charlie and Grandpa Joe lived in hope
- what virtues and vices Charlie, the other children, and Willy Wonka had
- which qualities we have that might bring us closer to one day inheriting the "Kingdom of God" and which ones we still need to work on
- why we think God wants us to inherit His Kingdom
Our discussion proved a fruitful one that I never would have thought of having after watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory if it were not for the folks at LaSalette Shrine. We've been blessed by their ideas, and, I pray, you are likewise blessed by me sharing their ideas forward.
If you're in the area, please consider supporting LaSalette Shrine's Mercy on the Family film series by stopping by to join in. You can find up-to-date information about dates and times by joining their Facebook page.
If you're not in the area, perhaps you can glean basic ideas from the poster I shared a photo of at the beginning of this post. As you may note, it lists each film the shrine plans to show along with the beatitude that they will be connecting to the film through discussion
I would love to hear how you connect faith ideas to feature films and pray that this idea brings your family fun and faith discussion.
