Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary and Family Feature Friday: Wall-E
Today and tomorrow we celebrate two hearts, one of a son, the other his mother. Today is the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Tomorrow is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If you have not already checked out Fr. Anthony’s blog, click HERE; he shares information about the two hearts as well as the consecrations to both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Elementary Activities:
Sacred Heart of Jesus Tie-Dye Shirts
How to Draw the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Holy Hearts Banner
High School Activities:
Learn about the St. Margaret Mary and the vision of Jesus and his Sacred Heart HERE.
Reflect on the Readings for the Sacred Heart HERE and the Immaculate Heart of Mary HERE.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Playlist
Family Feature Friday: Wall-E
The movie for this Family Feature Friday is Wall-E. It is rated G and runs 1 hr and 38 min and can be rented/purchased HERE. It is a movie about robots trying to fulfill their purposes, they are all trying to help humanity in each of their own programmed ways. However, the movie anthropomorphizes the robots with feelings and wills, which means we should think of them as representative of humans with their full range of emotions for the purposes of the following questions.
Wall-E’s job is to clean the earth to make it habitable for human beings, but the task appears to be way more daunting and improbable for that lone robot to handle. However, he never gives up on his duty, even though it seems hopeless. Do we ever feel like giving up on our duties? Do we sometimes feel like everything we do doesn’t make a difference. How can we learn from Wall-E to fight those feelings? What benefits does Wall-E get for never giving up on his job?
The humans aboard the Axiom are portrayed as extremely lazy. They commission robots to do everything for them, even to clean the earth while they wait and merely exist in space. What negative effects does having every need attended to have on human beings? What happens to the humans who only interact with each other online even though they are only a few feet from each other? Are their lives healthy? Are their relationships healthy? What is the purpose of their existence just sitting in the chairs? Or are they called to be more than that? What does this say about how we should limit our time online on the internet, phone, or in video games.
What are the similarities to the story of Adam and Eve and this movie? Who/What is the snake? What did Adam and Eve have to do to the earth when they left Eden? (A: They had to work hard to till the land and feed themselves with the swear of their brow)
How are we called to be good stewards of the earth? God created earth for humans, so earth exists to serve us, but how can we abuse that gift? What did the humans do at the end of the movie to be good stewards? Did this give them more purpose than when they were in the spaceship?
Reflect on this Bible passage and how it relates to the movie:
He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate-bringing forth food from the earth. (Psalm 104:10-14)
6.Eve was at first repulsed by Wall-E’s shoddy appearance, but he slowly grows on her. What qualities did Wall-E have that made Eve look past his physical appearance? (A: from question 1, his dedication, determination, and perseverance; all virtues he gained by never giving up on his seemingly futile task).