Apparently, most people are watching a lot more media during this lockdown. Some of it is harmless diversion, other content is harmful to one’s soul. I know that I have often confessed “wasting time watching TV.” My spiritual director told me there was nothing wrong with watching a little TV for amusement / relaxation. But still, I know I need to moderate this.

I want to share with you four titles that are high quality media and also formative of our life in Christ. The first is a streaming episodic portrayal of the life of Christ called Chosen. I was hesitant to watch it because I have been disappointed by many cinematic portrayals of the Lord. With the exception of Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ, video Jesus often is off; too dramatic, too stilted. In Chosen, I felt I was seeing the Jesus I have encountered in Scripture and in prayer. The series creates a rich tapestry of the time and place, the struggles and joys, and the ordinary day-to-day life of people in first century Capernaum. It also delves deep (in the first three episodes) into the imagined back stories of Mary Magdalene, Matthew, Nicodemus, and the brothers Simon and Andrew.

The next three titles are all available for free on FORMED.org which, as a member of the parish, you can access for free. The first of these is an Italian language film Padre Pio: Miracle Man. This long film immerses you in the life of Padre Pio, the extraordinary 20th century mystic. It matches everything I’ve ever read about the saint. The cinematography is stunning and the portrayal of the faith is authentic.

Joan of Arc, the 1999 TV mini-series, portrays the dramatic story of the young maiden of France who changed the course of her nation’s history and who was unjustly put to death by Church authorities. She is the only female saint who led armies into battle. The quality of this production leaves something to be desired, but it is definitely worth the time.

Finally, FORMED has Ignatius of Loyola, a recent movie about the founder of the Jesuits, his journey from a seeker of vainglory to a seeker of the greater glory of God. It is very well done. I especially like how it shows the development of the key features of Ignatian spirituality which have been so important for my life. For example, it shows how Ignatius used imaginative prayer to enter into and interact with scenes from the lives of Jesus and the saints. You can watch a trailer here.

I hope you watch, enjoy, and find these as edifying as I did.