The Stoning of Soraya M.

I just watched Steve McEveety being interviewed by Raymond Arroyo on The World Over this morning. They were discussing about a movie he produced that is receiving a lot of positive reviews. It is entitled, "The Stoning of Soraya M.," and it is about a woman named Zahra who talks to a journalist about the heart-rending tale of her niece, Soraya and the cruel circumstances surrounding her death the day before. Soraya, the condemned woman, was innocent of the charges of adultery brought against her by her husband to get rid of her so he could marry a 14 year old girl.

It is a very powerful movie that tackles the precarious situation of women in the muslim world, the abuse of authority, the misuse of religion and the lack of respect for human rights. The movie was 2nd runner-up to Slumdog Millionaire in last year's Toronto International Film Festival and will open in select theatres on June 26.

The film is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and stars Shohreh Aghdashloo (Zahra), Mozhan Marno (Soraya), Navid Negahban (Ali), David Diaan (Ebrahim), Parviz Sayyad (Hashem) and Jim Caviezel (Freidoune Sahebjam).

I really hope I could watch this film at least on DVD.

Secularization of the Church

In a homily during the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Pope said that, "Today there arises the risk of a serpentine secularization even within the Church, which can convert into a formal and empty Eucharistic worship, in celebrations lacking this participation from the heart that is expressed in veneration and respect for the liturgy."

How very true. Catholics all over have no idea of what the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is. There are those who think that it is not at all that different with the services of the other sects. In our church, it is quite fortunate for me to belong to the choir because if I end up sitting at the back during Holy Mass, I would not be able to hear the Priest because of the cacophony of noises from people who lack reverence for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.

I sometimes wonder if Our Lord is really there in the Blessed Sacrament? The majority of those who hear Mass seem to believe that He is not there because of the way they dress, and the way they behave.

I think what we need here is for Priests and laity to take the helm and educate the faithful on the tenets of our faith. I have heard a lot of stories of Catholics leaving the church for all the wrong reasons. If there is a strong emphasis on catechesis in all our parishes then it is only a matter of time before our glorious faith is restored and Catholics sticking to the Magisterium.