By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. on February 26th, 2018

The Oscars: Family Reflection Video

I was happy to celebrate the Mass for the movie director of It’s a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, You Can’t Take It with You, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

“How much wrong we do to God and his grace when we speak of sins being punished by his judgment before we speak of their being forgiven by his mercy. We have to put mercy before judgment, and in any event God’s judgment will always be in the light of his mercy.” – Pope Francis, opening the Door of Mercy for the Jubilee Year of Mercy

I hope you found Frank Capra’s narrative of receiving the Eucharist impactful and emotional as I did. This compassion and joy is also unmistakable in his movies, highly recommended for your family’s viewing.

Listen to the narrative again in the video clip with your family and talk about it. Are there any words or phrases that Mr. Capra uses that really catch your attention and help describe this awesome experience? For example, “… lifted out of my shoes”!

I pray for your family. May you grow even more merciful and compassionate together, filled with joy and good humor!

For additional reading: Judging Others, Luke 6:36-38. Learn more about Frank Capra.

About Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C. (Father Willy), a native of Old Town, Maine, is the eighth of 12 children. He joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College in 1967 and a master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He served in ministry at Stonehill College (1979-1992), Holy Cross leadership (1994-2000), National Director of Family Theater Productions, Hollywood (2000-2014), and President of Holy Cross Family Ministries (2014-2022). In addition to English, he is conversant in French and Spanish. He remains a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, even though he has served as Chaplain for the Los Angeles Dodgers.