ENTERTAINING ANGELS

 

FOUR STARS - Inspirational

 

 

       How does a young, idealistic, intelligent and talented woman find a cause worthy of her abilities?  Is it to be found in the women’s movement?  In political agendas?  In investigative journalism?  In sexual relationships?  In motherhood?

       Or is she created for such a far greater purpose than any of these that only a transcendent purpose is great enough to challenge and fulfill her?

       Perhaps the greatest danger of our existence is the choosing as our life work a task too insignificant to satisfy our souls.  The emptiness and boredom which then defines our lives is unbearable.

       And yet, we all rightly perceive that the greatest causes are so difficult that to even attempt them means that, by definition, we are transcending our own ability and strength.  Few have the courage to answer such a call.

       “Entertaining Angels” is a biography of one woman who had the courage to answer the call. 

       The true story of the life of Dorothy Day (Moira Kelly), “Entertaining Angels” takes her life from age 20 to 40 during the time in which she was struggling with questions of her purpose in life.

       Beginning as an idealistic journalist whose passion for life propelled her into a multitude of political causes, Dorothy’s journey begins in the pampered wealth of a New England heritage.

       Surrounded by the intelligencia of her 1917 educated comrades, in her own words she explains:  “I was looking to live abundantly, but had no idea how to go about it.”

       As she herself fought for women’s suffrage, the plight of the poor and a career in journalism,  her friends were turning to communism, bohemianism and hedonism.  But in all their struggles, they were like small vessels bouncing aimlessly along on the waves.

       In her struggle to find her way, Dorothy becomes pregnant with a man who clearly proclaims that he makes no commitments.  He talks her into an abortion and then literally leaves her abandonded on the door step.

       In the angst which follows, Dorothy must begin to come to grips not only with the emptiness of her life and now her womb, but also with the vacancy in her soul.

       Retreating to a cottage on the Atlantic seashore, Dorothy meets two people who profoundly clarify the choices of her future.  She first meets a disarmingly handsome man who clearly proclaims that he expects nothing from her, nor does he promise to give anything in return.

       She also meets a nun who, in simple example of Christ’s love, has taken in four homeless people and is sharing her food and make-shift shelter behind the church.

       Both the man and the nun have an alluring charm. 

       The man is a lover.  The call of her soul to find love reaches out to this man and invites him into her heart and bed.

       The nun is a lover as well, but of a different sort.  Committed to Jesus Christ, a cheerful giver to others, the nun’s example softly speaks to the transcendent longing of Dorothy’s heart.  Due to her example of Jesus’ giving love and acceptance, Dorothy quietly opens herself to Jesus, saying: “You sure sneak up on a person.” 

       When Dorothy discovers that she is pregnant, and wants to have the child, her no-promises, live-for-today lover stays.  But when she wants to get married, the man disappears with the common cry:  “I will not be caged!”

       It is in that moment that a turn in Dorothy’s journey takes place.  It is a turn which is only the beginning of a powerful pilgrimage of faith at a level equal to her passion and her abilities.

       Baptizing her daughter and being baptized herself, Dorothy returns to New York City and is soon befriended by a remarkable man named Peter (Martin Sheen).

       Peter, in a simplicity which often is dismissed as impractical fanaticism, compels Dorothy to respond to the calling of her soul for the needs of the poor.  However this time, she acts on faith with the words, love and power of Jesus Christ.

       Beginning the “Catholic Worker,” a political and spiritual newspaper which today resources over 100 homes for the poor, Dorothy’s life transcended any smaller purpose she may have chosen.

       Although the path of following God proved to be far greater than her resources and she continued to learn the lesson of trusting in God, “Entertaining Angels” is a film which every person, young or old ,will find as a challenge to live out a life of active faith.