A Catholic movie everyone is loving.

Thanks to The Two Popes, I get to enjoy two things I love that don’t normally go together: a good movie and my Catholic faith.

You want credentials?

The Two Popes is rich in credentials and accolades.

• Winner for the Best Narrative Feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival
• Winner for U.S. Cinema at the Mill Valley Film Festival
• Winner for Best Narrative Film at Middleburg Film Festival
• Stars Academy Award Winner Anthony Hopkins and Golden Globe nominee Jonathan Pryce
• Directed by Academy Award Nominee Anthony McCarten

You want critics? Rotten Tomatoes rates it as 89 percent certified fresh. (If you’re unfamiliar with rottentomatoes.com, that’s a very good rating).

Check out the movie to see a beautifully shot and gripping story based on our two living popes: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

This is the coolest thing you’ll see for a long time.

Leah Darrow, a powerful Catholic speaker and former America’s Next Top Model contestant, took to her social media accounts last month to speak about the importance of life and the value of children.

AND SHE DID IT WHILE SHE WAS IN LABOR!

WOW!

In reaction to some recent pro-abortion remarks from a film actress, the wife/mother/speaker/author/former model shared a powerful video as she was in the early stages of labor, speaking to the world to emphasize that, “children do not keep us from our lives, but they make our lives better.”

Check out the full video on Leah’s Instagram: @Leah.Darrow

A new system could help you overcome sin.

Have you ever been frustrated with a particular vice that you couldn’t get rid of?

We all have something like that. I’m prone to thinking that if I just pray more, or if I just try harder, or if I just loved Jesus enough, then I’d finally get that sin figured out. And, while I often make progress, sin still finds a way to pull me back in.

I recently read a blog post that gave me a new way to think about that kind of situation. It’s not a religious post – in fact, the author is a marketing blogger – but it just goes to show that God can speak to us from anywhere.

I encourage you to read the post here: https://seths.blog/2018/11/quality-and-effort/but the main idea is this:

Maybe the problem isn’t that you don’t love God enough. Maybe the problem isn’t that you don’t care enough. Maybe the problem is the circumstances and systems that surround that sin. Maybe, if you can fix the circumstances and systems, then you can finally be rid of that pesky vice that just won’t seem to go away.

God’s always waiting to be found in the good, the true, the beautiful and the other cool stuff of everyday life. Keep on the lookout, and happy spelunking!

The Catholic Spelunker. noun.
1. a column specializing in curious exploration of fun stuff and Catholic geekery
2. a source of helpful tools and resources for living a great life
3. a bunch of stuff that Dominick Albano thinks is cool