An Irish cross
The Irish film Calvary, directed by John Michael McDonagh, is one of the most satisfying portrayals of Christianity and Christian ministry I’ve seen in a long time. Judging from his public comments, McDonagh is not all that interested in Christian theology, but he is a sure-footed storyteller.
The movie is about a priest in a town near Sligo whose people are mostly contemptuous of priests and the Catholic Church. They think the church is corrupt, its faith absurd, and its ministers fools if not child abusers.They rather delight in scoffing at Father James and pointing out how little influence he has. The local atheist doctor enjoys pointing to the suffering of the innocent and asking: So where is God?
Father James is wise enough to stay mostly silent in the face of such attacks. He knows there is no way to answer that kind of question from that kind of questioner. Occasionally he does toss the question back: Why does it bother you? In such exchanges, Father James is bracingly testy: he is a pastor to sinners, but he doesn’t pretend to like them anymore than they pretend to like him.
