ON FAITH & MEDIA | Ladder 49 | American Catholic

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Ladder 49

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Source: Catholic News Service

Above average -- if overly sentimental -- action drama and paean to firefighters concerning a young fireman (Joaquin Phoenix) as he progresses over the years from rookie to seasoned professional, with the unusual feature of there being as much screen time devoted to his domestic life as to the "Towering Inferno"-like fire sequences, which are generally more enervating than truly exciting. Director Jay Russell's drama -- which also features John Travolta as the paternal fire chief -- boasts a solid, appealing and down-to-earth performance from Phoenix and an authentic-seeming portrait of firehouse life with middle-class workers (mostly Catholic, as it happens) that compensates for the more conventional aspects of the plot. A couple of instances of crude language, an implication of premarital sex and some intense firefighting scenes. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Felix of Cantalice: Felix was the first Capuchin Franciscan ever canonized. In fact, when he was born, the Capuchins did not yet exist as a distinct group within the Franciscans.
<p>Born of humble, God-fearing parents in the Rieti Valley, Felix worked as a farmhand and a shepherd until he was 28. He developed the habit of praying while he worked. </p><p>In 1543 he joined the Capuchins. When the guardian explained the hardships of that way of life, Felix answered: "Father, the austerity of your Order does not frighten me. I hope, with God’s help, to overcome all the difficulties which will arise from my own weakness." </p><p>Three years later Felix was assigned to the friary in Rome as its official beggar. Because he was a model of simplicity and charity, he edified many people during the 42 years he performed that service for his confreres. </p><p>As he made his rounds, he worked to convert hardened sinners and to feed the poor–as did his good friend, St. Philip Neri, who founded the Oratory, a community of priests serving the poor of Rome. When Felix wasn’t talking on his rounds, he was praying the rosary. The people named him "Brother Deo Gratias" (thanks be to God) because he was always using that blessing. </p><p>When Felix was an old man, his superior had to order him to wear sandals to protect his health. Around the same time a certain cardinal offered to suggest to Felix’s superiors that he be freed of begging so that he could devote more time to prayer. Felix talked the cardinal out of that idea. Felix was canonized in 1712.</p>

I think of all the women religious in the United States who touch countless lives, alleviate the suffering of so many, strive to offer a voice to the voiceless, remember the forgotten, care for those most in need, and focus their lives on the greater good of all God's people, without concern or regard for what they could receive in return.

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