At work I recently overheard a conversation about faith, or lack thereof. One person was an ex-Catholic who was very proud of their lack of faith. You could tell by the person's mannerisms, their certainty of spiritual uncertainty, the force in their voice. The other person in the conversation was a parent who's child was starting to ask questions about God. The parent is married to a spouse who's Catholic but the parent, in their own words, "is nothing" when it comes to faith.
As I listened to their conversation, getting more and more offended because of my own personal beliefs, I kept imploring the Holy Spirit to tell me what to say or what to do, but my emotions were getting the best of me, so the Holy Spirit had me say nothing. It was very frustrating.
Afterwards I thought about two things. The actor in me immediately started a self evaluation. What was it about their conversation that was getting me so mad? When they were dismissing Catholicism I felt as if they were dismissing a part of me. Plus, I was offended that they would have such a discussion in an open office without taking into consideration that others around them may have faith and even be Catholic.
The second thing I realized is that these two people reveled in their own importance. By dismissing organized religion, even though the ex-Catholic was baptized, received first communion, confirmation and was even an altar server, they were somehow elevating themselves above God. They bolstered their superiority about not needing organized religion and spouted some inaccurate comments about the Crusades.
I really wanted to say something, but instead felt called to simply pray for them. Their souls are at stake and they don't even know it.
The parent has a great and wonderful opportunity to enlighten their child about God and Jesus, yet is completely ill equipped to do so and has no real interest in trying. I wonder, on our judgment day, how we will be held accountable for our children's faith. And the ex-Catholic has fashioned strong legs to support their belief in their own disbelief and proudly stands on those legs in divine defiance.
The saddest part is that these are two very nice people who have confused being nice with being holy. And, what is even sadder, is that I hear more and more of these conversations from people.
In the end I simply thank God for the gift of time.
When I look back at where I was 10 years ago in regards to my faith, I cannot believe what I felt was appropriate then compared to what I feel is acceptable now. I am so much more aware of my actions, my sins and my failings... not in some morbid sense of guilt, but in the constant focus for spiritual improvement.
I hope there is enough time in these co-worker's lives to find their faith.
When I see a world so blatantly and openly faithless I can only ask God to help our children. And, most of all, be with those who have lost their faith or their way. As Jesus said, He is the light of the world. If only more people would realized just what a darkened life they truly lead.
LaBeouf is one of those rare, inventive, talented and natural actors that is believable in just about anything he does. He plays a variety of emotions, from new teen romance to the loss of a family member to suspicion to humor to fear... all without a single false note. The newcomer Roemer is spot on as the beautiful and flirtatious Ashley, who's both strong and troubled. Her interplay with LaBeouf is great Hollywood teen love at its best.
A special nod goes to Morse who is able to be both charming and scary at the same time. Since we, like Kale, are unsure of Mr. Turner's guilt or innocence, in every scene Morse has to achieve both potential guilt and innocence by his mannerisms and inflections, not giving away one way or another if he is indeed a bad person. You are both intimidated and empathetic with the man who simple likes his privacy.
Directed by D.J. Caruso, Disturbia is a very successful teen suspense thriller with strong, layered characters, real life teen angst and the unfortunate outcomes one might face when we interject ourselves into other peoples lives. Check it out. It's a good, fun flick.
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