Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen Best this month
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Barbara Sukowa stars as Hildegard von Bingen in Vision.
This drama, directed by Margarethe von Trotta, focuses on the life of the multitalented abbess and founder of a Benedictine reli- gious community who lived 800 years ago. She was a teacher and preacher; a composer, poet and artist; an herbalist and pharmacist; and recipient of God-sent visions with insights about the Bible and the natural world. Yet it is only recently, thanks to the rising tide of interest in women’s spirituality, that her story has become known. This soul-stirring drama is carried by the immensely gifted actress Barbara Sukowa in the role of von Bingen. Shot in the medieval cloisters of the German countryside, the film uses music written by von Bingen as part of the score. Her story illustrates how we might respond to God’s communications with us, how we can live a creative life and stay connected to nature, all while honoring the mysteries of life. See this film and let von Bingen’s energy and spirit open your heart to fresh possibilities (Zeitgeist Films,
www.Zeitgeistfilms.com).
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
Interrupting Chicken
In this zany tale for children ages 4 through 8, a
little red chicken is ready for her bedtime story. Her father warns her not to
interrupt, but she persists in her habit of mak- ing comments and stopping the flow of the story. So her father suggests that she read a story to him. The chicken is surprised by his response.
This children’s book by David Ezra Stein is a
The Brussats pub- lish the website www. SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
2011 Caldecott Medal Honor Book, and it’s easy to see why with its lovable father-daughter inter- action, its humorous take on the chicken’s aver- sion to sleep, and her father’s patience with his offspring’s creative storytelling (Candle- wick Press, www.
Candlewick.com).
42 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
The spiritual journey of believers has two parts, writes Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Contemplation and Action, Albuquerque, N.M. During the first half of life, we create a container for our identity. We establish our security, boundaries and a minimum of order. In the second half, we work on our pride and prejudices, leave our comfort zone and venture into the unknown, live with a both/and per- spective, and become a generative person. These elements of spiritual maturity don’t come without encounters with pain, doubt, loneliness, failure and loss. And they don’t happen overnight.
Rohr concludes with a revised picture of old age: “Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues and letting go of our physical life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling can largely be expe- rienced as falling upward and onward into a broader and deeper world, where the soul has found its fullness, is finally connected to the whole, and lives inside the Big Picture” (Jossey-Bass,
www.josseybass.com).
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