The Method

In today’s world, we are bombarded with opportunities for entertainment everywhere we go. We are surrounded by images, sounds, and moments of brilliance, and we are told to carry on without even a moment of reflection. We have forgotten what the Catechism says is the natural vocation of art: “evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God.” This is a call to accept the challenge put forward by Bishop Barron to let the beauty of artistic expression lure us toward the good and the true.

To begin to view the entertainment industry through the lens of the Gospel, we must first dedicate ourselves to the Scriptures. Within the Bible is contained the greatest story ever told, the model by which all other stories must be compared. The great narratives throughout the pages, especially in the Old Testament, are often the foundation for today’s stories, and our knowledge of these themes will enhance our appreciation of art. 

Along with the Scriptures is devotion to the specific content of Acts 2:42: “the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” It is through these pillars that we will find our formation. There is a difference between formation and inspiration and we should look to the entertainment industry purely for the latter. As we are pierced by art, it serves as inspiration for formation: for deeper intellectual development, greater friendship, greater zeal for the Sacraments, and deeper intimacy with our Lord in prayer. That said, we should carefully consider which stories we let inspire us.

Philippians 4:8 states, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." There is a battle for our hearts, minds, and souls raging while on this earth, and we must not give the enemy an easy way in. We must enjoy art not as fans, but as doctors, carefully peeling back the outer layers to pinpoint the true, good, and beautiful.

To be good doctors, we must do the research: watch the trailer and read the reviews. To the best of our ability, answer questions such as the following: Will this content lift my soul to the divine? Will it have me rooting for sin? Does it seem to depict the true, good, and beautiful? And, if the work appears worthy on the surface, but later shows itself to make a spectacle of sin, flee. 

Pope Saint John Paul II tells us we must also not be afraid to see within art “the darkest depths of the human soul” and “the most unsettling aspects of evil.” These are often necessary in order to give voice to the universal desire for redemption. If sin manifests in the arts for this reason, it is fair to say it is serving its rightly ordered purpose. Still, it will always come down to prudence to decide if a certain form of entertainment will serve to bring us closer to our Lord or merely arouse our passions and rob us of our innocence.

And speaking of prudence, consuming hours and hours of content a day is almost never prudent. Our reason for diving into another world must be a pure one. It should not be to simply escape reality or to delay that which we ought to be doing. If it is, there are more important matters at hand. If it’s not, then enjoy the show. Let the narrative be a getaway and also an inspiration. Pay attention to those moments that transcend mere entertainment and truly have an impact. 

As the curtain closes, do not be afraid of the silence. It’s ok to just be, to sit arrested by the divine. Use that natural desire for stillness in these moments to reflect on what you just experienced. Use the ache in your chest as a reminder that you are not yet where you are supposed to be because you are not yet in heaven. Do not ignore the heart screaming within you, begging you to acknowledge its pain and asking you to investigate. Your experience of entertainment shouldn’t stop the second it ends. Art offers us a momentary escape from reality so that we may be thrust back into it with a more keen sense of the greatness for which we were made. So, chew on the implications it could have in your life. Use it as inspiration for prayer. 

The Lord can reveal Himself to us through the media, and when He does, share it. We are called to divinize the secular world. Evangelization through the entertainment industry is an effective way to do this. Someone may not be willing to go to Church, but may be willing to listen if shown the divine within the context of a beloved story. Show people that any story they have ever loved is a reflection of the greatest story ever told by the greatest storyteller there has ever been. The infinite longing to take part in the life of the Trinity is written on the hearts of all humanity, and great stories provoke and agitate this desire. We must simply prompt them to question and encourage them to respond. After all, we were made to be more than entertained.