As the Founder of St. Therese’s Vision for Disability Giftedness I have a new film recommendation: “Awakennings” that has been a favorite from my youth going quite a while back to my early teenage years.  This is truly an example as since it is based on a true story demonstrates the old cliché statement that truth is often stranger, and I will add more remarkable than fiction.

    Here is a very brief plot summary for you: A socially awkward doctor played marvellously by Robin Williams gets a job in a neurology unit working with patients in a “catatonic” state.  To the surprise of everyone he discovers not only that these individuals are very much “alive inside”, but perhaps there is a way to bring them out, or “awaken” them. One of these individuals, played by the Oscar nominated Robert Deniro, really shows us how we are screaming inside to appreciate life and see its value.  Although this film is not specifically faith based, it certainly points us to the deepest part of ourselves, that broken place that God wants to reach into!

    This film brings many emotions to me, one that reminds me of the love I have for my own mother who tragically passed away in 2009 and her love and devotion for me. Indeed, it’s probably not a coincidence that I am typing this on the Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary, the patron saint of the country which is of my mom’s cultural heritage.  The scene in this film that brings this feeling to its high point is actually very similar to the scene where Christ runs to His Mother in the Passion of the Christ in some respects. Without giving away spoilers, I will mention that the scene does concern the role of the main character “awakened” in the film whose mother has all but given up hope in her love and devotion to her son.

    So, the love between a mother and a son, what does it say to us? Well, in our fallen world life would not be so tragic, if there was not a true Beauty which brings meaning to our lives, even if it seems that we are in forever search for it.  This same “awakened” character also searched for a new love interest in the film, to the consternation of his mother, and it bizarrely reminded me of how I have felt both with my mother and in my pursuit of any romantic interests in my own life, so much so that I sense God speaking to me directly through this film.  

    Indeed, the lessons both the remarkable doctor and this patient, the 2 main characters in this film, have helped me to learn is not to take life for granted and to see God’s gifts in all the fine details, regardless of how heartbreaking the circumstances can be.  Perhaps the conclusion of this film leaves us with some painful unanswered questions although I will refrain from spoilers. I will simply remark here that such questions truly show us as believers in Christ that our only true longing can be fully satisfied in eternity!

    For me personally the aging process has not been easy for me. Technically I have just left my young adult years and yet I feel emotionally trapped like I am in a time capsule of my heart desperately wanting to keep my youth.  Since the characters in this film who have their “awakennings” feel this way in a way that is more overwhelming than most of us can possibly imagine, how do we not lose hope and despair in the face of life that seems to be withering away as we try to catch all the beauty of it along the way. The good news for us believers in Christ is that all of this longing for youth and vitality is a picture of what know that our hearts, and indeed all of humanity, truly long for: the Garden of Eden the Paradise we all came from tragically broken by our fall from grace which is only guaranteed to be restored fully in the eternal Paradise in Heaven!

    With these principles in mind, I would like to hold out an important question for our further reflection:

    When it comes to us considering how to have faith when we have disabilities, heartbreaks, deaths including of dreams and serious challenges, what can we do to redeem our days when it feels like life has unfairly passed us by as so many of the characters feel in the movie “awakennings”?  

    As the people in the film discover, even in the most fragile and broken situations the longing to live our lives authenticity is paramount to being human.  As believers we discover this is where the Mercy and Grace of Christ truly touch our brokenness. If you see this film, I believe you will come away seeing how God touches us in the fragility of our humanity, even if again this film does not specifically mention God. For if we see through the eyes of Faith, Hope and Love we see that God is not absent from any of these situations. For wherever brokenness and heartbreak’s present in our lives, the Cross of Christ is not absent. We also must remember whenever we see genuine new hope, the hope of Christ’s resurrection and the transformation it offers to all of us in this life and in the fullness of the Kingdom to come is held out to us.  I am sure that Pope St. John Paul II would refer to this as a true Christ centered humanism and from my observations really tried to base his whole pontificate on this Christ centered vision of the dignity of humanity, no matter how broken!

    Personally, I can be thankful that out of all the brokenness of my life, including years I was angry and disbelieving in any good God had for my life, has now sprung up with new life. This certainly includes the founding of my new ministry now almost 2 years old: St. Therese’s Vision for Disability Giftedness.  In my younger years I believe that my intense personality I now know associated with my Non-Verbal Learning Disability and ADHD, my social awkwardness and awareness of the pain and fragility of life lead me to appreciate this film as one of my favorite films ever, even in my earlier teen years and in the deepest part of my heart my sentiment towards this film has not changed!

    I will conclude simply by renewing my plea you to consider watching this film, even if it might be a bit hard to find (I believe it can be seen in its entirety on You Tube).  While this film was produced in 1990 and is perhaps slightly less known than a few of the other award winners of its time, Siskel and Ebert the primary film critics of the late 20th century both rightly gave it 2 enthusiastic thumbs up. and with my review I hold my heart out for this film for you as well!

By George Ayer, Founder St. Therese’s Vision for Disabillity Giftedness