Why you should watch "The Good Place"

Have you seen The Good Place? It's an NBC comedy that wrapped up its fourth and final season earlier this year. It's been a while since I've done a media review (and coincidentally, I just finished watching through this one), and I think this show is important for a lot of reasons. And yes, it is on Netflix.

The Good Place is a show about the afterlife. Not the afterlife as we know it (there are some serious theological disconnects with Catholicism, so maybe skip this one if you have difficulty separating comedy from practical theology), but the afterlife nonetheless. In the opening episode, we're told that every major religion got about 5% of what happens after we die correct.

In a great example of the show's quirky humor, we're also told that a college kid named Doug Forcett actually guessed about 92% of the afterlife one fateful evening. He's revered in "The Good Place" (the show's version of heaven) as the man with the closest guess in all human history. He even has his picture on the wall!

I suppose this is a good place (no pun intended) to talk about the cast. And my goodness, what an exceptional cast it is. The headliner is Ted Danson as Michael, an "Architect" responsible for creating idyllic neighborhoods where souls in the Good Place live out their days in peace and harmony. You may recognize him from his standout role as Sam Malone on Cheers (although he's considerably grayer now).

Danson is perfect for the show, and does an excellent job delivering lines about eternity, the afterlife, and the relative goodness (or badness) of souls with a flippance that puts the viewer at ease. He's lighthearted and warm, and it's a great role for him. He's especially good when juxtaposed with Kristen Bell's Eleanor Shellstrop.

Eleanor is the show's main character, and much of the first season is focused on her discomfort in the Good Place. She feels out of place, mainly because she led a pretty awful life on earth. She was selfish, promiscuous, uncharitable, vulgar, and many other things, so she's naturally a bit out of place amongst these heavenly do-gooders!

Bell plays Eleanor with an infectious bubbliness, and her juvenile humor is always good for a chuckle. In reality, I could spend this whole post talking about the cast. Other standout characters include Janet (the most intelligent being in the universe), Chidi (a philosophy professor with cripplingly relatable anxiety), and Jason (literally just Florida Man).

While the cast is excellent, it is not the show's greatest strength. That lies in its ability to balance comedy with thought-provoking examinations of life, morality, friendship, and love. It does this better than almost any show I've ever seen, and I'm absolutely floored that a network show can be this good in the 2010s and 2020s.

Allow me to explain. Most modern TV series are not very good. Our entertainment market is oversaturated with shows and series from networks, cable channels, and streaming services. Don't believe me? In 2019, Netflix released 371 original TV series and movies worldwide. That's more original content than the entire US TV industry released in 2005.

Our appetite for on-demand content, particularly through streaming services, has created a massive library of bad TV. Sure, there are more good shows out now than there ever has been. However, there is also MUCH more bad TV than ever before, and it's often difficult to find the gems hidden in the muck.

Amidst this ocean of meaningless content (I'm looking at you, endless spinoffs of CSI), what constitutes a "good" show can be tough to pin down. I'd suggest that a good show is significantly above-average at one thing. It can be comedy, drama, acting, special effects, writing, cinematography, most anything! But to be a good show, you need to be significantly above average at one thing.

This may sound like a low bar, but it's not. The vast majority of shows out there are average. They may not be awful, but they're painfully mediocre. Formulaic dialogue, rehashed plot devices, unimaginative cinematography, and bland characters are all the rage these days. Being significantly above average at anything is a big achievement for most modern TV shows.

That's what makes The Good Place special. Circling back a bit, it is significantly above average at TWO things: comedy and heartfelt, thought-provoking examination. This is one of both the funniest and most moving shows that I've seen in a long time, and that is an incredibly difficult line to walk. It is SO refreshing.

Let's start with the comedy. It's smart, witty, uses an astounding amount of legitimate philosophy, and has one of the best anti-profanity mechanisms in TV history. In the show, you can't swear in the afterlife, and your attempts at profanity are automatically replaced with innocuous words such as "shirt, bench," and "fork."

On that note, this probably isn't a show to watch with small children. Parents can of course decide when their children (especially as they approach adolescence) are ready to consume different media, just be aware that there are some mildly mature jokes and themes throughout the show's four seasons.

Regarding the show's deeper messaging and more emotional beats, there are some genuinely touching moments here that might even make you tear up. As you become more familiar with the characters, you'll find yourself empathizing with them and willing them on in their journey through the afterlife, especially in later seasons.

Everything from the meaning of life to the innate goodness of humanity is explored, and the topics are shockingly thought-provoking at times. I definitely did not expect to be learning about Immanuel Kant and Jean-Paul Sartre in this lighthearted NBC comedy, but it's done in a humorous and accessible way. Seriously, the showrunners crushed this.

There is so, so much more I could talk about with this show. It has one of the greatest plot twists in modern TV history (we're talking Red Wedding levels, here), the most Jacksonville Jaguars references you'll ever see on the small screen, and an impressive juggling act of multiple theological concepts without being offensive (provided you can take a joke).

I don't want this post to be 5000 words long, though, so I'll simply implore you to give it a try. If you can make it through (all of) the first season and not want to see more, then I'll concede defeat. But I'm willing to bet that you won't regret giving this one a shot. Take it from your resident TV snob: this show is worth it.

I hope that you will give this show a shot, and that it will cause you to think of heavenly things and concepts during this Advent season. You will certainly be hearing more from me about the season of anticipation in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to the parish Facebook page for daily Advent reflections!

May God bless you,

Regis

How Will You Respond?

From Father Jeffrey V. Romans…

Today's Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/113020.cfm

Blessings as we begin the Holy Season of Advent. Yesterday we began this holy season conscious of our call to “watch.” That is the Advent call to watch, to be alert, to stay awake! This is a season of waiting and hoping! Waiting and hoping certainly have been a part of our lives these past nine months as we have dealt with this pandemic: waiting and hoping for an end to this pandemic and for a vaccine to enable us to return to some “normalcy.”

Advent calls us to wait and hope! The drama of this sacred time is marked by a sense of waiting, of hopeful anticipation, and vigilance for the coming of Jesus Christ among us as man at Christmas and for His second coming when He will come to judge the living and the dead.

Advent asks us are we ready for that moment? Are we prepared to meet Christ? Are we ready or prepared to trustingly allow God to be God in sharing our hearts and our lives?

Like our ancestors in the faith, we are living in a time in which the vulnerabilities of the human family have been exposed. But, as one of my favorite hymns of all time, and a classic Christmas hymn, reminds us – “a thrill of hope [in God inspires] the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” The light glowing from the candle of our Advent wreathe signifies our vigilance, the flame of faith that has not been overcome by the darkness of this world, and which reminds us that our lives, here and now, participate in the eternity of God’s plan of salvation, won for us already in Christ.

That awareness gives us the strength and rekindles within us the fire of hope that inspires us to cry: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” That awareness calls us to prepare each day for that moment when we will meet Christ the Lord.”

Today, we take a moment to reflect on the call of Saint Andrew along with his bother Simon Peter. There is one aspect of their call that always strikes me. It is how the scriptures say “at once they left their nets and followed him.”

What would compel someone to drop everything—relationships, family, profession, material possessions—to follow someone they knew little to nothing about? Here was this itinerant preacher whom they perhaps heard something about but certainly did not know him well, who is coming toward them on his way by the Sea of Galilee, who sees Andrew and Simon Peter and simply calls them “come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And they follow him at once!

Where is the questioning, where is the reflecting on consequences, where is the doubting, where is the struggle with the call that most of us would have? It is not there. They hear his call and at once follow him. WOW.

The beginning of Advent is an opportunity for us to evaluate, or reevaluate, our own responsiveness to the call of the Lord in our lives. I pray each of us will imitate the response of Andrew and Simon Peter and upon hearing His call immediately respond by following Him. They did not immediately or completely understand all that this response would entail and yet they left everything to follow Him. May we follow their example. May they intercede on our behalf so that we too may never hesitate to follow the Lord and answer His call knowing that He is our Hope, a Hope that is never cancelled. And may our hearing His call, and answering His call, help us to be better prepared for His coming at the end of time. Happy Advent everyone! Let’s get waiting, watching, preparing, and hoping!

November 29, 2020 - 1st Sunday of Advent

Dear Friends in Christ:

HOPE IS NEVER CANCELLED…Jesus is still coming! We chose this as our Advent theme for this year! We all need HOPE as we continue to deal with this pandemic. More and more each day I hear from people that they are experiencing the thing I call “pandemic fatigue.” We are just so tired of everything related to this pandemic. And yet we have to continue to do what we can to deal with this pandemic and the many changes it brings to our daily routines.

A pandemic does not stop us from entering into this holy season. A pandemic does not stop us from using the weeks of this holy season to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, both His coming at Christmas and His coming at the end of time. We have to seek ways, within the limits placed upon us due to this pandemic, to prepare our hearts and our souls for the coming of Christ.

Advent is a season that is often not given much attention partly because of the commercialization of Christmas, but also because of the busyness of preparing for family gatherings, the many parties for pre-Christmas celebrations. But this year is different as many of these gatherings will not be able to take place. So perhaps this year we can really focus more on this short season of grace and find ways in which we can all prepare for the coming of Christ.

We chose this theme, Hope is never cancelled…Jesus is still coming, to highlight that even in the face of these long months of pandemic there is still HOPE.

This year has already felt like an awful lot of waiting and now we are starting this season of Advent, a season of waiting. Hope in God is not to wait but to “keep awake,” as we are so often reminded by the scriptures during this season, it is a call not to lose hope when faced with challenges like this pandemic but to work together and confront them together. To hope in God is to know that the coming of Christ happens amid our daily life and all its struggles.

I love Advent, and I love all the planning we do as a Pastoral Team to find ways to help others and ourselves prepare for the coming of Christ. This doesn’t change as we face this pandemic. We still want to help each of us to encounter the hope, the joy, the peace, and the love of Jesus Christ.

So what can we do? We can do our part to adhere to the continued safety guidelines and protocols established in our state. We can maintain family rituals and traditions. We can find ways as a family to speak about Advent and to help our family members to set aside some time to prepare for the coming of Christ. We can find useful resources online to help our young people learn the importance of Advent and get excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In a year such as we face, where the usual holiday expectations of years past are not possible, we can take more time to prepare our hearts.

SO how can we be certain to be ready for the coming of our Lord Jesus in His birth on Christmas, and in His second coming in glory? Here are some suggestions for using this time of Advent to its fullest potential:

1. COME to our Advent Evening of Adoration and Reflection. Open to the first 100 people to sign-up. Wednesday, December 2nd, that is THIS WEDNESDAY. Father Ryan Lerner, Chancellor of the Archdiocese and Catholic Chaplain at Yale, will lead us in reflecting on preparing for the coming of Christ in a time of pandemic. I am confident it will be a very spiritual and practical evening of reflection. We will be livestreaming this event as well for our virtual parishioners. Please join us!

2. Visit our Social Media daily as we will be offering a daily reflection through the Season of Advent offered by a variety of people from the life and ministry of our parish and school.

3. Also on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we will be posting videos on our social media about the Old Testament Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Don’t miss these opportunities to grow in our knowledge and love of scripture and learn more about Jesus!

4. Make an Advent Wreath for your home. The simplest way to make a wreath is to arrange greens on a round tray or in a ring mold that holds water. Nestle four candlesticks, pillar candles, or votive candle-holders in the greens or set them just inside the ring. Add water if possible. Insert four candles, one rose and three purple, or four white or ivory candles, if you don’t have the colored ones, with colored ribbons.

5. Join us for Adoration on Fridays from 1-2PM in Saint Bridget Church.

6. Come to daily Mass once, twice, or more each week. Come on your way to work. Remember to sign-up through our parish website or call the parish office and they can assist you.

7. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and be freed from the weight of sin. We are still offering Drive-Up Confessions on Saturdays from 3PM until heard. You don’t even have to leave your car!

With all that is going on in our church and our world today it is easy for us to understand that we may feel weary, worn down, beaten, fatigued by it all. BUT we have a cause to rejoice for in the coming of the Light, Jesus Christ, comes a reason for Hope, for Joy, for Peace, and yes for Life! In the words of the popular Christmas hymn, O Holy Night, we hear “O holy night the stars are brightly shining…it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth…Long lay the world in sin and error pining…till He appeared and the soul felt its worth…A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices…it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth!”

Don’t allow this season, these short weeks of Advent, to simply pass by without doing something to prepare for the coming of the Savior of the World, the Prince of Peace, God-is-with-us!

Remember it is up to us, even in the midst of a pandemic, to make this season a time of spiritual growth and renewal.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS…you have been hearing a lot lately of the Beatification of Father Michael J. McGivney, Founder of the Knights of Columbus and a parish priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford. It is a cause of great joy! It is also an opportune time to remind you of who the Knights of Columbus are and how you can join this fraternal organization!

I joined the Knights of Columbus as soon as I turned 18 and have been active in the Knights ever since. This was especially true in my first assignment in Glastonbury. The Knights were a very active part of parish life in Glastonbury. They were active in every facet of parish life and we (the priests) knew we could always call on them to help out with any tasks at any time.

A parish priest, the now Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus right down the street in New Haven, on March 29, 1882. He founded the Knights to help the men of his parish to grow in their faith, to provide financial security for the widows and orphans of deceased members, and to perform acts of charity! The Knights are based on four guiding principles: Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. Charity is at the heart of what it means to be a Knight. The commitment of the Knights to works of charity is just one of the many ways that we express our Catholic faith. Today the Knights of Columbus number over 2 million members in the world and last year alone donated $187 million dollars to charity and 77 million hours to works of charity.

It is time for ALL Catholic men in our parish over 18 to consider joining the Knights of Columbus. Our local Council 2978 Sante Fe Council is in the early years of becoming more and more involved in the life of our parish and in our community; join us and help make a difference! And to join TODAY is FREE!!! In celebration of Blessed Michael McGivney's Beatification on October 31, 2020, the Knights of Columbus are offering Free E-Membership to all Catholic Men over 18. The Knights are proud defenders of the faith and the church. In times of tragedy, the Knights take the lead in providing support to communities in need. Help us help others. Become a member of the Knights of Columbus. Join today at KofC.org/joinus. Use code: MCGIVNEY2020. Offer ends December 31, 2020, so join TODAY!

KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS POSTER CONTEST…our own local council, Sante Fe Council 2978, is sponsoring a contest for all children of our parish and school. All children ages 5-14 (as of November 1st) are invited to submit a poster centered around the theme "Keep Christ in Christmas". This is a wonderful opportunity for children to be creative, to be involved in their faith, and to have fun while experiencing the true meaning of Christmas. Posters must be 11x17. If pastels, chalk, or charcoal are used, the poster must be laminated or covered in clear plastic before being submitted. Posters must be submitted to the parish office by December 15th. Prizes will be awarded for winning entries. Winning entries will also be advanced to the district and then to the state. Let’s see those young artists from our parish get to work on reminding us all to Keep Christ in Christmas!

As always, please remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.