Desert Wedding – Lenten Film Series 2014

Questions for Reflection and Conversation:

1. How did “Desert Wedding” make you feel? What do you think the story means? In your imagination, what happens next for Marissa? How do you think she might be living her life in five years? If you have had a major event in your life like this, tragic or sad, did it change you for the better? How is it still changing you? What did you learn?

2. Thinking of the Lenten verse before the Gospel: “Repent, says the Lord; the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Do you think either Marissa or her chauffeur had anything to repent of given what we observed in the film? What and why? Were either of them thinking of the good of “the other”?

3. Accidents happen. Stuff happens. No one was breaking any laws in this film, but there was a lot of humanity going on, so to speak. Did you find yourself in the story? If so, how? What would you have done differently if you had been Marissa or the driver?

4. It’s easy to imagine that Marissa felt guilty in some way even as she tried to help the driver – that she would enter into her own inner desert experience. Do you think that feeling guilty or regretful for something you may have been a part of, even unintentionally, could be a force for good? If you were Marissa’s friend, or a friend of the family of the driver who died, what would you say or do to be the presence of God, an encounter with God, for them?

5. Think about this thing you are doing for Lent through the lens of your relationships and encounters with people you know – or don’t know – and what the next best step in your life in the spirit might be.

The Lenten Film Series:

The Lenten Film Series on The INNdustry with Sister Rose presents film and TV clips that highlight Lenten themes, offering you (or your prayer group, classroom, or retreat) a contemporary, media-driven way to reflect and journey through Lent! The series premieres on getinn.tv on Ash Wednesday March 5 and releases a new episode every Wednesday afterward, taking you right up to Holy Week.

This Lenten Film Series is made possible by the Midwest Jesuits and the IN Network.

About “The INNdustry with Sister Rose”:

Billed as SISTER WENDY meets ROGER EBERT AT THE MOVIES meets THE CHARLIE ROSE SHOW, “The INNdustry with Sister Rose” reviews all things entertainment related and features one-on-one interviews with the people making news in entertainment and media. Take a look at the entertainment industry, faith, and life through Sister Rose colored glasses.

About Sister Rose:

Sr. Rose Pacatte, FSP is a Daughter of St. Paul and the Director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, CA. She is a noted national and international media literacy specialist and is an award-winning film/TV columnist for St. Anthony Messenger and the National Catholic Reporter. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/sisterrosemovies/