February 7, 2008

By Mary Beth Bolton

Lent begins early this year, before most of us are ready. The Diocesan Resource Library offers videos and DVDs to enhance your experience this year.

The Gospel of John is a feature film that was released in 2003. It re-creates the Biblical text, based on the Good News Bible translation. Starring Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus and narrated by Christopher Plummer, this is a set of three videos that also includes behind-the-scenes documentary footage and historical commentary. It is 100 minutes long.

Another resource is by Father Michael Himes', A Lenten Journey. Fr. Himes draws insights from the Lenten Sunday readings, focusing on the stories of water, light and life from John's Gospel. Divided into four parts, he begins with an overview of salvation history and ends with the story of Lazarus. The series is about 80 minutes long and is available on video and DVD.

There are also several videos for children on Lent. Among them is Gwen Costello's The Angel's Lenten Lesson. Aimed at children in grades 3 through 8, the main character, Danny, learns the importance of Lent through a visit by his guardian angel. This video is 14 minutes long and comes with a guide.

Also for children is Jesus Stories. These live-action stories include the parables of the Lost Coin, the Good Samaritan, the Log and the Speck, the Woman Forgiven, Blind Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus, and the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Using humor and emotion, the video provides a fresh approach to Bible study. This video is about 47 minutes long and has a guide.

Come to the library and check them out. The Diocesan Resource Library is also available online at www.cdom.org. Just click on the red "Resource Library" button and follow the instructions. If you want to reserve items, you must register and receive your personal client barcode. The Diocesan Resource Library is a regular lending library, loaning videos, DVDs, and books for two weeks to anyone in the diocese, or in the Midsouth area. The library is located in The Catholic Center, 5825 Shelby Oaks Drive. The hours are 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call Mary Beth Bolton for information at 901-373-1226, or email Marybeth.bolton@cc.cdom.org.