When I was a kid I loved watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents, known in its last four years as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. His sardonic wit and macabre sense of humor I found vastly appealing and no doubt had an impact on my own developing sense of humor. Hitchcock was a Catholic, although some have claimed that he became estranged from the Faith later in life. Father Mark Henninger in The Wall Street Journal relates his own encounter with Hitchcock shortly before his death.
Tom said, “Hitch, this is Mark Henninger, a young priest from Cleveland.”
“Cleveland?” Hitchcock said. “Disgraceful!”
Go here to read the rest. Any priest can relate hundreds of similar stories about people nearing death who embrace the Faith. During life most of us adopt many poses and masks as we proceed through all the helter-skelter activities that make up a life. At the end however we are confronted with the stark reality of death and the time for illusion ceases as we prepare to stand before the Ultimate Reality. Rest in peace Mr. Hitchcock and I hope the angels are laughing at your jokes!
Every so often I read something such as this (last Friday’s WSJ) and say to myself, “It’s still worth the subscription price.”
Whenever I read a story of a penitent, I think of the sermon that Bossuet preached at the solemn profession of Mlle de la Vallière, (Sister Louise de la Miséricorde) the former mistress of Louis XIV, as a Carmelite nun.
He took as his text, “And He that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new'” (Apoc 21:5).
He also discusses the mystery, even the paradox of grace, both “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!” (Ez 18:31) but also, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.”(Ez 36:26)
One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Isaiah 1: 18:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
You have a good heart Donald. Thanks for the touching story.
Donald…..very good story. It reminds me of the movie, “immortal Beloved” about the life of Beethoven. In the movie, the dying composer refuses to see a priest and receive the last rights. In reality, according to Thayer’s Life of Beethoven, he died during a terrific hailstorm after having devoutly received the last sacraments. His Missa Solemnis, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, ” is a mighty profession of faith in a personal God by one of the greatest geniuses of all times, who composed it in the midst of the growing doubt and impending moral and spiritual disintegration of his age.” I don’t know the reason why Hollywood and the publishing industry do not want to tell the truth or downplay the influence of belief in God but it must have something to do with the agnostic/atheistic ingrained prejudice against the compatibility of Catholic faith and intellectual or artistic genius. They think only stupid or simple people could believe in God.
” They think only stupid or simple people could believe in God.”
This fits in with their usual ignorance of history, religion and ludicrous overestimation of their own intelligence.
Arrogant, half-witted hypocrites think everyone else is (if it were possible) stupider than they are.
[…] Alfred Hitchcock and the Jesuit – Donald R. McClarey, The American Catholic […]
And also that ‘veritable icon of modernity’ the great poet Wallace Stevens:
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0068.html
Poetcomic…..thank you very much for the informative link…..great story also.