Fr. Barron gives a great evaluation of the spiritual themes in The Exorcist - some that I had never recognized. However, he was not a big fan of The Rite.
I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it. Having read the book a few years ago, I wasn't too impressed when I first saw previews for the movie. It looked like they lost everything that was great about the book to make typical Hollywood horror movie. The story told in the book shows how a priest becomes an exorcist while also telling his vocation story as a whole. It's personal, straightforward and very Catholic.
There were changes in the film, maybe even some that made for a better story in that medium, but, overall, I was pleasantly surprised.
To simplify:
- It presented a wonderfully human view of the priesthood and priests. They were men, like other men, who had answered a specific call from God. Even "the doubter," the movie's main character, was shown in a sympathetic way.
- Even when things were factually wrong (a transitional deacon giving "last rites" and performing an exorcism") there was a general sympathy toward the faith. These people really believe in what they are saying and doing - and it is important for the the questioning deacon to be sincere. If he doesn't really believe, he shouldn't be a priest.
- Exorcism is shown as part of the Church's whole "program." It isn't magic, it's a prayer. I love that the film ends, not with the newly ordained priest embarking on his own exorcism ministry, but rather with him hearing confessions in an average parish. He's still battling the forces of darkness, just not in the action-packed, sensational way that most movies about this would show it.
In the end, The Rite made me want to pray more, to be more holy and to give myself to my vocation in a deeper way. That has to be a sign of something good.
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