“The Greatest Miracle” was shown this year at World Youth Day; it opens December 9 in select theaters. Catholic League policy analyst Marcus Plieninger previewed it and offered the following commentary:
This is a movie the whole family can enjoy. Perfect for the Christmas season, this 3D animated film makes an important religious statement that appeals to people of all ages. Children, no doubt, will clearly find it both entertaining and educational. The plot is inspiring and well crafted.
One ordinary morning in an unnamed contemporary city, three people, all strangers to each other, go about their own lives. The story alternates among them, shows each encountering hardship of one kind or another. Monica is a widower anxiously doing all she can to support her young son, Diego, who is frustrated that she does not spend more time with him. Don Chema, a bus driver, learns that he has a gravely ill child, after which he tells everyone on the bus to leave before he breaks down in tears. Doña Cata, a weary old lady, misses her dead husband. Each is at a difficult crossroads and feels alone. But, they are not as alone as they think. Thanks to the intervention of their guardian angels, they find themselves on their way to the same Mass at a beautiful local parish.
At Mass, the angels encourage the three characters, instructing them on such things as preparing oneself for Mass, the existence of Purgatory, and how to pray. During the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, we hear a famous piece by J.S. Bach (the C Major Prelude from Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier). A fitting prelude to “the sign of peace,” and a reminder that Bach, himself composed a Mass in B minor.
The portrayal of Jesus, in particular, is refreshingly reverential. This movie deserves a wide audience.
