5 Timeless Lessons From The Bells of St. Mary’s
The Bells of St. Mary’s is one of our family’s favorite films to watch especially during the Christmas season. Set in 1945, it features Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman as priest and nun who are running St. Mary’s.
Although they have a different approach from each other when it comes to many things, they team up to help save the school from being shut down by Horace Bogardus, a businessman who plans on making the school area as a parking lot for his adjacent building.
I have always loved the simplicity and sincerity that warms my heart whenever I watch this movie. It brings me back to simpler times when it’s not so hard to see goodness and faith. It also helps me recall the various lessons in life that are not only deeply spiritual but are practical as well.
Here are some of the timeless lessons we can learn from the film “The Bells of St. Mary’s”:
1. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself
When young Eddie got a beating from the new boy Tommy, Sister Mary Benedict taught Eddie to stand up for himself and not allow himself to be bullied.
While Christianity teaches us to turn the other cheek, we are not taught to be weak or to tolerate evil. We should not be willing victims of abuse. We should instead learn to defend ourselve and our loved ones in the right way when necessary.
“Actually, I’d like to see a lad who can take care of himself. On the outside, it's a man's world… Sometimes a man has to fight his way through.” - Father O'Malley
2. A vocation is not an escape from life
When Patsy, a young troubled student wanted to become a nun, Sister Mary Benedict had this very profound statement:
“You don't become a nun to run away from life, Patsy. It's not because you've lost something. It's because you've found something.”
A vocation is a call from God into a life of purpose, dedication and service, of sharing the kind of love that one has found in God. It is not running away from something but drawing close to Him, the true source of one’s happiness and peace.
3. Nothing is impossible with faith
When Sister Mary Benedict told Father O'Malley of her vision about the adjacent new building of businessman Horace Bogardus, he was surprised. This was because the nun said that they were praying for Mr.Bogardus to one day give his building to the school!
Not only would that require a tremendous amount of generosity. It would also need a total change of heart for a man with a reputation of being selfish.
Sister Mary Benedict, however, was not disheartened. She continued to pray in faith along with the sisters, and one day, the impossible thing happened. Mr. Bogardus decided to give the whole building to the school!
4. Life is empty without God
Mr. Bogardus may have been a very rich man, but he was very poor when it comes to faith. He thought only of himself and focused on material things all his life. Not until his doctor informed him of his heart’s critical condition did he learn to turn things around and change.
He learned that life is empty and meaningless without the love of God and neighbor. And so in one act of great generosity, he donated what he could for the school and the future generations of children who will benefit from it. Wow, can you ever imagine seeing something like this today?
5. Sometimes you have to let go and let God
After the miraculous change of heart of Mr. Bogardus and his donation of the building to the school instead of having he school shut down, Sister Mary Benedict was informed that she will be transferred to another institution.
While sad and unable to understand the reason for that, the nun prayed for God’s help. She surrendered everything to God and learned that sometimes, you just have to let go and trust God’s will.
“Dear Lord, remove all bitterness from my heart. Please, help me to see thy holy will in all things. Help me. Please. Please, help me.”
In the end, God helped her when she learned the truth about her transfer from Father O'Malley. It turns out that she has tuberculosis and she was only being transferred so that she could recover her health.
She wasn’t being demoted nor was she a victim of the whim of other people. What she regarded as a burden was a blessing so that her health could be saved.
I must admit that I sometimes lack this kind of faith when bad things happen in my life. When tough times come, I sometimes worry that I have done something bad to deserve it. Or I doubt God’s goodness and love for me. “Does He really care?” I would ask.
But the truth is that He cares. And we must keep believing that even if everything around us seems to make our hearts waver in anxiety.
Life Is a School
The Bells of St. Mary’s reminded me that life is like a school where we can learn many lessons. Sometimes the lessons are very obviuous and theoretical. But sometimes, the lessons are deeper, and we need to reflect on them longer so that we may understand them. There are even times when all we can is to let go and continue trusting God’s wisdom and goodness.
I hope that we can all learn more in this life as we all walk closer to God each day. Let us never give up even when times are hard. We should keep our gaze upwards and believe that nothing is impossible with God.
Jocelyn is an author and full-time Catholic writer. Download for free some of her inspirational e-books - click here.
I enjoy this movie as well, and I appreciate your post here highlighting how simple truths can be expressed in entertaining fiction.
Bit of trivia: at the end of It's a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey is running back through Bedford Falls, he shouts, "Merry Christmas movie house" at the Bijou, which, according to the marquee, is showing The Bells of St. Mary's ("with Second Great Feature"). The scene takes place on Christmas Eve 1945; The Bells of St Mary's was released on Dec 6, 1945, so very accurate.
The Bells of St Mary's was the highest grossing film of 1945 according to https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/year/1945. Makes me wonder which movie on that list was the "Second Great Feature" in the Bijou.