Want to get comfy and watch a film that explores the theme of compassion this weekend? You’ll find 23 recommendations for films on the Spirituality & Practice Web site. Topping their list is “Central Station, an emotionally affecting Brazilian film about a selfish and cynical former schoolteacher who reluctantly agrees to escort a young boy to his father in the country. As their journey unfolds, we witness the slow but steady hatching of this woman’s heart as she begins to feel her kinship with others.”

Check out this great selection, along with books, stories, quotes, poems, and more–all exploring compassion.

When you pull back the curtain on Thérèse Bartholomew’s life, it seems anything but predictable. Despite dropping out of high school at sixteen, she graduated from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and is now finishing a masters in criminal justice. Why criminal justice? She came to it in the aftermath of her brother’s murder.

A writer and teacher, Bartholomew debuted her first publication, Coffee Shop God, in April and is now working on a documentary film, The Final Gift, slated for completion in the fall.  Both explore the emotional journey she embarked on after her brother’s murder.

“Coffee Shop God shares her personal struggles and heartache over the loss of her brother, dealing with the trial and coming face to face with the man (and his family) who killed her brother. The Final Gift documents Thérèse’s fears, doubts and ultimately, her courage when venturing into the prison to face the man who killed  her brother and devastated her family, to finding forgiveness, compassion, and personal peace.”

In addition to the campaign film, The Power of Forgiveness, below are two films that explore the topic of forgiveness.  For even more film selections that explore both love and forgiveness, check out the Resources section of our web site.

Forgiveness, a 2004 South African film, explores forgiveness, revenge, and redemption in the aftermath of the apartheid regime. “An ex-policeman haunted by the torture and murder he committed during South Africa’s apartheid years, makes the long journey to the small fishing town of Paternoster, to beg forgiveness of the family of his victim–slain 21-year-old freedom fighter, Daniel Grootman.”

“We in the West, just as Rwandans, desperately need to understand forgiveness.  We live in a violent world filled with conflicts.  Political polarization, terrorist attacks, racial tensions, immigration fears, and school shootings define our national landscape.  Meanwhile, privately, we struggle with broken marriages, splintered relationships, and doubts that pierce us to the core.  Could there be a common road map to reconciliation,” writes Catherine Larson in As We Forgive.

It’s hard to even fathom the possibility of forgiving such travesties as the Rwandan genocide. But fifteen years later, it is happening, one person at a time. As We Forgive, a film about the journey of forgiveness, is now a book (As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation) by Catherine Larson. Read a review by the Englewood Review of Books.

Are you fresh out of ideas for a book to read or movie to see? Check out our list of great books and films that explore love and forgiveness. Each month we’ll update the resource list with new books and films and tell you about them here. If you have a favorite, we invite you to share it by posting a comment.

This month’s book recommendations, from Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, include Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza with Steve Erwin. It’s the riveting story of a 22-year-old Rwandan native who survived the 1994 genocide by hiding in a pastor’s tiny bathroom with seven other women for three months, yet was able to forgive those who murdered her family. Does God Forgive Me? by August Gold covers the essentials of forgiveness and makes it relevant to those who are ages three through six years.

Check out our list of great books and films that explore love and forgiveness. Each month we update our resources section with new books and films and tell you about them here. If you have a favorite, we invite you to share it by posting a comment.

This month’s recommendations, from Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, include Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza with Steve Erwin. It’s the riveting story of a 22-year-old Rwandan native who survived the 1994 genocide by hiding in a pastor’s tiny bathroom with seven other women for three months, yet was able to forgive those who murdered her family. Does God Forgive Me? by August Gold covers the essentials of teaching forgiveness to children aged three through six years.

How about catching a movie? Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat recommend, The Kite Runner, a moving drama exploring the pain of lost friendship, the yearning for forgiveness, and the freedom that comes from making amends. It’s based on the bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini. There are a lot more movies with themes of love and forgiveness to choose from in our resources section. Let us know your favorite book or movie exploring love or forgiveness by posting a comment.