First of all, I'm not Catholic; I'm a Christian, just not Catholic. Second, I don't know what she saw, but I believe that she believes she saw the lady. That is what matters, faith.That sums up most of it, but I did want to say a few other things. First off, I think it's sad that some Christians say they believe in miracles then cruelly ridicule those who claim to have seen/experienced them. I'm not saying that they have to agree nor actually believe them. It's just that kindness is how everyone, not an enemy, should be treated.
That said, I really felt that the movie was quite moving. I am SO not a Jennifer Jones fan and I fully expected not to like it nor her performance. I'm delighted to say how wrong I was about that.
It was all good, until the end. I really felt like two things were out of character for Bernadette and it's as though movie execs said, "It's too long, just tie it up and end it," so the last moments leading up to the end were a bit forced, causing mistakes.
The first is about Bernadette suddenly piping up and saying how she could make Sister Marie Therese believe by showing the Sister her leg. If she didn't suffer, as she said she didn't, she wouldn't have gloated about it. I know the intention probably wasn't gloating, but unfortunately that's how it it was played out. They would have done better by allowing the Sister to discover it on her own.
The second one was her complaint that everyone complains about pain, making it worse than the pain really is. That was insensitive and not something I believe she would have really said either. Besides, I've been a nurse for over 23 years and I'm here to say that I think pain is very often worse than they actually claim. Sure, there are many babies out there, but more often than not people really try to overcome it.
I hate to say it but those two glaring mistakes nearly ruin the movie. Especially since they come back to back.
Other than that, I thought it was really sweet. I think that if her personality was as kind and innocent as she was portrayed, that alone makes her a saint. Today's world is about selfish attitudes. It's all about ME and what the government can do for ME and how others shouldn't offend ME and how Christians are naive and prejudiced. It's very sad. We truly need a Bernadette today, don't we?
I also want to remind non-Christians that Christians do not have to live like Jesus. That is an ignorant misconception and mistake that is inexcusable (if you're going to debate then know your subject, else you look stupid). NO ONE can live like Jesus. EVER. That's the reason Jesus came to us! We all sin and that is the fall of man. Christians are sinners and always will be. To believe for even a second that we're supposed to be like Him is like believing that the sun will never shine. It's never going to happen.
