The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 2300). I’ve never seen a more poignant demonstration of this corporal work of mercy than the movie Taking Chance. Kevin Bacon portrays Lt. Col. Michael Strobl as he escorts the remains of fallen Marine Chance Phelps to his final resting place.
The honor and respect Phelps receives as his remains travel across the country culminate in the following scene as Strobl and the hearse travel from Montana to Wyoming:
As Veteran’s Day approaches, I humbly offer this suggestion: take 77 minutes during the next few days to watch this powerful film. If it is appropriate to your classroom situation, perhaps you can even share it with your students (as always, be sure to preview it first). I show it to my students for three reasons:
- To remember and honor the sacrifice of those who serve our country in the military.
- To give students a concrete example of our duty to bury the dead.
- To show students a model of the following idea: “Character is what you do when you think no one is watching.”
Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, both of my parents served in the US Navy, and I have several relatives currently serving our country in various branches of the military. To them, and to veterans everywhere, Thank you for your service.
I teach at Notre Dame High School in Red Deer Alberta Canada. I am planning to show Taking Chance in my classes next week in a lesson on respect for Veterans. Do you use any handouts to accompany the movie for both keeping students attention and to spark thought? if so I would appreciate whatever you could send me.
Sorry for the late reply, Mike. No, I don’t have any handouts. As students watch the video I ask them to write down all the times they notice people honoring Chance’s remains. After each segment (I show the movie in three segments), we discuss what they noticed.
I just watched Taking Chance for the first time last night. Then, I hit replay and watched it again.
I too am Catholic, and I too was so touched by the care, respect, honor and dignity that Chance’s body was given by the military.
I thought, Yes! This is exactly how we are to treat our dead. Beautiful movie, and because Chance’s soul exists and because of the dignity given to his remains, a profoundly pro-life movie.