Hello!
Recently, we went with some fellow Catholic friends to Pizza Ranch and then to go see in the theatre, “Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story”. We had a lot of fun sharing that experience with them, and we had a lot of fun at Pizza Ranch… there was a LOT of laughing. Anyway, I did not know much about Michelle or this movie. We all thought it was amazing!! It was so inspiring!
It seems like she really did radiate joy. In almost every picture, at least when she wasn’t sick- she had this hugeeee smile! They also talked about her having peace and how her joy and peace came from each other. I like seeing that about her.
Man, it really confirmed a lot of my passions right now. Michelle was a great evangelist and wanted people to know Jesus, to love Jesus and ultimately get to Heaven. Her personality was so enthusiastic and warm. She practiced the universal call to holiness and strived for sanctity. This stuff has been on my heart lately and it was so cool to see someone who lived it out and this documentary which used all this same language that I’ve been passionate about.
But I tend to get too fantastical about this because when I think about what it really means in the day to day life, I don’t want to do that. The documentary shared how she was really committed to her prayer life and developing her prayer. She put that and working on herself first, because as the Bible says, “For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”, Mark 8:36. So that idea of no, you actually have to do stuff too, even stuff you don’t want to do, and that this is what this all really means, was a good reminder.
Michelle said that it was just her job to introduce others to Jesus, He’d do the rest. That was also a good reminder that it’s not about me- it’s not what I’m doing to bring others to Jesus or be a good example or be holy. I don’t do it on my own. In fact I can’t do anything without Him. It’s Him who does the good works through me. It’s not about me transforming hearts to know and love Jesus. I need more humility in that regard.
So not only did she live radiantly, and desired to bring others to Jesus, and lived like a saint when she was healthy but Michelle lived like a saint when she was sick. Being holy in intense suffering is a whole new level to sanctity. It said that she had built up the practice of loving when it was difficult while she was healthy, that when she was sick it was just part of her character, her being. That is a really great reminder for me. But I loved seeing how she suffered so well, not being really angry or frustrated or asking “why me?”. Michelle accepted it from God and gradually kept abandoning herself, offering herself. It was amazing. And even in her suffering, she would care about others, ask them how they were, listen to them, care about them.
The documentary was very well produced. The music really added to it. I loved hearing about her life as she was healthy and also when she was sick- it was all really well done. A lot of the part of her life when she had cancer was told by her parents, specifically by her mom, including when she passed away. It was very powerful and sad. I loved the video of her last dance with her dad. I also love the fact that she passed away on Christmas night, how fitting is that?
There was a line at one point that got my attention: She had an allegiance to the invisible world.
It’s so amazing that her cause for canonization was opened- I really hope it ends in her being declared a saint! Either way, she has touched many lives. How did she do it? By allowing God to work in her. By being herself and by being holy. By accepting God’s will in the moment and doing what He willed of her. I could be discouraged because I’m not as outgoing and outwardly enthusiastic as her- and think “that’s why she was able to touch so many people”. There was a line at the end about how you become a saint- you be yourself. God can do so much with me. With how I am, I don’t need to change, other than making myself more holy.
What’s something you liked about it (and why)? Obviously… there was a lot I liked about it! One of the things that stands out was just all the language of the universal call to holiness, sanctity, how she wanted others to know Jesus and get to Heaven and seeing examples of how she did that, because it’s been on my heart and something I’ve been passionate about. It confirmed it, got me more excited about it and I think these ideas are definitely out there and maybe getting more and more popular, I don’t know. It also confirms the knitted hat business I’ll be starting up soon.
What’s something you disliked about it (and why)? I feel like I was kinda judging some of the people who got interviewed and were sharing about Michelle and about their experiences with her. I was judging them and kind of assuming things about them, I wish I wouldn’t have done that because that wasn’t very nice or fair and it was getting in the way of me hearing them and being open. I need to do better with that in general.
What was your biggest takeaway or lesson? There were so many reminders and takeaways! Maybe the reminder that literally the only stuff that matters is that of the spiritual life and world. That is so counter cultural, but again, what good is it if you gain the whole world and loose your life? That’s why our attention should be on all of this, and working to allow God to make us more holy.
Also, a big takeaway is the idea of loving when it’s difficult now, in the day to day, and to keep developing that habit. So then no matter what comes, it’ll be easier and just be a part of me.
Just seeing what holiness looks like in the good and the bad, and the fact that I can be myself. That is really big.
What is something you’re curious to learn more about as a result of this experience? I’m excited to learn more about FOCUS, I don’t know much about them and I’d love to learn more about who they are and what they do. Also, just learning more about Michelle. She’s pretty amazing!
Thank you so much for reading! I’d definitely recommend watching this movie!
Lucy