Q. Every day I hear of tragedies all over the world and even in my own city. As a Christian I feel called to respond to the needs of the poor and suffering and yet a day caring for my husband and my three small children exhausts me. I feel helpless. What does God really want from me?

The world is full of pain and suffering. Our media keeps us in touch with these tragedies. Jesus teaches us to have a compassionate heart and so you are rightly moved by all you see around you, and your heart leaps, aches and breaks in response to so much human suffering.

God has blessed you with a husband, three growing children, and all the demands of nurturing life in an active and very busy world. How are you to respond on a daily basis to the reality of our human condition both near and far? What exactly is your divine assignment?

How much does the past weigh?

This is one of the questions posed by my nominee for best movie of 2009. I am not alone in my enthusiasm for this film. Internet Movie Data Base is a Web site in which members can rank movies from the past and present on a 10-point scale. At the time of this writing, 36,326 individuals have voted for the film, giving it an average score of 8.7 – one of the highest ratings on the site.

The movie is titled simply “Up.” In my opinion, it is the best film to come out of that wonderfully creative studio, Pixar, which has a solid string of animated hits. To dismiss “Up” as a mere cartoon would be a big mistake. It’s a showcase for how animation can combine art, drama and comedy to tell a moving and complete story that should be nominated for the best picture of the year.