When it comes to baseball and our favorite teams, the Holy Spirit points to something greater than ourselves on the diamond.

Baseball: Beyond Belief, directed by John Scheinfeld in conjunction with Paulist Pictures, centers on the surprising similarities between faith and baseball, exploring the mystical connection that bridges the two unrelated subjects.

The film takes inspiration from Baseball as a Road to God, a 2013 novel written by John Sexton, a legal scholar and former president of New York University who has a prominent voice in the film.

While the film does not focus on one particular religion, Catholic viewpoints abound throughout the examination of the sacred times and places, the saints and sinners, and the blessings and curses that define the nation’s pastime.

Scheinfeld and Paulist Father Tom Gibbons, an executive producer of the film and president of Paulist Productions, discuss the film's message and impact with the Register ahead of more airdates.

In terms of drawing inspiration from Baseball as a Road To God written by John Sexton, what about his novel resonated with your aspirations for this film? What made the timing of this film’s release feel right?

John Scheinfeld: We think this is the right film at the right time for what’s going on in the world. We wanted to make a film that’s entertaining, inspiring and uplifting and one that would also make you think, in addition to making you laugh and cry. We wanted to achieve all of those things, and here we are, some time later, with a picture of which we are very proud.

How would you describe the essence of this film and its unique appeal to those interested in faith and baseball?

Scheinfeld: It’s a look at the surprising similarities in how religion and baseball both function.There’s a lot of interesting layers to the storytelling of this film. What we were ultimately going for is the lessons that can be learned from baseball and faith, which can help enrich our lives and lead our best lives. That would be the takeaway I hope for.

Why do you feel Paulist Productions was called to play a role in the creation of this film?

Father Tom Gibbons: It was a great opportunity for us. We’ve been in existence for over 65 years, and we’re a faith-based media company, of course, but we’ve always tried to advance the conversation between the sacred and the secular. With this film, we want to increase people’s spiritual intelligence and help understand what our loyalties are and how we relate to the beyond. John Sexton uses that great word “ineffable” about how we relate to mystery.

Is there a specific age range or generation you feel would particularly benefit from watching this film?

Scheinfeld: One phrase I think is true is that baseball has fans across all generations. Our focus was to stir up real conversation and thought because that’s when real depth happens and real openness to the divine happens. There are certain films that can relate to different times of our lives. I catch different things from watching the same film at 20, at 30, and again at 50 because of the life experiences I’ve had in between. Baseball, like our faith, carries on through our lives and we can relate to it in different ways as we go throughout life.

Father Gibbons: The film is broken into innings, and one of the innings is about saints and sinners. Baseball has its saints and sinners just like our Church also does. There are times in which baseball has betrayed its fans. For those living in Brooklyn in the 1950s, when the Dodgers left, that was a betrayal to them. Interestingly, I say all the time people go to Mass not because they are perfect but because they are broken. They need forgiveness.

Does the redemptive nature of certain players and teams across history resonate even more in a time when Catholics observe the Paschal mystery of the Easter season?

Father Gibbons: We just had Opening Day, which comes at the beginning of spring and symbolizes rebirth. In a religious sense, this time of year is a new creation by God, as Catholics believe. It also lines up with the great Jewish celebration of Passover, and it’s so great we’re able to bring out the film during this time of newness.

Scheinfeld: We do talk a lot in the film about rebirth in the sense that the past is the past. However you played, however you worshipped, and however you behaved is in the past. We’re starting fresh, and we have a chance to do things right and do things well. That’s one of the many messages we have in this film.

What support has there been for this film in private screenings ahead of its full release?

Scheinfeld: We had a private screening for everyone who participated in the making of the film and for family and friends. You were able to feel how engaged everyone was in the room and how everyone was inspired by the messages. John Sexton still teaches a class at the New York University campus in Abu Dhabi about baseball as a road to God, but not the road to glory, which is a very important distinction. He very graciously flew me in for a screening of the film in front of government leaders, business leaders, and faculty and students. We got a standing ovation, and a number of them who don’t understand baseball were able to relate to certain themes like faith, doubt, blessings, curses, saints and sinners because of how those apply to their favorite sport, soccer. It’s not a film just for baseball fans. I would encourage anyone who is interested in the film to go to our website at BaseballBeyondBelief.com.

WATCH: Catch Baseball: Beyond Belief airing April 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET and April 22 and 23 on Fox Sports 1.