Replies

My son just got home from school and was all excited about this movie. He told me about a couple of young men that my son attends HS with work at our local theater. They were allowed to see the movie early ( one of their "perks" ). One of them has been telling all of the students at my son's HS to see the movie. This one gave his life to Christ last night after viewing the movie and is telling everyone about what Jesus did for "him". My son said the other young man was quieter today than normal and not so much a cut up as he normally is. I can't say for sure as I don't know the boy but, my son speculates that what he saw on the movie screen last night has stayed with him throughout today. My son said that there is a large group of his friends that have agreed to get together this weekend and see the movie. Funny thing is they aren't all going at night like they normally do. They are all getting together for the 10:00AM matinee Saturday morning. My family will be seeing this tomorrow night with our church. I can't wait.

I saw The Passion last night and wrote the following to a close friend who's debating whether to go. Here are my comments...I'm not going to debate your comments on my comments, so just take them as my opinion and personal reactions and move on, please.

I'd seen the hour-long special The Making of the Passion before seeing the movie....good thing I knew about plastic wounds and hands being nailed, or I'd have left or barfed or both. Definitely deserves that R rating. Do NOT bring the children.

However, I give Gibson an A+ for art direction, which always makes or breaks a movie for me. . He talked in "Making" about being taken with Caravaggio, running around Rome viewing all of his paintings--exactly what I'd done in Rome too. Some are in dank little churches where you have to put a lira in a meter to get three minutes of light shining on them. But the hassle was worth it every time. Same with the movie. Somehow Mel brought forth Caravaggio as his art director.....visually it's arresting with impossibly luminous faces coming out of the blackness that envelops all of us.

Also, his depiction of Satan is the smartest I've ever seen.....and has meaning for me that I'll explore for a long time. No horns, nothing too obvious ----A shade, a shadow, seduction oozing from every pore saying you can't, you don't need to, when you know you must to fulfill your personal destiny, to use your God-given gifts, to become what you know in your heart you were meant to be. That ever-present negative inner voice so subtle and pervasive you are not aware how it runs your life. Writer's block and more. Thank you, Mel.

I tuned out of the scourgings beatings and crucifixion scenes..though my friend in the next seat was fully engaged emotionally. But she always is and I'm not. But who said religion was about emotion? I was actually quite detached.

Today, detachment is uppermost in my mind. How did I manage that? ...Detachment is sometimes a good quality but I think I've taken it to extremes during this long life and it's produced avoidance, cost me much. Hmmmm.. apparently the movie reaches into deep corners of one's psyche, churns up long-buried stuff, shines perhaps a ray of different understanding on it.

Might be interesting to poll an audience 24-hours after viewing this film to see where it really took them. I think it will have some deep effect on everyone.

The sturm und drang about Jews is ridiculous and totally misses the point. It's probably intended to deflect attention away from the point, come to think of it.

The point for me IS the churning. The movie, the death of Jesus will churn everyone's soul. Today I examine my ongoing engagement in some inner tug of war between urges, whisperings, hopes, fears, loves, hates, darkness and light I grapple with in trying to live out my life, sometimes but not always striving to be the best person I can be. Almost always, the positive and negative balance perfectly at 50-50, leaving me stranded and ineffective. And detached. .....Wouldn't it be wonderful if God would help? Dare I ask? I might if I believed that God loves me . After long, serious religious education, I'm not so sure. The problem has always been that dark, heavy, oppressive GUILT that the Passion was MY personal fault.

I wish the movie had started with the Last Supper, shown more miracles, and lasted two minutes longer to depict the Resurrection more fully. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus, was amazingly convincing as one who loved humanity in scenes with his mother and the apostles. Being whipped, scourged, and crucified for us has always turned me off.....what a peculiar way to demonstrate love.