Skip to main content
The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson is the best movie ever made about the event that changed the world forever. It is a Lenten tradition in my house to re-watch it each year. I can't help but wonder what the folks at the Oscars were thinking when they failed to even nominate James Caviezel who portrayed Jesus of Nazareth in the movie. If there was a better performance that year, I did not see it and I saw the movie that won for best male lead in 2004. No offense to Jamie Foxx but Caviezel's performance is the best I have seen by anyone ever. What the Oscar awards tell us its that the story of Ray Charles was more important than the story of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It brings me to the point about Hollywood and the movie business. Many of the heresies fought throughout the history of the Church are still around. They have merely assumed new forms, as the devil is known to do. I am speaking in this case of Gnosticism-Docetism which involves denying God came in the flesh. I think that the refusal of Hollywood to acknowledge Caviezel's performance was much more about the who than the what. Because Gibson and Caviezel had chosen to create a cinematic masterpiece about Jesus, the easiest thing to do was to ignore it and hope it went away. Of course, we all know that this movie did not go away and became, at the time, one of the top grossing movies of all time. It is still ranked in the top 15 all-time. Do you remember how entire congregations attended the movie as a community? In fact, it was staged at several mega-churches so that people could view it and then discuss it. These were not only Catholic Churches, which somehow left it to individuals to make the trip to the movie-plex, but Full Gospel, Evangelical, Non-denominational congregations as well as  small, mainline Protestant churches.Gnostic ideas found a Jewish variation in the mystical study of Kabbalah. The Kabbalists took many core Gnostic ideas and used them to dramatically reinterpret earlier Jewish sources according to this new influence.While Kabbalah shares several themes with Gnosticism, such as a multiplicity of heavenly levels and archetypes and the importance of mystical knowledge of these, it does not reflect the distinctive Gnostic belief that the material world and the Hebrew Bible are the work of an inferior and malevolent deity. Rather than describing Kabbalah as a form of Gnosticism, it would be more accurate to describe both Kabbalah and Gnosticism as members of a family of Neoplatonic/Neopythagorean Oriental mystical traditions.A heretical doctrine  of Christianity, Docetism is the belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was His crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality He was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die. This belief treats the sentence "the Word was made Flesh" (John 1:14) as merely figurative. Modern day Docetism has taken over Hollywood and infiltrated the movie industry. How can it be changed? Simply by using the tools that Docetists love most, money. We as Christians have shown that we will support a movie about Jesus. We need to continue to press Hollywood to make the types of movies we want. Along with the generic, fluffy "comedies" they are making, we need to demand that movies of substance be made about the themes we value: life, morals, values and Jesus. As we approach the holiest time of the year for the Church, let us also think about all of our choices. The things we "purchase" are sending a clear symbol to the Gnostics of today. Are you "voting" for God?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Gentle Art of Holy Surrender

In the quiet, dusty corners of our hearts, we often harbor blueprint drafts of how we think our lives should unfold. We carefully map out our timelines, hoping for a smooth path, and it is only natural to feel a bit lost or weary when a sudden storm alters our course or a door we prayed would open remains closed. Yet, our Lord does not stand at a distance during these moments of uncertainty; He is a tender Shepherd who walks beside us, gently whispering, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" ( Jeremiah 29:11). When our own plans crumble, it is not a sign that He has abandoned us, but rather an invitation to fold our hands, release our grip on the pen, and offer our own quiet fiat—letting Him guide us into green pastures we could never have found on our own. Placing our trust in His loving providence allows us to breathe deeply and find rest, even when the road ahead is shrouded in mist. E...
Post a Comment
Read more

Woman, Behold Your Son

The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Praying With The Five Wounds Of Jesus

I am just beginning to dive into the beautiful, ancient devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus, and I wanted to share a bit of the journey with you. It can feel a little overwhelming at first to look at the Crucifix this closely, but I’ve found such a gentle guide in St. Bernard of Clairvaux . In his Jubilee Rhythm on the Passion, Bernard doesn't treat the wounds of Jesus as distant historical facts or sights to be avoided. Instead, he approaches them with the tenderness of a friend, speaking directly to the feet, hands, side, and face of our Lord. For someone like me who is just starting out, his rhythm teaches that prayer isn't just about reciting words; it’s a holy hide-and-seek. Bernard invites us to literally hide ourselves within these wounds, seeing them as clefts in the rock where we can find shelter when our own lives feel turbulent or heavy. As I start this process, I’ve been practicing what I call gazing and greeting. Following Bernard’s lead, I look at the Crucifix an...
Post a Comment
Read more