I just had to use that title to make Moi mad : ) It's a direct quote from her (see! there's your credit!) but I claimed it for my blog first. You can ask her for the details...
Life is good! It's a beautiful sunny morning, which is only dampened by the fact that I have to work tonight. There's something about working at night that I just don't like. Or maybe a lot of somethings... But that's ok, because it means that I have the morning off to laze around, sip a cup of coffee and catch up on my e-mail and blogging.
This was the first Easter I had been home for since 2001! Last year I was in Germany (don't get me wrong, that was totally cool!) and the two years before that I was away at school. It's nice to be home for a change. I love being able to go to church with all the people I know and love, have a part in the Easter service, and spend the afternoon with my family (even a certain four-year old who ran around screaming at the top of her lungs, "EGG!!! WHERE ARE YOU???"). I also saw The Passion for the first time on Friday, which was interesting. It wasn't quite as horrific as some people have been describing it. Well, it is if you think about the fact that they were killing an innocent man, but at the same time, it had to happen because it was God's plan. But anyway, maybe I have watched too many movies, but I certainly wasn't hiding my eyes the whole time or anything like people have been saying. It was good though, because on Sunday morning I had very clear mental images and it was easy to be focused on what actually happened, rather than being distracted by flowers and bunnies and pastels.
Well, time to get on with my day. Happy Monday to you all!
4 comments:
Hey Lyd, hopefully this will get some good discussion going. I had a lot of mixed emotions before, during, and after watching the Passion, and I'm curious to know what other Christians thought. To tell the truth, I really just got a bad vibe from the whole thing. I wish I had seen it more recently, it has been a while. As a Catholic production, I don't know why anyone would be surprised at a different set of beliefs from ours emerging in the emphasis of the film. Some of the major things I noticed were what I thought were an over emphasis on Mary, a lack of the message of the Gospel, and a Jesus who really didn't seem all that victorious. I mean you had lengthy, gory scenes of his torture and death, and only one brief flash of a naked Jesus apparently resurrected. Maybe I'm just old school, but I didn't feel like the movie was able to cover the Bible any better than the Bible can. I did feel like the Passion opened up my mind to what pain and suffering Jesus went through in a way I had never understood before. But that isn't really the important part of the story is it? No man took the life of Jesus... It was self sacrifice, given freely, it was God's will that was done. The amazing suffering and sacrifice was in God as man, lowering himself to the point of a common criminal, and taking on undeserved sin.
I may have been predisposed to being critical of the movie, I must say. For example I knew that the actress portraying Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci) is a well known Italian porn actress, as are several of the other actresses. Was that the best casting Mel Gibson could come up with? I also knew that he based the movie largely on the visions of Roman Catholic nun-mystics St. Anne Catherine Emmerich and Mary of Agreda, rather than solely on scripture. Regarding the visions of Emmerich, Gibson said, “She supplied me with stuff I never would have thought of”
Wow, I could go on and on, but this is going to be ridiculously long. What does everyone else think? I would like to say that I don't totally condemn the movie or anything, and was glad I saw it. But I think it is one that should be seen and taken with a big grain of salt, valuable for discussions like this, and for bringing us back to the source, the Word of God.
Let me know what y'all think:)
It all started because I wanted to leave a message on Russ's blog. Now I am reading everyones blog and leaving more comments. (like any addiction I fear it may start out small and grow. I trust you do not mind Lyd.
Regarding The Passion of the Christ. I watched it with my grandmother last spring and found myself quite wrapped up in it. But on one hand I have really good "suspension of disbelief" and on the other hand I, (as should all of us 'peculiar people'), have a personal connection to the sufferings and sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour.
My grandmother is Catholic, and while I can say that I am not nor ever will be Catholic, she was a great companion to watch it with. Boy do I ramble...sorry. The bottom line is: Great movie, brought the sufferings of Christ home to me in a way that I will never forget. Particularly the "stripes", wow. I was worn out when the movie was over and while I was not crying like the gentleman next to me, I was close to it.
Sure, seeing Satan wander around looking like Jabba the Huts assistant and carrying some sort of changeling, the other "extra" biblical parts was disturbing...but Jesus was not blasphemed and his work on the cross was not made light of. I would not show it instead of reading the inspired, (and accurate) account as shown in scripture.
What do ya'll think of that?
Thanks for your "virtual hospitality" Lyd.
Thanks guys, for your comments. I'm excited that my blog can be the host of a good discussion!
I must say, I was a little skeptical going into the movie, especially after hearing about all the hoopla it caused last year. It seems that Mel Gibson did a pretty good job though, dispite his sources. It seems that the only parts he really fudged on were elements of dramatic license. The whole satan thing did kind of weird me out though- but I must say, it was interesting to think about it from the perspective that Jesus was being tempted the entire time to play his trump card and show them all just how wrong they were.
Watching his torture brings out the dilemma between feeling pity for his unjust sufferings, and feeling relief and gratitude that he took it all for us. It's hard to know how to react to something like that. You can't really feel that it's unfair, because God is the most just being ever, and He ordained it. It's also hard to watch something like that and feel victorious, because it was supposed to be us in that position. Thoughts?
This conversation reminds me of "claymation". Very long pauses while our faces get made for the next move.
When my grandmother and I were walking out of the theater, she remarked that she could not understand how people could inflict such pain on another person. The amazing thing is that WE inflicted all of that pain and suffering. We handled the scourges, the crown of thorns, drove the nails, spat and beat Him. While the "agents" were also guilty for what they did, I was struck by the idea that even if I was the only one that Christ died for, he would have still have had to suffer as he did. My sin is so wicked, my rebelion so complete that all of that would have been neccessary for ME. Praise God that Christ died for a chosen people, (not just me), but the thought remains convicting.
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