Bottom line: It’s totally cool how so many people unite to defend the heroine, Bella.

Positive value: Risking your life to protect the person you love.

Romantic and scary, the Twightlight series continues. I like the fact that Edward and Jacob sacrifice so much to try to protect Bella and make her happy. Bella’s desire to want to live forever with Edward is beautiful, but confusing. How can she want to become a vampire? Regarding the vampire family of which Edward is a member the series continues to highlight the internal conflict of people who have become vampires yet fight to overcome the strong instinct to kill and murder. Their effort is heroic, but Bella’s desire to become one of them is troublesome. In this installment she explains that she has always felt inadequate and out of place in the human world, so she thinks that her desire to be a vampire like Edward is the answer to that. Of course, it is not that simple, and Edward continues to try to change her mind. He is unsuccessful.

The subject of marriage is also discussed openly in this installment. Bella doesn’t believe in it, because of the divorce of her parents, but Edward insists that they must get married before they “do it”. I am definitely cheering for Edward on this one! Marriage is a life-long commitment, and deserves to be done in the right way.

To see a text only version, please go to Page 2…

It was an exciting moment. Carrie Prejean’s turn had arrived to answer a question from a judge during the final round of the Miss USA pageant. When the question came, Carrie’s stomach turned. The judge wanted to know what she, as the reigning Miss California and the potential Miss USA, thought about “gay marriage.” She knew what the man wanted to hear. But she also knew what she truly believed.

Carrie wondered: should she give the popular answer or speak her conscience? She quickly prayed for guidance.

We’ll get to her answer — and its aftermath — in a minute. But first, let’s take a quick look at Carrie’s life leading up to the Miss USA pageant. That will help us zero in on the point of this lesson: True marriage is worth defending … even when it costs you dearly.

Young love

Carrie Prejean was a shy child but, in high school, she became a four-sport athlete. Her softball team won a national championship. Then, encouraged by her parents, she joined a youth group at her evangelical Protestant church. She found that she loved to learn more about God, his love for her and his love for everyone. This knowledge became a source of deep joy for her.

Her parents and her church also taught her that her faith and her values would be challenged in the world today. She made a personal commitment to Christ and to her Christian values, prepared to deal with the challenges this commitment would bring.

You really think I’m pretty?

When Carrie was 17, some people began insisting that she enter beauty pageants. “I didn’t even know what a pageant was,” she told the press recently. But Carrie had always liked challenges and trying new things. The idea that she could be competitive in a beauty contest stirred her imagination.

Going for it

Carrie isn’t exaggerating when she describes herself as someone who can be very enthusiastic once she decides on a goal. She got the name of a woman who helps organize beauty pageants and called her. When the woman met Carrie, she seemed impressed. She explained the basics of the pageant and gave Carrie some information to look over and some forms to fill out. So it was that, at 17, Carrie entered her first beauty contest … and won!

College!

In college, Carrie continued participating in beauty pageants. She spent her freshman year at a state school, but after prayer and discernment decided that she wanted to attend a Christian college. She transferred to San Diego Christian College, a school known for promoting a strong faith life.

Carrie greatly enjoyed her new school. She saw the environment of faith and intellectual challenge as an opportunity to prepare for the future: She wanted to be a Christian leader. She wanted to help bring Christ to others and make a difference in the world. Most of all, she wanted people to know the deep sense of satisfaction she had found through a personal and prayerful relationship with Jesus.

Reaching out

Besides her studies and her beauty pageant preparations, Carrie also got involved in outreach programs to the handicapped and the hurting. She took part in a ministry to women exploited by prostitution and pornography.

Beauty strategy

During this time, Carrie’s attitude toward beauty pageants was, “Just be joyful and be myself. Be happy with who I am and try to show kindness to everyone else.” It worked. Her successes mounted with each contest. This past November Carrie won the Miss California USA pageant. She was also voted Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.

Prepping

Winning the Miss California USA title was exciting in itself, but it also qualified her for the Miss USA pageant. She decided to take a semester off from school to prepare for the pageant. She worked out, followed a demanding diet and studied many of the topics she might be asked about.

The Miss USA pageant took place in Las Vegas over a two-week period. Only the last day of the pageant, April 19, was shown on national television. Which brings us back to the question that changed her life.

Facing Down Fear

As the telecast began, the host named 15 finalists. Several rounds of competition followed until only five girls remained. For the final round, each finalist would have to answer a question from a celebrity judge. The girls picked judges’ numbers from a bottle and Carrie ended up with Judge No. 8 — Perez Hilton.

This man’s real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira. He is famous for his abrasive personality and insulting commentaries on TV and the Internet. He is also famous for promoting changing the definition of marriage so gay couples can get “married.”

“Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage,” said Mr. Hilton. “Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?”

This was a loaded question. Perez Hilton was setting Carrie up to either cave in to popular pressure or make a fool of herself in front of millions of people.

Or so he thought.

At first, Carrie tried to soft-pedal her beliefs. “I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other,” she said. “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.”

But as she spoke these words, she heard a still, small voice speaking to her heart. Which crown did she want more — the Miss USA crown or the crown Christ wanted to give her?

She interrupted herself in mid-thought. “And you know what?” she said. “I think that in my country, and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman — no offense to anybody out there — but that’s how I was raised and … I think that it should be between a man and a woman.”

Media Firestorm

As Carrie spoke these words, an immediate reaction rose from the audience. Most people applauded, encouraged by Carrie’s bravery and honesty, but there were also some boos. You probably already know that Carrie lost the contest.

Afterward, a famous television reporter asked her about Perez Hilton’s question. Carrie was surprised that such a famous reporter would want to talk to the runner-up rather than the winner. In her mind, what happened to her was simply a side story. She soon began to find out that this was not just a side story. It had already become national news.

Digging up dirt

In May, a celebrity-gossip blog ran a photo of Carrie partially undressed. Her back was to the camera, and the image was not especially racy by today’s standards, but the organizers of the Miss California pageant announced that they were investigating. Carrie, they said, might have her Miss California title taken from her.

Speaking in her own defense, Carrie stated that she had posed for the shot when she was 17 and pursuing a career as a model. She objected to the release of the photo.

“I am a Christian, and I am a model,” she said. “Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be.”

She has also pointed out that she was “naive and young” at the time of the photography and regrets having made the decision to pose for that particular shoot. Maggie Gallagher, head of the National Organization for Marriage — which works to keep marriage between one man and one woman — spoke out in Carrie’s defense. “You don’t have to be a perfect person,” said Gallagher, “to have the right to stand up for marriage.”

“You’re fired!”

The media circus followed Carrie around for weeks. Then, on June 10, the final ax fell. Carrie was stripped of her Miss California crown. This was the title that had gotten her into the Miss USA pageant to begin with.The organizers of the Miss California pageant claimed Carrie had not been cooperative in carrying out her duties. Carrie disputed that claim.

“They don’t agree with the stance that I took [on gay marriage],” she said. “They don’t like me. From Day One they wanted me out, and they got what they wanted. … I was very respectful of people even when they slandered me and humiliated me,” she added. “I have not once stooped down to their level.”

With these words, and with her acceptance of embarrassing defeat, Carrie showed the world what Christian forgiveness looks like.

A Crown lost, a crown gained

Carrie may have been stripped of her crown as Miss California, but she certainly can stand tall. She has been given a crown of courage, even if many mock her and call her a hypocrite. She has stood up for marriage at a time when it is extremely important to do so.

Marriage really matters. It matters for all of society. Carrie has done her small part to witness to the beauty and truth of marriage.

Battles ahead

What does Carrie Prejean’s future hold? That remains to be seen. She still has many choices ahead of her.

One thing is for certain: The battle for the truth about marriage will continue. Legal experts foresee a very heated and difficult battle, because, with the approval of gay “marriage” in many states, the Christian view of marriage may be considered bigoted “hate speech” by government.

We Catholics, too, will be called on to defend marriage. Will we have the courage to stand firm as Carrie Prejean did — even when it means losing something we have worked hard for? When we experience loss, we can remember that nothing is truly lost when we stand up for truth.

On the contrary, we help others. Let us continue to speak the truth with love. Christ will give us our crown, and we will know the happiness of having helped others with our lives.

Bible Blurbs

“God created man in his image; …male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: ‘Be fertile and multiply’…”

Genesis 1:27-28

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.

Genesis 2:24

“…for I will honor those who honor me…”

1 Samuel 2:30

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

Catechism Clips

372: Man and woman were made “for each other” – not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons… for they are …complementary as masculine and feminine.

2202: A man and a woman united in marriage, together with their children, form a family. This institution is prior to any recognition by public authority, which has an obligation to recognize it.

1778: In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right.

2333: Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life.

2360: Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman.

Pope Quotes:

“… the need to avoid confusing marriage with other types of unions based on weak love is especially urgent. It is only the rock of total irrevocable love between a man and a woman that can serve as the foundation on which to build… a home for all mankind.

(May 11, 2006)

Marriage is engraved in the human being himself… man leaves his parents and is united to a woman in order to form only one flesh, so that the two may be a single existence.

(April 6, 2006: Meeting with young people)

The sexual difference that distinguishes the male from the female body is not a mere biological factor… man and woman, by becoming one flesh, can achieve authentic communion… and cooperate with God in the procreation of new human beings.

(May 11, 2006)

Thus, …marriage is not an invention of the Church: it is really created right in the moment that man is created, as a fruit of the dynamism of love in which the man and the woman find themselves and thus also find the Creator who called them to love.

(April 6, 2006: Meeting with young people)

Today the various forms of the erosion of marriage, such as free unions and “trial marriage” and even pseudo-marriages between people of the same sex… makes the body despicable, placing it… outside the person’s authentic being and dignity.

(June 6, 2006)

Saints & Heroes

Defended marriage, ‘til death did him part…!

Blessed Peter To Rot (1912-1945)

Peter, the son of a tribal chief, was one of the first of his tribe to become Christian. His family was from Papua New Guinea, in the South Pacific. He was always very smart, and was always a leader, both in school, and at sports.

When he got older, he was sent to school to become a catechist and teacher. He worked to teach and defend the Catholic faith. He later got married and became the father of three children.

In 1942, during World War II, the Japanese invaded New Guinea and imprisoned all of the missionaries who had been working there. Peter brought food to them in the prison camps.

In 1945 all religious activity was prohibited, but Peter continued to fulfill his duties in secret, including teaching, bringing people the sacraments, and hiding the Eucharist in a cave.

The Japanese decided they could win support of the local people by making it once again legal for a man to marry more than one woman. This had been outlawed when Christianity spread there. Peter openly and publicly opposed this legalization of polygamy.

One of his fellow villagers, a man who spied for the Japanese, wanted to take another man’s wife for his own. Peter went to the man’s house and reminded him that marriage was a sacred union that he could not destroy. The man listened to Peter, but became bitter and looked for ways to trap Peter and hand him over to the Japanese. Not long after, the man found out Peter had celebrated a Catholic wedding with two couples. The man had him arrested for breaking the laws about religious practice.

After several months in a prison and a concentration camp, he was murdered by two military guards who hated the Catholic faith. They injected him with a terrible drug and he died a vicious death.

He had told people he was prepared to die for his faith and his people, and so he did. And he became the first native from the South Pacific to approach canonization.

Her body crushed, but her faith stronger than stone…

St. Margaret Clitherow(1556-1586)

In the sixteenth century, King Henry the VIII of England wanted a son very badly. In order to have one, he divorced one wife, had another beheaded, and separated the Church of England from the Catholic Church because the Pope would not approve.

Following this, there were violent persecutions of Catholics, people who chose their loyalty to God and the church over the king, and who were willing to stand up and say the king could not simply dismiss the bonds of a sacred marriage.

Margaret was 15 when she married John Clitherow, a butcher. She had three children, and became a Catholic at 18. Her husband approved of her conversion, even though it could be dangerous.

Margaret became a friend to the Catholics of northern England. She even hosted secret masses in her home. She cut a secret escape hatch from her attic to the neighbors house, so priests and nuns could escape if soldiers raided her house.

Her love of her faith inspired her son to become a priest. He had to leave the country because it was illegal to be a Catholic priest there.

Eventually, Margaret was discovered and arrested, charged with harboring Catholic priests. She knew that if there was a trial, her children would be brought in to court, tortured, and forced to testify against their mother. Margaret also knew that if she refused to plea guilty or not guilty, she would be immediately executed, but her family would be spared a torturous trial. So she refused to plea.

She was sentenced to be crushed to death. Even her executioners were so moved that they could not kill her themselves, so they paid a few desperate beggars to do it for them. They placed a sharp stone behind her back, laid a wooden door on top of her, and piled rocks on the door until she was dead.

Margaret believed in the sanctity of marriage, and that no political pressure could sway her faith in God and love for his church.

Virtuous Verbiage Verification:

bigoted: utterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.

conscience: one’s best judgment, in a given situation, on what is right or wrong. It is our duty to “form” our conscience – this means to learn what is objectively right from wrong, so we can make the right choices.

discernment: a process in which one prays and listens to the Holy Spirit, in order to figure out what the will of God is.

enthusiastic: having or showing great excitement, motivation, and interest

happy/happiness: the sense of contentment, fulfillment, and being satisfied. We become “more” happy as we get closer to God, and we will only be completely happy with Him forever in Heaven.

marriage: the vocation (or life-calling) from God, to one man and one woman, empowered by grace through the sacrament of matrimony, to become united to each other physically, spiritually, and emotionally. This bond is permanent (until death), and it is exclusive (they only unite with each other, never with anyone else). The fruit of a true marriage is openness to children, through which a man and woman participate in the very life and love of God.

naive: inexperienced, simple-minded, lacking the knowledge that one learns from experience, gullible

right: 1) good, just, correct 2) a privilege one naturally deserves or is guaranteed by a government: “the right to life”, “inalienable rights…”, “the right to remain silent…”

slandered: defamed, had one’s reputation ruined by another’s false claims or accusations

surreptitiously: with sneaky and secret plans, especially related to an attack or a trap

Discussion questions:

1. What does it mean to be “tolerant” of others? Did Carrie Prejean say anything that was “intolerant” of others? Were Perez Hilton and the officials of the Miss USA/Miss California Pageants tolerant of Carrie’s religious beliefs? Does being tolerant require that you change your beliefs? Is it possible to “accept” a person without accepting their beliefs?
2. Does the Catholic church define marriage for one man and one woman because it hates homosexuals and wants to punish them for not “fitting in”? Or is the Church really looking out for what is best for ALL men and women?
3. Since God designed marriage to be “life-giving” and “procreative,” is it ok for a man and woman who are married to refuse to be open to having children, even if they are totally capable of doing so?

Journal Writing:

• Make a list of some of the things you believe in the most and feel the strongest about… the kind of things you would be willing to stand up for no matter what. Write about why you believe in those things, and if you think they mean enough to you that you would sacrifice your dreams or goals for what you believe in like Carrie did.
• Imagine you have a friend who lives in a country where there is no freedom of speech or religion, a place where this friend could be arrested for simply stating what he/she believes. write a letter to this friend and encourage them to hold on to their beliefs.

Debate:

Divide in two teams. The debate topic is “Does a government have the right to define marriage without taking into account the religious beliefs of the majority of its people? Is this a matter of separating church and state? Or is this a matter of government taking away some freedoms of religion and speech?”

Activity:

Write letters of support to Carrie Prejean. Offer her encouragement for the many more choices she will have to face as she continues to grow. Find out how to send them to her, or send them to us at O.F.I.A. and we will send them to her.

Fr Jason Smith gave us this awesome Podcast on the Passion of Christ… Check it out…

It is a large file, so be aware it may take a minute to get started…

We like to think that we are really grown up when we can do our own thing. Jesus Christ challenges that assumption. Obedience to God is where the real power lies. It is a different kind of power: the power to set men free.

“By his loving obedience to the Father, ‘unto death, even death on a cross’ (Phil 2:8), Jesus fulfils the atoning mission (cf. Is 53:10) of the suffering Servant, who will ‘make many righteous’; ‘and he shall bear their iniquities’ (Is 53:11; cf. Rom 5:19)”

Obedience is not easy for us. It wasn’t for Christ as a man either. In Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ”, there are many moments in which Christ’s obedience to the Father stands out. Let’s talk about three especially powerful ones.

Agony in Gethsemani
“Let this cup pass… not my will but Thy will be done.” (Lk 22:39-42)

The Gospel of Luke gives a detailed account of the Agony. In the dark, Jesus has his battle about the apparent futility of the Passion.

First, what he is about to undergo seems useless because it is a suffering that human nature automatically rejects; for no one likes the idea of pain. Christ knows he is about to go through the worst type of pain that man can dream up for another man.

Second, Christ’s agony is increased because he realizes that his sacrifice would not work for some souls- those who refuse to obey God and their conscience.

Finally, the gratuitous nature of the Passion makes it seem senseless. It could have happened in another form. However, God wanted to show His love for us in this extreme fashion and wanted Christ to give us the maximum example of obedience: “unto death, death on a Cross” (Flp 2:8).

Back in the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus had been tempted by the devil in the desert. (Lk 4: 13). Jesus had been victorious over the devil in the desert, and the Gospel says that the devil had “departed from him until an opportune time”. That opportune time is now, when Jesus is to make His final decision to obey the Father to the last consequences.

That decision was made in prayer, as must our decisions. Here we find our Lord giving the perfect example of how to live our lives. Prayer is not a superfluous addition. Prayer is essential to human existence because we are creatures of God, in need of Him. We are not doing God a favor when we pray, but we are receiving heavenly favors from Him when we pray. This is called grace.

There was certainly the temptation of the devil for Jesus to abandon the idea of the Cross and obedience. The movie shows this very well. Jesus overcomes the devil again because He will obey God the Father. The devil always goes for disobedience.

The Scourging
“Father, my heart is ready” (Cf. Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15; Lk 23:16; Jn 19:1).

There are many moments to comment in this moving scene. First, Jesus does not resist when they fasten Him to the pillar. He is not fighting against the Passion, because of His love for us. He willingly accepts suffering to save us from eternal condemnation. He doesn’t scream and kick, or cause a scandal while they literally rip Him apart with their diabolical instruments of torture. It is horrible what my sins have done to Jesus.

There is an especially moving moment which meaningfully demonstrates Christ’s obedience. After the first round of bruising that they give Him with their switches, Jesus falls to the floor. That is the way the body reacts. When they relent from that onslaught, He realizes He is down and lifts Himself back up. “Father, my heart is ready”, He says. Jesus knows that this is the ransom for sin, and He is no sissy. Christ’s love for us is incalculable. “Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man — though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5: 7-8). Loving obedience and obedience for love, that is the mystery of the Christ’s passion and death.

Christ’s death on the cross
“Father into Thy hands I commend My Spirit. (Lk 23:46).

Some perhaps surrealistic happenings during the crucifixion and death of Jesus are depicted in “The Passion”. These are the attempts of an artist to show that all of creation was trembling due to the fact that God, the Author of life itself coming as Man, was being put to death by men. Though this happened in a specific place in the world, it was the sins of all of us that crucified Jesus.

The devil was thinking (his mind so obscured by pride), that this was finally the moment of his victory over Jesus and God. What a dreamer! Jesus, through His humility and obedience was willfully winning our redemption.

Jesus knew he was winning, even though winning meant living all the pain and loneliness that man feels in his soul when he sins. For this reason Christ quoted Scripture from that excruciating position: “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me” (PS 22)? Then to fulfill the Scripture said: “I thirst”. He is obeying the Father, even through what was written about Him in the ancient Scriptures (because inspired by God) was horrible and full of pain! Jesus is able to recognize God’s will wherever it may come from.

Then He finally says the words the audience is awaiting Him to say: “Father into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.” By that time the tension is overwhelming. When will this torture finish? You feel it is not soon enough; too weighty the expectation.

Jesus wanted it that way. He does not measure out grudgingly his love for us and for the Father. He is not petty but magnanimous, because that is not the way his Father is. Jesus shows the depth of true love. No fair mixing in egotism or personal pleasures. Love is obedient and long-suffering. There is no valid substitute. Either it goes all the way to giving one’s whole life, or it is not true love. Small pieces of the heart will never pump life-supplying blood.

Definitions
Obedience- the virtue of submitting our will to the will of God.

Humility- the moral virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness. Humility leads us to an orderly love of self based on a true appreciation of our position with respect to God and neighbors; the virtue of being without pride.

Discussion Questions
Do you think that God’s way of saving us (the Passion, death, and resurrection of Christ) makes God still seem distant and uncaring about man? What do you think this way of saving us shows about how much man is worth to God?

Do you think that God wants to force us to love and obey him? Does the Passion of Christ force us to love God? How does it help us to love and obey God?

In what other moments of Christ’s life can we see His obedience? Why is obedience important in the role of the Redeemer?

As a Christian, to whom should I be obedient? God? Our parents? Teachers? Boss? Husband?

Like Jesus, are my decisions made in prayer?

Personal Reflections/Writing
1. What specific incidents in my life have I been disobedient? Is there a pattern in these? Was it pride that kept me from being obedient? What concrete things can I do to root out my pride?

2. Write a page about the Christian virtue of obedience. Be sure to include some Scripture passages. Cite example of saints living out obedience.

Resolution Idea
Mediate on one of the Bible passages below. How does it speak to me and my life?

Biblical texts on obedience (see a concordance) essential passages: 1Sam 15:22; Jn 5:19; 8:29; Rm 5:19, Flp 2:8; Heb 5:8; 10:6.

After seeing Christ’s self-giving love in the movie “The Passion”, we are compelled to ask how do we individually define love, and what is our society’s view of love?  Love is a word whose meaning has been spun so weirdly in our time that it has in many ways lost connection with the divine meaning. In 21st century America, loving someone means making them feel good, emotionally or physically. Feel good, but don’t bind. The fundamental idea of love binding a man and woman together for life is difficult work, so in a culture that promotes self-gratification, we have chosen to cast it aside.

We’ve broken it not because love is wrong, but because there is something we value more than love- our personal freedom. Freedom has become our absolute good, the highest value humanity strives after. If love binds one person to another, it limits personal freedom. See the quandary?

Everyone knows Jesus is all about love, but all he does in “The Passion” is suffer. In the Garden of Gethsemane, his anxiety and fear press him so intensely that he sweats blood. Is that loving? Lashed by the whip, his flesh ripped by the torturer’s cruel instruments, Christ sags to his knees, blood spattering the pavement. Stupidly, insanely, he struggles to stand, and freely chooses to do so-is that loving? The two torture specialists are driven demonic by this display of courage and nobility, and they unleash all the fury their brawny muscles and metal-tipped leather can inflict. How does this brutality relate to love?

Freedom fulfilled through love

Pope John Paul II teaches that freedom is not greater than love, but rather freedom is fulfilled in self-giving love. Freedom is not man’s absolute goal, love is. Freedom without love is useless, like so many wheels free to roll anywhere; the wheels are useless without a vehicle to harness them-love is that vehicle. Love is far greater then freedom, for a person can be happy without freedom as long as he loves.

Freedom intensifies love, proves it genuine. That is where suffering plugs in. Because genuine love must be freely given, love’s intensity is seen by the amount of suffering it bears-because everyone hates suffering and strives to avoid it. So if a person freely chooses to suffer for someone else, for love, then that love is great. Suffering is a thermometer, which shows love’s temperature, the degree of its reality.

That is why watching “The Passion” moves us to admire and love Jesus Christ. He chose freely to undergo his unfathomable suffering, which forever marks the zenith both of a man’s love for other men, and God’s love for man. This is a love that is best defined as self-giving, as St Paul writes: “He poured himself out for us.” Viewed from the perspective that Christ’s Passion affords, our understanding of love and freedom changes radically. Instead of love giving me something like enjoyment and fulfillment, I look to give of myself, to bring fulfillment and joy to others by serving them, even if in serving others I endure suffering.

Love transforms

Revolutionary- that is Christ’s love. It ignites, breaks up and shakes up our lives. Look at the individuals who were touched by Christ’s love-they all bought a share in suffering, and discovered love. Pilate’s wife Claudia could not prevent Jesus’ scourging; the only thing she can do is offer Mary linen cloths with which to wipe her son’s blood from the pavement. Her sharing in Mary’s own agony upon watching her son flayed alive, opens her to an act of love, offering her friendship to Mary through a humble gesture. Simon of Cyrene’s sharing in carrying the cross opens him to understand the self-giving nature of Jesus’ sacrifice. Simon will not be crucified, is not beaten, but his closeness to Jesus Christ while carrying the cross reveals to him Jesus’ patience, humility and overpowering love for the very men who kill him. Simon’s world is blown to bits, for instead of avoiding suffering, he wants to take it on in order to protect this man Jesus whom he has not known but has experienced.

Freedom’s purpose is revealed in love motivating us to serve others.  Suffering intensifies and purifies love, makes it genuine, real, solid. And the ultimate experience of love IS Jesus Christ, but he is a challenge, the rock against whom the waves of every generation crash and are divided: some follow Christ along the path of self-giving love, others reject Him in the hopes of discovering a self-fulfilling love.  The reality of the resurrection shows us that if we choose Christ’s path of self-giving love, then we will find true peace and everlasting life.

Virtue Verification:

Freedom – the power, rooted in will and reason, to perform (or not) deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.
Love – the theological virtue by which we love God above all else for his sake, and other people as ourselves for love of God.
Suffering – experience of pain, distress, injury. Suffering with Christ is sharing in his redemptive sacrifice of crucifixion.

Discussion Questions

1. One person commented after seeing the movie, “I forgot. I forgot how much Christ loves me- individually, so much so that He suffered immensely to save me.”
   Did seeing the movie change your perspective on Christ’s suffering for your salvation, and the degree to which Christ loves you?
2. What can we do on a daily basis to remember Christ’s sacrifice for us and his love for us? (Potential discussion tips: contemplate Christ’s suffering in daily prayer, especially through the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; make a point of remembering Christ’s suffering for us every time we have an opportunity to give of ourselves for another person.)
3. What does the popular culture teach us about love?  Let’s discuss specific things that  we can do in our daily lives to counter these images within our families, schools, and places of work.

Personal Reflections/Writing

1. Consider a time in our lives when someone else freely chose to sacrifice to help us.  How did this act of self-giving love affect us?
2. When suffering is imposed upon us, how do we approach our cross?   Do we run away from the cross?  Do we remember how Jesus accepted the cross?   Do we pick up the cross, and if so, do we do it joyfully? Do we run toward the cross?

Resolution Ideas

1. The next time we have an opportunity to serve someone in a way that involves true sacrifice, we will choose to do so with a joyful heart, remembering that it is an opportunity to imitate Christ’s self-giving love.
2. The next time suffering is imposed upon us, we will choose to accept our suffering with a joyful heart, embracing it is an opportunity to freely offer our suffering in self-giving love for the redemption of other’s sins.

The passion of Christ – both the historical event and Mel Gibson’s film – begins with the Agony in the Garden. In the film, the devil is watching Christ as he prays, agonizing over the indescribable suffering he is about to undergo to redeem humanity. From beneath the devil’s foot emerges a snake that slithers over to Christ, who is shedding tears and sweating blood. He seems not to take note of the serpent until it is directly beneath him; he then stands and crushes the serpent’s head under his foot.

The crushing of the serpent’s head is but one way Christ conquers evil. For a better understanding of this mystery and the hope it gives us, let’s take a look at some of the manifestations of evil in “The Passion of the Christ” and what the characters’ interaction with evil shows us about temptation, sin, death, and salvation.

Overcoming Temptation

The snake as a symbol tells much about temptation and evil. It is low, sneaky, and deadly, lurking in shadows until it is time to strike. It does not roar, but hisses; temptation – especially a first temptation to violate one’s innocence – is not a loud cry in the open but a whisper in the shadows. If we let it, it can wrap around us, making escape all but impossible, strangling us and cutting off feeling. To be the captive of the tempter is to dull one’s senses, particularly the moral sense, one’s conscience.

So how does Christ deal with the tempter? He crushes it underfoot. He allows it to come just close enough so he can kill it. Throughout the ages, the Church’s symbolic language has assured us that Christ is not alone in this victory: his Blessed Mother in painting and sculpture is almost always portrayed with a serpent underfoot. The sinless Virgin Mary is party to her Son’s conquest over temptation and death.

These symbols are fruit for prayerful meditation: What temptations slither in our lives? Do we try to resist temptation on our own? Or do we invite Christ into our lives, asking Him for courage and resolve, with confidence in his victory over evil?

Maintaining hope amidst suffering

Another striking manifestation of evil comes as Judas Iscariot faces what he has done. He betrays Christ with a kiss but soon suffers deep regret. He tries to give back the thirty pieces of silver and have Jesus freed, but it is too late; he cannot change the course of destruction that he has set in motion. Overwhelmed by his sin and lacking faith and hope in the mercy of God, Judas decides the only way to free himself is by suicide.

From one point of view, Jesus and Judas end up the same way: hanging dead on an old tree. But Judas died at his own hand because he had no hope. He had betrayed his Lord and left himself with nothing but anguish, regret, and despair. The despair is key, because it signifies the total absence of hope.

Christ, on the other hand, suffers an even worse death than Judas except for this: he never loses hope. He is hope. He, God, has decided to accept a brutal death as a way to change forever the meaning of suffering and even death. By offering His suffering as payment for our sins, Christ turns suffering into a means of salvation. By rising from the dead Christ defeats the most radical of all evil — death itself.  This radical transformation renders the devil’s work meaninglessness if we will but “believe, take up the cross and follow” Christ by uniting our suffering with the suffering of Christ.

In our lives, let us resolve to unite our suffering with the suffering of Christ, for the redemption of our own sins and the sins of the world.  And during those times when it appears there is no hope, we can remember to place our hope, our confidence in Christ’s resurrection and His victory over evil.

Confronting cruelty with forgiveness

Another manifestation of evil in “The Passion” is the laughing cruelty of Christ’s torturers. In the face of evil imposed by others, Christ calls on us to ” forgive them, they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:24). Christ is truly the king of mercy.  The Passion teaches us that if Christ can forgive others whom have inflicted horrible pain on him, can’t we forgive those that hurt us?

Confronting cruelty with humility

The mob’s calling for Christ’s death is another manifestation of evil.  Jesus had all of the power of heaven and earth to stop the madness of the crowd, yet humbly chose to follow the Father’s will.  His silence, his resolve to bear the cross, is the ultimate act of humility: God-made-man choosing to suffer the most despicable of deaths.

How often in our lives do we become “part of the mob” out of peer pressure and the desire to be accepted by a group, by saying or doing hurtful things to others?  And when we are the victims of hurtful comments and actions, do we imitate Christ by “forgiving those whom have trespassed against us” and by approaching difficult situations with humility?

Evil will always exist in our fallen world. Christ is the model for how we as Christians should confront evil with hope in the resurrection, forgiveness towards others that hurt us, and humility in obeying God’s will.

Virtues Highlighted

Faith- the theological virtue by which we believe in God all that He has revealed to us, and that the Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself.

Hope- the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Humility-the moral virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness. Humility leads us to an orderly love of self-based on a true appreciation of our position with respect to God and neighbors.

Prayer: Christ, as we face temptation and evil in our own lives, may our faith and hope in the resurrection lead us to resist temptation and evil as You did.

Discussion Questions

1. Mel Gibson said in an EWTN interview: “That’s how the devil is, to me….It’s frightening that it can be deception itself  — that it takes the form of something harmless, but there is a ravenous beast underneath.”

Discuss the status of our culture today:

What temptations does our culture promote, which may at first appear harmless, but in reality cause great damage? Consider TV shows, movies, music, magazines, internet usage, our dress, and our activities.

What are the virtues that we can focus on to resist some of these temptations?

Personal Reflection/Writing

1.  Have there been times in our lives where we were part of a “mob psychology” in just going along with the crowd, not standing up for what we know is right?

What was the root cause of our going along with the crowd? Fear? Wanting to be accepted? Lack of moral courage to be counter cultural?

Was it out of laziness?

2. What situations in my life am I most vulnerable to this type of temptation? Standing up for a person? Standing up for a belief? Standing up to defend my faith?  What virtues can I work on to rid myself of this weakness?

3. Christ deals with the tempter by crushing it underfoot.  What temptations slither near my foot?  Do I crush them or let them take control? At these times of temptation, is my immediate response one of asking for God’s help and looking to Christ my inspiration and hope in resisting the temptation?

4.  When I fall to temptation, am I truly sorry for my sin and do I humbly seek God’s mercy?

Resolution Ideas

Make a nightly examination of conscience considering each day what specific temptations you faced, and whether you were successful in resisting them.

Make a commitment to identify someone who has harmed you in some way and forgive them, both in your heart and through a personal approach.

The next time we face a difficult situation, pray for the virtue of hope, contemplating the reality that by uniting our suffering with Christ, our suffering has redemptive value.

Resolve to go to confession on a more regular basis.

A product of the Roman military, Pilate is a “results-oriented” ruler who finds himself in a most uncomfortable situation; he must determine Christ’s fate.

Should he give the enemies of Christ the blood they desire?  Should he stand up for the rights of an innocent man?  A pragmatic man to whom everything is relative, he simply does not know.  His political skills face a moral dilemma and come up wanting.

For Pilate, the ends justify the means.  He wants to keep peace, to prevent civil unrest.  In his final analysis, the death of an innocent man is an acceptable price to achieve his goal.

Are there Pilates in our own time?

The film compels us to ask whether there are Pilates in our world today.  We have all seen and heard politicians say and do just about anything in the hope of getting votes.  In the 2004 election cycle, some candidates have openly stated that their views will reflect the wishes of the majority, even if those wishes run counter to their personal moral or religious beliefs.  Like Pilate, they hope to give the people what they want.

Corporate executives face the pressure of meeting shareholder expectations, and face the personal temptation of throwing out ethics to maximize personal financial gain.  Some  have given into these pressures and temptations by misstating  financial statements, and in some cases eliminating jobs with little consideration for the value and dignity every person deserves.

A little Pilate in all of us?

In the movie, Pilate is torn.  He thinks Jesus is innocent.  His wife, Claudia, tells him that Jesus is a holy man and should not be punished.  Jesus has many supporters, who will be angry if he is harmed.  On the other hand, the church leaders want Jesus to be crucified; if they are not placated, Pilate might have a revolt on his hands.  And a revolt would displease Pilate’s boss, Tiberius.  How often in our lives do we place strategic objectives such as power, money, or even the desire to be popular ahead of truth and doing what is morally correct?

The Roman Governor doesn’t turn to the law or a moral code of right or wrong to help him.  He sits and hangs his head, asking “what is truth?”  He hasn’t a clue.

Pilate truly is between a rock and a hard place.  And without a sense of truth, he tries everything he can think of to weasel out of a decision.  He sends Christ to Herod; Herod sends him back.  He scourges him; the crowd asks for more.  He offers to release him; the crowd wants Barabbas freed.  In our lives do we at times place too much importance on pleasing others, instead of focusing on the truth and doing what is morally correct?

Pilate washes his hands, literally, of the affair.  But he looks to be a broken man.  Deep within, he knows that he cannot escape his part in Jesus’ fate.  Washing his hands will not bring him peace, will not erase the pain he feels, will not bring him closer to the definition of truth.

He feels the emptiness we all feel when we make a decision without relying on the truth,  without determining what is right and sticking with it.  Like Pilate, we can decide to make a decision that seems to maintain the peace.  But if it isn’t based on the truth, can it really give us peace in the long run?

Definition:

Truth— John 18: 37  “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.  Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.

THE SPLENDOR OF TRUTH shines forth in the works of the Creator and, in a special way, in man, created in the image and likeness of God  (cf. Gen 1:26). Truth enlightens man’s intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord. Hence the Psalmist prays: “Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord”  (Ps 4:6). – Veritatis Splendor

Discussion Questions

1. Pilate believes Christ is innocent, but still allows him to be tortured and killed.  Why didn’t he release him?
2. Pilate tried to satisfy everyone.  Did he satisfy anyone?
3. Pilate asks, “What is truth?”  What does this suggest about his decision-making process?
4. We have witnessed major business scandals in the past several years and business schools are increasingly concerned with teaching ethics.  Are there parallels between Pilate and modern corporate executives who have become embroiled in financial scandal?
5. At times we all find ourselves between “a rock and a hard place”.  Let’s discuss hypothetical and real-life scenarios where doing the right thing may be unpopular.

Personal Reflections/Writing

Pilate joins a very select group of named personages in the Nicene Creed:  The Father, the Holy Spirit, Christ, Mary – and Pontius Pilate.  “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.”  He was one man, but was he in some ways a proxy for all men?  Think about Pilate’s dilemma and how it led to his infamous role in history.

Review times in your life when you made a decision just to keep people happy.

Did it work out?

Would it have been better to simply play it straight?

What choice were you confronted with?

What was the motivation behind your decision?   What were the ethical dimensions of the choice? (why each option is right or wrong)

Resolution Ideas

I will meditate on an area of my life in which I have acted like Pilate, and take a concrete measure to correct this weakness.

There are numerous university websites that offer articles and case studies on business ethics.  A reading of the history around cases such as Enron can give insight to the ultimate results of executives not acting morally.

Do a biographical sketch on Pilate and what happened to him after his encounter with Christ.

Resource Links

For biographical information about Pontius Pilate www.newadvent.org/cathen/12083c.htm

Business Ethics magazine’s site has numerous articles:  www.business-ethics.com/

Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Ethics and Business has a wealth of information about business ethics:  www.ethicsandbusiness.org/

For the history and text of the Nicene Creed:  www.newadvent.org/cathen/11049a.htm

In Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” of the Christ”, we see Mary in a way that is very different from Hollywood’s traditional depiction.  We are used to seeing Mary as beautiful, young, with a warm smile, loving eyes, and of course a character born without sin.  In “The Passion”, Mary retains her sinless character, her sweetness, her gentle manner, but she is no longer the teenager who carried the Son of Man in her womb.

She is nearing 50 years of age.  She has the wrinkles of an aging mother, the worry lines of one who knows the suffering that is to come – but pleads in her heart that it not be so.  Her robe is dusty and stained with blood – the blood of her own son.  Physically this depiction of Mary is very different for us.  Emotionally, however, we may have felt more connected to Mary, as the reality of how Mary suffered in witnessing the suffering of her son speaks to our lives in a more relevant and powerful way.

United with Mary through suffering

We all experience sadness through our own suffering, and have witnessed the suffering of those close to us.  In “The Passion” we see how Mary witnessed the terrible ordeals of her own son being humiliated before the church elders, dragged before Pilate for judgment, scourged nearly unto death, and finally nailed to a cross to die.  We now realize the fullness of Mary’s humanity as we saw the intensity of her shock, disbelief and intense sorrow as she remained with her son into his death.

The ordeal of Jesus’ persecution and death are so horrific that nearly all of his followers abandoned him, yet Mary, Mary Magdalene and his apostle John remained.  What enabled Mary to remain with Jesus and persevere through this suffering? How does the answer to this question speak to our lives today? Mary’s love for Jesus as his mother, and her faith and hope in his divinity enabled her to endure the path to his death.  And 2000 years later it is this same love for our fellow man and faith in God that enable us to persevere through any suffering the world may present.

Often when someone else is suffering, the best way we can help is in simply being with them, and praying for them.  We wish we could do more, yet often we cannot cure the illness or remove the injustice that causes the suffering.  In “The Passion”, Mary knew she couldn’t stop the torture and death of her son, yet her love for Jesus compelled her to remain with him despite the suffering this caused her.  For Mary, her suffering was so intense that she had to be supported by Magdalene and the apostle John as she lingered between consciousness and unconsciousness.

The intensity of both Mary’s suffering and her love for her son are vividly portrayed in the scene where Mary and John scurry through the narrow streets in an attempt to see Jesus.  Christ appears from behind the buildings ahead.  His body weakened by scourging and the crown of thorns; he bends under the weight of the cross and falls to the rocky street.  Mary stops short of the scene.  She slumps on a doorstep, sighing in grief, immobilized by shock and fear.  She knows that her son is divine.  She knows that this was to be his earthly fate.  But she remains a human mother watching her child suffer.

She is brought back to action by a flashback in her mind.  It is an image of Jesus as a little boy, falling and calling for his mother.  Stirred by that memory, she runs to her son weighed down by the cross and comforts him.  Although Mary couldn’t save Jesus from death, she did everything that she could, and we can only imagine how much Mary’s simple act of love meant to Jesus in the midst of his suffering.

Mary as our model for witnessing suffering

Was Mary’s ability to endure her son’s death a story of the past, or does it in some way speak to each of our lives today?  The answer is definitively the latter- for all of us suffer and witness suffering.

Each of us can resolve to imitate Mary in our own lives, by reaching out in love and compassion to assist and comfort others whom are suffering.  At times this can be relatively easy, such as simply spending time with a friend whom is suffering with a problem and may need someone to listen.  At other times the witnessing of suffering may require much greater effort, such as when a loved one is dying from a painful illness.

During the times when our suffering is most intense, we can remember Mary in The Passion. Yes it can be hard, and at times we may feel as Mary did- that we can’t go on.  Yet Mary teaches us that through our love for others, rooted in our love for God, and faith in the resurrection and power of God’s grace, we have the strength and courage to persevere through any suffering the world presents.

Virtues Highlighted

Perseverance – trying hard and continuously despite hardships and obstacles

Love – the theological virtue by which we love God above all else for His sake, and other people as ourselves for love of God.

Discussion Questions

Mary, more than anyone else, knew what would happen to Jesus.  She also had unflinching faith in his resurrection.  Why, then, did she still suffer so much during his trial and passion?

Mary was able to stand at the cross while other fled.  What gave her that strength?

We all have things in our life that don’t turn out as we would like.  What does Mary’s example teach us about coping with our disappointments/sufferings?

At the end of the movie Mary cradles Jesus in her arms, supporting him much like Michelangelo’s Pieta.  Her eyes rise and look directly outward, directly at us.  Her eyes seem to ask:  why?…how?…how could you?  How did this scene affect you and how would we answer these questions?

Communications technology enables us to become better informed of the suffering of people throughout the world.  At times the vastness of the world’s problems may seem overwhelming, and it is a natural tendency become desensitized.  How does Mary’s witnessing to suffering speak to these issues?

With our nation at war, some American mothers have faced the loss of a son.  How can Mary’s example be a comfort?

The 12 apostles had following Christ for three years.  They had the benefit of seeing his amazing miracles and listened to his teaching.  Yet, when it would seem he needed them most, why was John the only one to be found?

Contrast this with the actions of the apostles after the resurrection and receiving the Holy Spirit through Pentecost.  What does this tell us about the power of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit?

Personal Reflection/ Writing

A) Was there a disappointment in your life that you felt you simply could not endure?  Was there a time when it seemed that your closest friends, those you loved most, had abandoned you?  Write about such a time and how Mary could serve as a model for helping you to persevere.

B) Write a personal prayer to Mary that you can use the next time you have an opportunity to witness suffering.

Resolution Ideas

The sorrowful mysteries of the rosary give us a wonderful way to meditate on Christ’s suffering during his passion.  Pray those mysteries, meditating on Mary during each of those mysteries, where she was, what she was enduring.

Organize a group to pray at an abortion clinic.  At these clinics the most innocent of life is being taken, and here we have the opportunity to imitate Mary as a prayerful witness to their suffering.

The United States has dozens of Marian shrines.  A visit to one can be a wonderful way to honor Our Lady and grow closer to her.

Resource Links

For a directory of Marian shrines:  www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/shrines/us.html

For a listing of various Catholic shrines:  www.catholicshrines.net

For an illustrated, detailed version of the sorrowful mysteries:  www.rosary-center.org/sorrow.htm

The University of Dayton’s Mary Page has a wealth of resources about the Mother of Our Lord:  www.udayton.edu/mary/