'THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST' AND THE LOST ART OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION

By The Rev. Benjamin Bernier

This generation owes a debt of gratitude to Mel Gibson for having dared use the power of modern media to bring before the eyes of millions the fruit of, what unfortunately has become a lost or rare art, the art of Christian meditation.

The movie begins with an ancient quotation (700 BC) from Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." This is the theme of the movie and runs through it from beginning to end.

After the quote the movie goes on to recreate the events of our Lord's passion from the garden of Gethsemane to the resurrection, with brief flashbacks to relevant material concerning the meaning of Christ's sacrifice in light of his own teaching.

Although it will surprise many, in a sense, there is nothing new in this story. It is a part of the Gospel story that every devout Christian, nourished in the historical Church, has seen in his mind's eye time and time again, as he follows the Church calendar reliving in real time the various aspects of our Lord's earthly life, especially the last moments rehearsed during Holy Week.

In fact, this is a Holy Friday movie. Because of that, it is bound to be misunderstood by a culture which has lost sight of the reality and meaning of Holy Friday in its context on the Gospel story and its implications for the World. Just like Holy Friday, this movie is the kind of experience that only should be undertaken after due preparation.

I believe this is the greatest problem that this movie may present. It will probably take millions of viewers unfortunately unprepared. Since people seldom read any more, and those who read do not meditate, even many Christians' acquaintance with the Gospel's story is superficial and incomplete. Therefore, many viewers will leave the theater in complete shock.

But what can one say? They will only find out how unprepared they were if after the movie they decide to go to a church that understands the value of Christian meditation and learn to read the Gospel with contemplative eyes. Then they will realize that all that brutality has been actually there in the Gospel Story, all the while, with real people of flesh and blood. They will join the countless multitude of Christians through the ages that have been, without watching the movie, already there. With them they will realize that there is even more there than they have yet seen or ever imagine.

"Where you there when they crucified my Lord?" the Negro Spiritual Hymn asks again and again. Michelangelo, Rembrandt, J.S. Bach and countless other artists have been there. We must go there also and face the suffering Christ.

As people learn to read the Bible meditatively, they will discover that not all scenes of the movie follow exactly any reading of the Gospel and that in spite of the historical accuracy of the whole movie many details are not literally registered in the Gospels. They will then realize that they have seen first hand the fruits of the lost art of Christian meditation, i.e., the fruit of what happens when the mind engages the story reading with full devotional attention, and allows the imagination to recreate the story with its many details and shadows, recreating a multidimensional drama including things that may have been there, although they were not recorded, allowing the depth of the real human and divine drama to touch our souls; in a word allowing us to be there.

PD: A Word of Caution

Like the meditations that we ought to do when we close our door to the outside world to be alone with the Lord, this movie is best seen first outside the limits of group pressure. It is too much of a personally moving story, and it would be better, the first time, to go with an audience you will not have to worry about their reactions.

Only children mature enough to have meditatively read the story of the gospels and who have seen in the eye of their minds the reality of the passion should be allowed to see this movie. If your children have not yet cried while attentively reading the passion story, wait until they do. It would be an offense against them to do it otherwise.

The Rev. Benjamin Bernier

02/27/2004