ZGram - 1/16/2004 - "'The Passion: 'Behold, I make all things new.'"

[zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org]

Zgram - Where Truth is Destiny:  Now more than ever!

January 16, 2004

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

The Communist era brought more grief into this world than any other 
time in human history, and I am certainly not fond of its leaders - 
or instigators.  Among them, the name of Lenin looms large, and I 
condemn him with as much revulsion as I feel for those who were his 
fellow travelers.  Today, the man looks "benign" only in comparison 
with Stalin, who was a soulless monster in the disguise of human 
form. 

However, I have to admit that when I come across the name of Lenin, 
there is a story overlay within my heart that colors everything.  I 
read it many years ago, and it has never left me. 

And it is this:

His older brother, a young anarchist involved in the plotting to 
topple a Russian Czar, was caught and sentenced to be hanged. 
Traditional history books describe him as a quiet and studious young 
man, only marginally guilty yet chosen by fate to pay with his life 
for what he stood accused of having done.  I have no way of knowing 
the extent of his involvement - he might indeed have been guilty. 
Who knows?  He might have been just foolish, as many young anarchists 
are.

What stayed with me, however, was not the question of his innocence 
or guilt - it was a vividly and rather poignantly described scene of 
the very last hour of his life.  On his way to surrender himself to 
the hangman, his mother stumbled alongside him, talking to him, 
giving him strength to face death by clinging to the knowledge of her 
love.  Is there a human being on this earth who can't identify?

This scene of a mother walking her son to his death was a profoundly 
wrenching experience for Lenin, then still a teenager.  It set the 
course for his entire life.  It set it in cement.  From then on, as 
far as he was concerned, the Czars would pay the price - and so they 
did.  He saw to it.  When payback came, it was gruesome. 

I have often wondered how future global developments might have 
turned out if this scene had not happened to influence the course of 
history.  I am telling you this because I believe that Mel Gibson's 
masterpiece, "The Passion", will similarly impact on our future, 
quite possibly as a much-needed antidote to all the rivers of blood 
that must be laid at Communism's doors.   As Ernst is fond of saying: 
"The universe is out of whack.  The universe must right itself before 
there will be peace."

I haven't seen this film yet, of course.  I cannot say if I agree or 
disagree with the review below,  but let nobody underestimate the 
truly gifted artist's reach who speaks to human heart of right and 
wrong in vivid images through the inherent power of true talent - to 
borrow a phrase:  "the kind that makes heaven touch earth."

Here is yet another review by Paul Harvey:

[START]

I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been 
invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but 
I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a 
Jewish town and owe  much of my own faith journey to the influence.

I have a life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even 
indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or 
actions. I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion", held in 
Washington DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was 
typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but 
seeming to look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words.

The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the 
room darkened. From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of 
Gethsemane, to the very human and tender portrayal of the earthly 
ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, 
the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender 
on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this was not 
simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever 
experienced.

In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic 
triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and 
emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my 
ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the 
same.

When the film concluded, this "invitation only" gathering of "movers 
and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking indeed, but this time 
from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The 
crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily 
silent. No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate. We 
had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that 
makes heaven touch earth.

One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A 
brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of 
the cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As 
she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, 
falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached 
to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch his 
wounded adult face.

Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving 
eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and said "Behold I make 
all things new." These are words taken from the last Book of the New 
Testament, the Book of Revelation.

Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that 
earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His 
back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful. They had 
been borne voluntarily for love. At the end of the film, after we had 
all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The 
unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as 
astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included 
the one question that seems to follow this film, even though it has 
not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by some to 
be "anti-Semitic?"

Frankly, having now experienced (you do not "view" this film) "the 
Passion" it is a question that is impossible to answer. A law 
professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand and 
responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone 
can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed 
Jesus. It doesn't." He continued "It made me realize that my sins 
killed Jesus" I agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to 
be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be 
among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in 
a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way. 
Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or 
have another agenda behind their protestations.

This is not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only 
to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is 
a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and 
women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic 
Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if 
that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in trouble. 
History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians 
have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the 
greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and 
women. ***The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.*** [MY 
EMPHASIS!]

We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives 
to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who 
followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed 
the history of the world. The problem is not the message but those 
who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love. The 
solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote the kind 
of gift of love that is Mel Gibson's filmmaking masterpiece, "The 
Passion." It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend 
to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate 
about "The Passion." You will be as well.

Don't miss it! 

[END]