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In Christ <{{{><
        Ron
"Sing to Him a new song ;
     play skillfully , and shout for joy."
                                    Psalm 33:3
-------Original Message-------
 
Date: 02/27/04 01:56:44
To: Woody
Subject: Passion play Previewed by Paul Harvey
 
>>
>> Subject: Passion play Previewed by Paul Harvey
>>
>> Paul Harvey's words:
>>
>> 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 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 Revelations.
>> 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.
>>
>> 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."
>>
>> Please copy this and send it on to all your friends to let them know
>> about
>> this film
>> so that all go see it when it comes out.
>>
>> P.S.  Someone said that Mel Gilbson stated he did not appear in his
>> own
>> movie, by his choice, with one exception:  It is Gibson's hands seen
>> nailing
>> Jesus to the cross.  Gibson said he wanted to do that because it was
>> indeed
>> his own hands that nailed Jesus to the cross (along with all of ours.)
>>
>
 
.

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