The Passion of The Christ Group Study

Week 4

1. Once again recall Exodus 12 and that Jesus is Himself Priest and Sacrifice.

2. Catholics are not bound to believe in private revelations, even those approved by the Church. The following is an excerpt from an article written by noted theologian Fr. William G. Most:

First, these things are definitely not part of the core of the spiritual life. St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor, is very hard on these things. He goes so far as to tell souls that if a vision comes, they should at first not accept, to hold off and consider its authenticity only if it comes again. The reason he gives is this: faith holds on without seeing proof; those who want visions want to see, not to believe without seeing (cf. Garrigou-Lagrange, The Three Ages of the Spiritual Life II, 575-88 and Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer, 299-399). (Private Revelations: Private Revelations and the Discernment of Spirits by Fr William Most)

3. "My God, My God why hast Thou forsaken Me?". These words should also be discerned in context with the ancient Jewish tradition of the todah. The todah was a prayer that was said in thanksgiving to God for delivering one from a great danger or from a bad situation. The ceremony would begin with a recount of the tragedy and then culminate with glorifying God for delivery from said tragedy. A scriptural example of this may be found in Psalm 29. Notice how the workds of the first are echoed by Christ:

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 2: O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest. (Ps 22:1-2)

However, notice that by verse 24 we have a different tone being used:

23: You who fear the LORD, praise him! all you sons of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel! 24: For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; and he has not hid his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him (Ps 22:23-24)

Also, we should recall that Hypostatic Union. Jesus is both fully divine and fully human.

4. Once again recall Jesus' words from John 6:

53: So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54: he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55: For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56)

Also recall the scene in the movie where Mary and Mary Magdalene wipe up the Blood of Christ after He has been scourged.

5. After seeing all of these miracles, many still did not believe. Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, one Jesus' closest confidants, despaired in unbelief. We see the glory of God's creation all around and yet, many of us still doubt even the existence of God, much less that He sacrificed His Son for us.

6. Recall the woman from Revelation, the "ark of His covenant", and how we are all her children, if we "keep the commandments of God":

19: Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. 1: And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Rev 11:19;12:1)

17: Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. (Rev 12:17)

7. Re-enactment of the Pieta of Michelangelo. An excerpt from an article that appeared on Catholic Exchange:

The Pieta was one of Michelangelo's earliest works of sculpture and the only one he signed. It stands in St. Peter's Basilica, behind a protective glass screen installed after a deranged Hungarian-born Australian damaged the statue with a hammer in 1972.

Considered one of the most solemn creations in the history of art, the Pieta has been the subject for hundreds of artists, most of them created during the Italian Renaissance.

8. Notice in the movie that the music played during Christ's resurrection is a battle hymn. This should remind us of the fact that we are the Church Militant, sent forth by Christ to proclaim His Word throughout the world.

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

San Jose Bible Study
Alfredo Nevarez
512-916-4755 (Evening)
512-602-0388 (Daytime)
alfredo@nevarez.net
http://www.nevarez.net/alf/catholic/bible_study/