Join us for the last Face the Truth Half-Day tour of 2003 on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at Adams and Wacker. Second stop is Daley Plaza at 10:00 a.m. until noon.
Great Picket Saturday
Our hat is off to eighty stalwarts who showed up Saturday for the protest, picket, prayer vigil and counseling at Albany abortion mill on Elston. At least one baby was saved when a couple saw the Baby Malachi picture and stopped to talk with our counselors. There were as many as three other saves that we know about.
Five-hundred leaflets were handed out in the neighborhood around the mill. Locals were alerted to the 24-hour prayer vigil at the mill this Saturday, Nov. 22, with Our Lady of the New Millennium statue. Mass will open the vigil at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and close it at 8:00 a.m. Sunday. Call for information at 773-777-5303. Don’t miss it. A candlelight devotion is from midnight to 7 a.m.
Another Pro-Abort “Catholic” Governor
The new Governor-elect of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, seems to be a clone of Michigan’s Gov. Jennifer Granholm — a so-called devout, practicing Catholic who supports abortion. When will they ever learn?
Hard to Comment on The Passion
I apologize for not reviewing Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ on the Weekend Action News Hotline. I saw the full two-hour production last Thursday in Washington DC. The film portrays the last twelve hours of Christ’s life on earth.
There were about forty of us at the private showing, and about twenty stayed for a discussion afterwards. It is not an easy film to comment on because it is not like any film we have ever seen. Some of those present had seen it as many as sixteen times, and say each time they see it they get something new out of the experience. You are drawn into the mystery of the suffering of Christ in a very graphic but also meditative way that leaves the viewer stunned and silent.
The film follows the Gospel narratives rather closely but with some allowance for symbolism and some creativity on the part of the director, such as the presence of Satan in different guises throughout the film, and extensive brutality throughout Christ’s arrest, trial and the way of the cross.
The crucifixion is extremely graphic. Much of the physical assault on Christ seems to be garnered from evidence on the Shroud. The powerful message is that Christ willingly underwent the passion, and Mary’s clear understanding of His mission and her part in it, is very evident. Mary’s role in the film is critical to understanding Christ’s passion, and the actress who portrays her is excellent.
While the audience was stunned into silence and sat quiet at the end of the film, during the discussion following, it became clear that there was some disagreement with some features of the production, some unanswered questions and a few suggestions. Some were not totally happy with the translation in the subtitles, but most agreed that since the languages were foreign it was a benefit to use subtitles. We were able to understand most of what the Romans were saying, but got totally lost in the Aramaic, except for some phrases from the gospels of Holy Week, such as Christ’s prayer from the Cross, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabactani?“
The film has a U.S. distributor, Newmarket, and will be seen worldwide. It starts in theatres in the U.S. on Ash Wednesday, February 25. This is a film everyone should see. It shows not only what Christ went through for our salvation, but captures His determination and even enthusiasm in paying the enormous price of pain, suffering, betrayal and humiliation to make our Redemption possible.
As to the charge that the movie is anti-Semitic, this is a pure ploy. It is true that the Sanhedrin was involved, and Caiaphas does come off looking bad, but so do the Romans, who carry out Pilate’s cowardly sentence with unspeakable brutality. Pilate’s part is played well as are, in fact, all of the parts.
But this isn’t a film you can really summarize. Scenes keep coming back to haunt the viewer, but all in all it is a very positive and important movie. One person who has seen it multiple times told us it has changed her life, and given her a kind of peace she has never known. Some still have some minor objections to the film in its almost completed form, but the importance of this film can hardly be overstated.
Pitiful Pat
Patricia Ireland, formerly NOW head and YWCA chief, is going to head up Carol Mosley Braun’s bid for President. Pat sure knows how to latch onto lost causes.
Sun-Times Supports Embryo Experimentation
A pitiful Chicago Sun-Times editorial Monday supports use of frozen embryos for medical experiments and introduces some startling freshly crafted statistics, that 72 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of pro-lifers also support such use. They admit that Pope John Paul II calls medical procedures involving removal of stem cells from embryos “morally contradictory,” but apparently the Sun-Times editors know better than Pope John Paul.
