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In
Search of the Spirit
A
monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office
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Lent 2005
A Lenten Look at 'The Passion of the Christ'
By
Father Steve Pawelk
Once again the journey of Lent is upon us. Last year the movie The Passion of the Christ dominated this season and, for many, it was a significant experience. One of my nieces says it set her on a new path of faith and of making better choices.
Last year it was the film's emphasis on the suffering of Christ that made a big impression on me. But now, a year later, I find myself reflecting on three other people in this film: Mary, the mother of Jesus; Veronica; and Simon the Cyrene.
Mary. Many of my Protestant friends have told me that, before seeing this film, they had not reflected much on Mary's role. The scene about Mary that stays in my mind is the flashback of helping the five-year-old Jesus recover from a fall as she witnesses her grown-up son fall under the weight of the cross. Since Jesus is our brother, she is our mother as well. And that means Mary is there to hold us and nurture us as we fall and get up again during our walk of faith.
Veronica. This woman, not mentioned in the Bible, is part of Church tradition. We meet Veronica wiping the face of Jesus in the Stations of the Cross. In The Passion of the Christ , we see her for only a moment. All she wants to do is a kind deed for a stranger--and a condemned one at that. Maybe just a glass of water to ease his sufferings. When prevented by the soldiers from doing that, she wipes the sweat and blood from his exhausted face. Veronica challenges me to ask: How much am I willing to risk in order to do a kind act to a stranger, especially one condemned by others?
Simon the Cyrene. The person whose story most parallels our Lenten journey may be Simon the Cyrene. In Jerusalem on business, he was at first very reluctant to help carry the cross of Jesus. Yet, bit-by-bit, without words, he takes on this mission. At the end, he does not wish to leave Jesus--but is forced by the guards to do so.
Like Simon we also come to God, to church, with our own "business" on our mind: to be comforted, to offer praise, to pray. But then God invites us to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Carrying a cross is no fun. Yet, in carrying the cross in the film, Simon discovers the love, patience and mercy of Jesus. He also experiences the forces of evil and is saddened by the inaction around him. Though he does not appear in Scripture again, the movie indicates he is a changed man.
Let us be open to God's invitation this Lent to change. Let us be willing, like Simon, to carry our cross with Jesus. And let us remember that our mother Mary is there to help us if we fall--and that there are many Veronicas along the way wishing to offer us the help we need.
Let us pray that this Lent will be a journey of discernment that changes us in ways that not only clarify our life choices but help us better reveal God's love to our world.
