Holy Horrors
Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ never made even the slightest impression on me. I refused to watch this Oscar award-winning motion picture not even for the fact that its realistic and convincing ‘Scourging at the Pillar’ scene drove hordes of people to bawl their heads off over popcorn nor for gaining commendation from distinguished critiques like Scott Foundas of L.A. Weekly and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.
Irrefutably, The Passion of the Christ has a brilliant cinematography and cast list. However, the movie failed to openly illustrate Christ as an epitome of vivacity and demonstrate his moral radicalism, charisma and fervent eloquence. Gibson, a devout Catholic and director/co-producer of the movie said that he financed the project because “Whether you're a believer or not, [Christ’s] death affects you.”
The movie, which depicted the last twelve hours of Christ’s life, apparently, is only committed to show Jesus’ agony and martyrdom. The Passion is the Christ is a visual guilt-trip; a graphic and grim illustration of blood, torture, hate, betrayal and torment.
From my twelve years of education in elementary and secondary catholic schools, I was faced with the horrors of the perishing Christ with His broken, ensanguined body nailed on the cross, the El Santo Entierro (the body of the deceased Christ enclosed in a glass coffin), Saint Rita of Cascia with a single thorn buried in her forehead and the persecution and torture of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Binondo illustrated in full color in Christian comic books waiting in the school library’s magazine racks.
Here is a compilation of other Christian idiosyncrasies that I have learned from years of being a baffled (and nightmare-plagued) Catholic:
Perpetual migraine
Saint Thomas Becket, martyr and archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in 1170 by Henry II’s disciples in Canterbury Cathedral after the former had a conflict with the king regarding the rights and privileges of the church. His images and icons depicted him as a haloed friar with a sword embedded on the crown of his skull.
I was ten, in my school uniform, tramping the vestibule of some provincial church when I first encountered his terrifying bust (in consequence of this experience, I developed my present dark nature which never ceases to horrify people, wholesome or otherwise.). Naively enough, I then thought he performed his daily routine around the Cathedral bearing the sword on his head as a form of spiritual sacrifice. Ow.
Bleeding to be redeemed: atonement with oomph
Saints such as Saint Dominic and Saint William would routinely instruct their cohorts to scourge their naked backs. Early monks, who themselves had a penchant for self-flagellation, also began to flagellate their penitents as part of their reparation. Caterina of Cardona wore iron chains which bore through her flesh and took on self-flagellation which would last for hours each day. Such acts, spirituals and monastic hermits maintained, would subject them to mystical ecstasies and visions of heavenly grace.
This brings me to recall the Penitentes of Mexico, an assemblage of supplicants who offer themselves to be crucified every Easter, which is very similar to our local dour re-enactments of Christ’s torment and death every Holy Week.
Perhaps, I will never comprehend how having the body in exquisite pain and tortured state will make one establish a union with that Someone whose ego surpasses all other egos. And perhaps, I will never figure out the underlying principle behind the Catholic Church’s seeming fixation for the morose as reflected from the image representations of its spiritual icons. I am not indulging in anti-Christian sentiments nor am I courting a blue corner seat in hell. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; I am only taking advantage of the privilege.
If truth be told, it only boils down to one thing: No one can and will ever figure out God and what He requires for one to gain a golden ticket to His amusement park.
George Bernard Shaw once quoted: “Must then Christ perish in torment in every age to save those that have no imagination?”
With this, I rest my case.
The above article was published in The Benildean, my college's official newspaper. It somehow roused negative feedback considering the fact that my college is a catholic institution. A professor of religion studies sent me the following letter to the editor:
Nailed
With regard to the article Holy horrors [January-February issue by Louella Suque] which focused on belittling Christ's passion, I would like to share my reaction. After reading the article, I ended up with a single conclusion: it ensues rebellion against the view of the Christian world on the suffering of Christ.
In the first place, I respect the writer's agnostic viewpoint. If I were to deconstruct myself from my indoctrination as a Roman Catholic, I would perceive her idea that is something correct in her own right. But if I were to uphold my line of thinking as a believer of Christ, I would consider her a contemporary heretic.
However, I noticed that the author has this pessimism with her faith. For unknown reasons, this might have led her to an idea that is against the typical view on the Passion [of the Christ]. Perhaps what she is trying to emphasize is that there should be no oversensualization of the movie primarily because it would distort a message it really want to express---that Jesus simply died because he was seen as a threat to the power of the Jewish and the Roman authorities. No more, no less.
Such viewpoint lacks depth, of course. With such pessimistic and overly liberal impulses, she failed to view the Passion of the Christ in the right theological paradigm as established by the Church. It is because she only focused on the senses expressed by billions who were moved by the movie, not on why the movie was able to create a strong global impact and call for repentance.
--Mr. Osias Castillanes, through e-mail.
Dear Mr. Castillanes,
Greetings in Saint La Salle and Saint Benilde!
First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude for sparing some of your time to read my column. Secondly, I would like to affirm that while I may uphold a heretical idea of the church, I am emphatically not an agnostic.
I would like to point out that Holy horrors was not a hate campaign breeding on anti-Christian sentiments. It was neither establishing a statement that Christ’s passion is applesauce nor was it belittling his martyrdom. Holy horrors was principally an article about Christian idiosyncrasies and, like what I mentioned in the latter part of it, a personal commentary on my confusion over “the Catholic church’s seeming fixation for the morose as reflected from the [bloodied] image representations of its spiritual icons.”
A truly pious individual need not be bombarded with reminders of his salvation gained from Christ choking up blood for him to completely acknowledge that there is an existing “Higher Being” that he must believe in. The mere fact that eight billion people are breathing and living everyday beyond the evils of life’s atrocities is enough proof that a God, in actuality, exists. If only we have the proper understanding that God’s manifestation is present in every little thing and occurrence that surrounds us, we will be able to freely accept that all we need is faith and we are good to go.
Furthermore, you have also commented that I failed to view the Passion of the Christ (and perhaps the Christian idiosyncrasies I mentioned in my column) “in the right theological paradigm as established by the church.” I only have one argument on that: God, believe it or not, is bigger than your theology.
Thank you for sharing your opinion; it was greatly appreciated.
Louella Suque
Editor-in-Chief
Irrefutably, The Passion of the Christ has a brilliant cinematography and cast list. However, the movie failed to openly illustrate Christ as an epitome of vivacity and demonstrate his moral radicalism, charisma and fervent eloquence. Gibson, a devout Catholic and director/co-producer of the movie said that he financed the project because “Whether you're a believer or not, [Christ’s] death affects you.”
The movie, which depicted the last twelve hours of Christ’s life, apparently, is only committed to show Jesus’ agony and martyrdom. The Passion is the Christ is a visual guilt-trip; a graphic and grim illustration of blood, torture, hate, betrayal and torment.
From my twelve years of education in elementary and secondary catholic schools, I was faced with the horrors of the perishing Christ with His broken, ensanguined body nailed on the cross, the El Santo Entierro (the body of the deceased Christ enclosed in a glass coffin), Saint Rita of Cascia with a single thorn buried in her forehead and the persecution and torture of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Binondo illustrated in full color in Christian comic books waiting in the school library’s magazine racks.
Here is a compilation of other Christian idiosyncrasies that I have learned from years of being a baffled (and nightmare-plagued) Catholic:
Perpetual migraine
Saint Thomas Becket, martyr and archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in 1170 by Henry II’s disciples in Canterbury Cathedral after the former had a conflict with the king regarding the rights and privileges of the church. His images and icons depicted him as a haloed friar with a sword embedded on the crown of his skull.
I was ten, in my school uniform, tramping the vestibule of some provincial church when I first encountered his terrifying bust (in consequence of this experience, I developed my present dark nature which never ceases to horrify people, wholesome or otherwise.). Naively enough, I then thought he performed his daily routine around the Cathedral bearing the sword on his head as a form of spiritual sacrifice. Ow.
Bleeding to be redeemed: atonement with oomph
Saints such as Saint Dominic and Saint William would routinely instruct their cohorts to scourge their naked backs. Early monks, who themselves had a penchant for self-flagellation, also began to flagellate their penitents as part of their reparation. Caterina of Cardona wore iron chains which bore through her flesh and took on self-flagellation which would last for hours each day. Such acts, spirituals and monastic hermits maintained, would subject them to mystical ecstasies and visions of heavenly grace.
This brings me to recall the Penitentes of Mexico, an assemblage of supplicants who offer themselves to be crucified every Easter, which is very similar to our local dour re-enactments of Christ’s torment and death every Holy Week.
Perhaps, I will never comprehend how having the body in exquisite pain and tortured state will make one establish a union with that Someone whose ego surpasses all other egos. And perhaps, I will never figure out the underlying principle behind the Catholic Church’s seeming fixation for the morose as reflected from the image representations of its spiritual icons. I am not indulging in anti-Christian sentiments nor am I courting a blue corner seat in hell. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; I am only taking advantage of the privilege.
If truth be told, it only boils down to one thing: No one can and will ever figure out God and what He requires for one to gain a golden ticket to His amusement park.
George Bernard Shaw once quoted: “Must then Christ perish in torment in every age to save those that have no imagination?”
With this, I rest my case.
The above article was published in The Benildean, my college's official newspaper. It somehow roused negative feedback considering the fact that my college is a catholic institution. A professor of religion studies sent me the following letter to the editor:
Nailed
With regard to the article Holy horrors [January-February issue by Louella Suque] which focused on belittling Christ's passion, I would like to share my reaction. After reading the article, I ended up with a single conclusion: it ensues rebellion against the view of the Christian world on the suffering of Christ.
In the first place, I respect the writer's agnostic viewpoint. If I were to deconstruct myself from my indoctrination as a Roman Catholic, I would perceive her idea that is something correct in her own right. But if I were to uphold my line of thinking as a believer of Christ, I would consider her a contemporary heretic.
However, I noticed that the author has this pessimism with her faith. For unknown reasons, this might have led her to an idea that is against the typical view on the Passion [of the Christ]. Perhaps what she is trying to emphasize is that there should be no oversensualization of the movie primarily because it would distort a message it really want to express---that Jesus simply died because he was seen as a threat to the power of the Jewish and the Roman authorities. No more, no less.
Such viewpoint lacks depth, of course. With such pessimistic and overly liberal impulses, she failed to view the Passion of the Christ in the right theological paradigm as established by the Church. It is because she only focused on the senses expressed by billions who were moved by the movie, not on why the movie was able to create a strong global impact and call for repentance.
--Mr. Osias Castillanes, through e-mail.
Dear Mr. Castillanes,
Greetings in Saint La Salle and Saint Benilde!
First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude for sparing some of your time to read my column. Secondly, I would like to affirm that while I may uphold a heretical idea of the church, I am emphatically not an agnostic.
I would like to point out that Holy horrors was not a hate campaign breeding on anti-Christian sentiments. It was neither establishing a statement that Christ’s passion is applesauce nor was it belittling his martyrdom. Holy horrors was principally an article about Christian idiosyncrasies and, like what I mentioned in the latter part of it, a personal commentary on my confusion over “the Catholic church’s seeming fixation for the morose as reflected from the [bloodied] image representations of its spiritual icons.”
A truly pious individual need not be bombarded with reminders of his salvation gained from Christ choking up blood for him to completely acknowledge that there is an existing “Higher Being” that he must believe in. The mere fact that eight billion people are breathing and living everyday beyond the evils of life’s atrocities is enough proof that a God, in actuality, exists. If only we have the proper understanding that God’s manifestation is present in every little thing and occurrence that surrounds us, we will be able to freely accept that all we need is faith and we are good to go.
Furthermore, you have also commented that I failed to view the Passion of the Christ (and perhaps the Christian idiosyncrasies I mentioned in my column) “in the right theological paradigm as established by the church.” I only have one argument on that: God, believe it or not, is bigger than your theology.
Thank you for sharing your opinion; it was greatly appreciated.
Louella Suque
Editor-in-Chief
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I love that. So true. Unfortunately so many people think not only is God limited to their own theology, but that those who have another theology are either destined for hell or, at the very least, have gotten off the road to heaven.
I did however like Passion of the Christ. I thought it was good not to see the blue-eyed, blonde-haired sanitised version of Jesus that so often appears in Hollywood.
One of the things I tell myself to cheer myself up is that at least I wasn't born 500 years earlier - because I would have been burned as a heretic for sure.
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