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February 10, 2004
To the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Atlanta,
And to All People of Good Faith
Dear Friends in Christ,
On. Wednesday February 25th, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, and the
beginning of the Lenten Season for the year of our Lord, 2004. As good
Catholics do every year, we will undertake during the ensuing forty days,
special acts of penance, including, as our Lord has taught us, prayer,
fasting, and the giving of alms. We do these things to clear our minds,
and to dispose our souls to accept more readily, the gift that Jesus
Christ, the Son of God has made us
His
life and His death
His
suffering, and His redemption of all mankind.
This year, there is a special event which can help to make this Lent
unlike any before, and perhaps, change us permanently, in the way we
visualize and attempt to share in the great love our Lord has shown us.
This event is the release of the film, The Passion, conceived,
produced and directed by Mel Gibson.
Last summer Mel Gibson brought his film to Atlanta, and shared it with
a small number of local religious leaders. At that time, I was able to
talk at length with Mr. Gibson privately, and I am completely convinced
that his motive in making this film was entirely religious, and that it
manifests what I consider to be his sincere faith and devotion. I am also
impressed by the willingness with which he faced the monumental challenges
of accurately depicting the Gospel events surrounding the Passion of our
Lord, as well as his courage in answering the opposition which such a
depiction has and will continue to provoke.
Mel Gibson's understanding has been enlightened by the understanding of
the Church. Specifically, in his depiction of the capture, the trial and
the condemnation of Jesus Christ, no one bears the blame exclusively
neither the Jews, nor the Romans, nor the Herodians. Our Lord's sufferings
and death are the result of one thing, and one thing only
the
presence of evil in the world as a result of sin, the weakness of men and
women when overcome by the temptations of Satan. All people bear the blame
for our Lord's suffering and death
all
people should feel sorrow or contrition that Christ's innocence is the
only worthy sacrifice to atone for our sinfulness. These are hard lessons
for us to bear at the best of times, for we are so proud; and these are
almost impossible lessons for our modern culture, which seems devoted to
the complete denial of sin and evil. Mel Gibson's desire is to show that
sin and evil do exist, that Satan is real, and that only by humbly
participating in the merits gained by our Lord, only by seeing, by feeling
and by sharing in His suffering and death do we gain the grace, the gift,
of being made worthy
again to share the company of God. This
is a gift that Jesus Christ made to all men and women
His
gift does not consider race or creed
His
gift embraces all who embrace Him. The blame for His death is upon the
heads of all the children of Adam and Eve. And if there is one who can be
said to condemn Him, then it is the one whom Jesus called "a murderer from
the beginning"
Satan.
I believe that all people should see this film. And as your bishop, I
would urge all Catholics of the Archdiocese of Atlanta to see this film.
But do not expect to view it objectively or without being changed. It will
not leave you the same person you were before
you
will never again not be able to picture the scope of our Lord's suffering,
and the terrible price He paid in order to save us. And consequently, you
will never again be able to think of yourself as being innocent, or only
relatively involved in the events of His Passion. That is a result of the
true artistry that Mel Gibson has brought to the production, along with
the work of an amazing cast, and cinematography that elevates this film to
a place among the greatest ever made. But most importantly, it is a result
of Mel Gibson's faithful adherence to the words and the spirit of the
Gospel.
One important caution must be given. This movie is not for children,
and by that, I specifically mean children who have not yet achieved an age
to understand the graphic violence that can be done by humans to other
humans, and to themselves. It would be unwise for me to try and decide
what age that might be
and
it is a responsibility that I consider to be the inviolate privilege of
mothers and fathers. To be safe, I would suggest that no children under
high school age should see this film, unless their parents have seen it
first, and give their consent. In any case, young people will need to rely
upon the counsel of older men and women, as well as priests, and educators
of the Church, in order to absorb the impact of this film.
Dear friends, the lesson of The Passion is terrible
and
beautiful
to behold, but the truth of accepting and making this lesson a part of our
own lives, is to gain deeper faith in the ultimate outcome of Christ's
purpose in coming among mankind
His
victory over death
our
death
"...to give his life as a ransom for many." May this magnificent film, a
gift from God, help us to learn what we need to know, and may our Lenten
and Easter celebrations this year, bring us an abundance of contrition,
repentance, and new-found hope in the power of Jesus Christ to save us,
and give us eternal life.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend John F. Donoghue
Archbishop of Atlanta
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