Dear Catholic Exchange,
I really appreciate Ms. Nicolosi’s depth and breadth of knowledge about filmmaking. But frankly, I lost interest in her article as soon as she began presenting her views on Mel Gibson’s upcoming film, The Passion.
In recent interviews, Mr. Gibson has made very clear he knows he is going against the grain by making a film in two dead languages (Latin and Aramaic) with no subtitles. Personally, I am very excited about the release of the movie in 2004 because I can see the tremendous impact it will have on audiences.
However, Ms. Nicolosi says she prefers Jesus films that “represent in an implicit way what Christ’s life meant, as opposed to what it looked like. . . .” From my understanding of the recent interviews, The Passion is not going to emphasize “what it looked like” in Jesus’ time, but rather is going to make the audience feel like they are actually there—something Mr. Gibson hopes to accomplish by making the scene as authentic as possible, with no distractions, like subtitles. . . .
Where else do we hear of “actually being present” at the passion and death of Our Lord? It is at Mass, of course. So this movie promises to be an audio/visual re-presentation of the Great Sacrifice. And if viewers recall a few scenes from the movie when they are at Mass, it certainly won’t hurt their internal participation in the unfolding of the events of Calvary presented in an unbloody manner on the altar. That’s what the Mass is all about. . . .
I’ll be in line when The Passion is playing, and my “visual arms” will not be folded, but will be gripping the armrests as I watch Scripture come to life. Ms. Nicolosi should not be afraid to think outside the box. I have a feeling that Our Lord will use this meager instrument to bring many to a deeper appreciation of the Faith.
Lino DeGasperis
St. Catharines, Canada
E5 Brings Healing to A Wounded Heart
Dear E5:
I read an article written by Bud Macfarlane today that was posted on Catholic Exchange. I began reading the article with my eyes, but later realized my heart was doing the reading. I cried so deeply that I have no doubt I’ve entered into a period of true healing. Thank you dear E5 men. God bless you all. I will now participate as an E5 woman and begin to receive the healing your suffering wins for us. I will pray that you be taken into the Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus and never be let go from His Divine Love. My heart has been so wounded. It is now so grateful. Soon it will be healed.
Thank you!
Debby Pitts
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Understanding Purgatory
Dear Catholic Exchange:
My name is Jacquelyn, and I am a student at Cornerstone University. Recently, I’ve been learning about purgatory. I grew up not knowing anything about this topic that has been with the “Christian religion” since the middle ages. On Thursday, I am supposed to give a persuasive speech on the subject, and I would like to ask what I should say to an all protestant audience. I want to make them think and get them to truly search out their own beliefs. My goal is for them to want to learn more about purgatory and to realize it’s not such a horrible thing to believe in. If you could help, I would appreciate it very much. Thank you for your time, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Jacquelyn
Dear Jacquelyn,
We would be delighted to help you explain the doctrine of purgatory. First, let me point out a discrepancy in what you wrote in your email. You stated, “I have grown up not knowing anything about this topic that has been with the ‘Christian religion’ since the middle ages.”
The historical reality is just the opposite. The concept of purgatory was totally accepted and undisputed for the first 1,500 years of Christianity. It wasn’t until the middle ages that purgatory ever came into question.
This happened when Martin Luther balked about it because he felt it didn’t mesh with his theory of “Justification by Faith Alone.” No Christian ever disputed the idea of purgatory before Martin Luther.
The doctrine of purgatory is deeply rooted in the Bible. Simply stated, we are all sinners. Thanks to what Jesus did for us on the Cross, God forgives our sins. Through His sacrifice, Jesus paid a debt for us that we could not pay on our own. Yet, even though our sins are forgiven, we are still left with the stain of these sins. In the Book of Revelation, we learn that heaven is a place where, “nothing unclean can enter there” (Rev. 21:27). Since many who are saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are still carrying the stains from their sins at the point of death, there must be a place where they can be cleansed before they enter the presence of God the Father. This is purgatory. Purgatory is a Latin word meaning “to cleanse.” Saint Paul explained purgatory when he wrote, “If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:14-15). These fires are known as the purgatorial fires. Jesus speaks of purgatory in His parable of the unforgiving servant, “And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailer, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from the heart” (Mt. 18:34-35).
If you ever get to Rome, stop at the Christian catacombs just outside the city. This is where the first century Christians hid from the persecution of the Roman government. To this day, you can find written all over the walls such pleas as, “Peter and Paul please pray for my dead father so the Lord may release him from his sins.” If there were only a heaven and hell, it would make absolutely no sense for someone to pray for the dead. This historical evidence proves that the very early Christians, even at the time when many of the Apostles were still alive, believed in purgatory. In the fourth century Saint Augustine wrote:
The man who has cultivated that remote land and who has gotten his bread by his very great labor is able to suffer this labor to the end of this life. After this life, however, it is not necessary that he suffer. But the man who perhaps has not cultivated the land and has allowed it to be overrun with brambles has in this life the curse of his land and all his works, and after this life he will have either purgatorial fire or eternal punishment.
This is just one of hundreds of quotes from the early Church Fathers that shows their belief in purgatory was unanimous.
For more information, please visit the section of our Catholic Library on the homepage of Catholic Exchange that deals with purgatory. It will explain the subject in much more detail. God bless you and your efforts.
Yours in Christ,
Tom Kyd
Catholic Exchange
