Passion of the Christ: Notes on the Symbolism

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[Desdemona]

Are "Traditional Catholic" and "Roman Catholic" synonyms?

The traditionals are a subset, actually. There are a lot of people who do not like all the new age crap that has invaded the church, so we are called traditionals. Not to be confused with schismatics or sede... I can't spell it, but those are the people why deny that JPII is the legitimate successor of Peter and do nothing but criticize what he has done. A lot of times they are lumped together, but truly they are not the same.

[ninenot]

Good stuff!

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Fantastic. The single best post on The Passion that I have read I am certain. Bravo!

Also of note is Christ's image in blood on the girl's towel that tends to Him.

[franky]

I had seen someone else post about the altar and Jesus sitting in the middle of it to show the strength of the altar and the sacrifice (Jesus) would be on it.

I personally thought that the water that Jesus splahed on Mary as they came towards the camera was an indication of Baptism cleansing

[franky]

Yes, that was a scene where one had to know that Christ' image would be on St Monica's towel. She held it at her lower side and if you did not look, you may have missed it.

[AnAmericanMother]

St. Veronica, actually. St. Monica was St. Augustine's mother. Her name means "true image."

Veronica was holding it in both hands, low and slightly spread in front of her. I knew to look - the image was as you might imagine from a napkin being pressed against (rather than wiped across) a very bloody face. I noticed that Caviezel was careful to blot the napkin gently against his face rather than scrub.

This is one of those multi-layered movies you can watch again and again.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Yes, that was a scene where one had to know that Christ' image would be on St Monica's towel

I am uncertain where you got the St Monica reference. This was what I found on her; http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintm04.htm

[Askel5]

I ran across a couple I posted elsewhere while banned which I'd really like to post here. I'll flag you. About 3-4 little good reads I distilled from a little book on the Trinity.

[DallasMike]

During the flagellation, one of Jesus' ribs is exposed ~ New Adam.

Also a reference to Psalm 22 -- "I can count my bones."

[abigail2]

What is the meaning of the ravin pecking out the eye of the thief on the cross?

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Facinating Read Ping.

Normally I don't ping, but for this I made an exception.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Traditional Catholics are Roman Catholics who worship the way the Church did before Vatican II.

[philosofy123]

Thanks

[syriacus]

Normally I don't ping, but for this I made an exception.

I'm very glad you did. Thank you. This will be especially interesting to my college age daughter, who has many questions about the symbolism in the movie.

[Askel5]

That's one reason (among a couple) I'll be seeing the film again during Holy Week.

Unlike many, I don't have a problem with the demonic's "bleeding through" the plane of reality in the film. It seems to me that -- particularly given Satan's anguished cry and angry shrieking at what seems an empty, after all, representation of the same circle of Golgotha in hell -- it's possible Satan and the other evil spirits who prey on men had their faces fixed for triumph when the stupid Christ chose to sacrifice himself.

I see no reason they wouldn't have converged and, in some respects, overstepped their bounds somewhat with the hubris of what seemed to them certain victory.

So ... on that strictly personal interpretation, I see the raven's beginning to feast upon Gesmas as the natural complement to Dismas's choosing Christ. The black raven is merely claiming his own.



But more important than any personal spin one might attach to the moment, I liked the scene as a reminder of the torments being crucified entailed.

I sat for a couple hours -- sweaty, tired, in pain -- at a little podunk bus stop in Palencia last September while walking the Camino in Spain. As they had ALL DAY, the flies kept crawling on my face ... it was like a scene from "Once upon a Time in the West"

And it was there, finally, after throwing fits for last 40 kilometres over the unpleasantness of moscas ... that I decided to turn the experience into yet another meditation on the Passion. Perhaps no one's eyes were gouged out or their bodies pecked (as did happen, no doubt) the afternoon Christ hung on the cross. But I'm pretty sure that blood attracted flies which no man hanging on a cross was able to swat away.

Lots of attention given to the "overly violent" scourging scene. By the time you get to the cross, most are more interested in arguing over whether the nails were placed in the hands or wrists.

But -- though I did think it a bit of apt symbolic symmetry as both thieves made their choices -- I think perhaps our wondering at the "symbolism" of an act which most certainly was a matter-of-course event for any man hanging for a day or more on the cross is maybe misplaced.

Not all birds circle in wait until the animal has become carrion.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

It was my pleasure, I am so glad this affected you as it did me. I also copied it to an email and sent it to everyone I know who's seen it.

[MudPuppy]

For you here.....

[AlbionGirl]

Thanks for the ping, and it was an interesting read. My own thoughts on a couple of things in the movie go as follows:

While watching satan with the baby in its arms, I couldn't help but get the impression that that is what a baby would look like who was conceived by a couple dead 'undead' people. Conception from the tomb; the baby had an old face, as if the starting point of its life was 100 years.

Then a few days later, I kept thinking that the baby might have symbolized the anti-Christ. Don't know what Catholocism teaches about the anti-Christ (though I should, as I'm Catholic), so maybe I'm way off the mark here.

One last comment/question: why is Judas' action termed a denial and not a betrayal? That seemed off and odd to me.

[Neuromancer]

Thank you for the ping, wonderful read..