Posted on 12/04/2006 7:52:47 PM PST by Pyro7480
'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children
By John-Henry Westen
NEW YORK, December 4, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A review of New Line Cinema's The Nativity story by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger of the Franciscans of the Immaculate in the United States, points out that the film, which opened December 1, misinterprets scripture from a Catholic perspective.
While Fr. Geiger admits that he found the film is "in general, to be a pious and reverential presentation of the Christmas mystery." He adds however, that "not only does the movie get the Virgin Birth wrong, it thoroughly Protestantizes its portrayal of Our Lady."
In Isaiah 7:14 the Bible predicts the coming of the Messiah saying: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." Fr. Geiger, in an video blog post, explains that the Catholic Church has taught for over 2000 years that the referenced Scripture showed that Mary would not only conceive the child miraculously, but would give birth to the child miraculously - keeping her physical virginity intact during the birth.
The film, he suggests, in portraying a natural, painful birth of Christ, thus denies the truth of the virginal and miraculous birth of Christ, which, he notes, the Fathers of the Church compared to light passing through glass without breaking it. Fr. Geiger quoted the fourth century St. Augustine on the matter saying. "That same power which brought the body of the young man through closed doors, brought the body of the infant forth from the inviolate womb of the mother."
Fr. Geiger contrasts The Nativity Story with The Passion of the Christ, noting that with the latter, Catholics and Protestants could agree to support it. He suggests, however, that the latter is "a virtual coup against Catholic Mariology".
The characterization of Mary further debases her as Fr. Geiger relates in his review. "Mary in The Nativity lacks depth and stature, and becomes the subject of a treatment on teenage psychology."
Beyond the non-miraculous birth, the biggest let-down for Catholics comes from Director Catherine Hardwicke's own words. Hardwicke explains her rationale in an interview: "We wanted her [Mary] to feel accessible to a young teenager, so she wouldn't seem so far away from their life that it had no meaning for them. I wanted them to see Mary as a girl, as a teenager at first, not perfectly pious from the very first moment. So you see Mary going through stuff with her parents where they say, 'You're going to marry this guy, and these are the rules you have to follow.' Her father is telling her that she's not to have sex with Joseph for a year-and Joseph is standing right there."
Comments Fr. Geiger, "it is rather disconcerting to see Our Blessed Mother portrayed with 'attitude;' asserting herself in a rather anachronistic rebellion against an arranged marriage, choosing her words carefully with her parents, and posing meaningful silences toward those who do not understand her."
Fr. Geiger adds that the film also contains "an overly graphic scene of St. Elizabeth giving birth," which is "just not suitable, in my opinion, for young children to view."
Despite its flaws Fr. Geiger, after viewing the film, also has some good things to say about it. "Today, one must commend any sincere attempt to put Christ back into Christmas, and this film is certainly one of them," he says. "The Nativity Story in no way compares to the masterpiece which is The Passion of the Christ, but it is at least sincere, untainted by cynicism, and a worthy effort by Hollywood to end the prejudice against Christianity in the public square."
And, in addition to a good portrait of St. Joseph, the film offers "at least one cinematic and spiritual triumph" in portraying the Visitation of Mary to St. Elizabeth. "Although the Magnificat is relegated to a kind of epilogue at the movie's end, the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth is otherwise faithful to the scriptures and quite poignant. In a separate scene, the two women experience the concurrent movement of their children in utero and share deeply in each other's joy. I can't think of another piece of celluloid that illustrates the dignity of the unborn child better than this."
See Fr. Geiger's full review here:
http://airmaria.com/
Just out of curiousity, what does the Orthodox church believe about the doctrines referred to as "Calvinism?" The reason I ask is that Augustine and other church fathers saw things very much the way Calvin did. I was just wondering if the Eastern Orthodox have any such tradition.
Absolutely jaw-dropping diabolical idea.
annalex, you can certainly be dramatic in your language
"The reason I ask is that Augustine and other church fathers saw things very much the way Calvin did. I was just wondering if the Eastern Orthodox have any such tradition."
There was a Patriarch of Constantinople who apparently embraced many Calvinist doctrines. He was later condemned as a heretic by the local Council of Constantinople in 1634.
As a general proposition, those parts of the writings of +Augustine which are, at least to me, the source of much of Calvinist theology, were rejected by Orthodoxy as being outside the consensus patrum long before Calvin came on the scene.
Ok. Was just curious.
If I were asked which chapter to remove from the scripture to better de-Christianize it, I'd pick Matthew 5. You?
The idea of spriritual practice and Christian Contemplation has long been part of our religion.
It is, IMHO, a larger part in the East than the West, but there are a great many Christian Contemplatives, retreats and exercises available and ongoing in the West.
I attended one fairly long one in Louisiana and was pleased to share the time with several Protestants.
For more intensive practice, one needs a director and careful direction, as well as a calling to it. But I can't imagine some sort of spriritual practice for all in the Church.
"Through devotion or meditation or whatever, one gets to an advanced religious state where one has reached nirvana or becomes part of a spiritual reality that others in the same faith are not."
What the Fathers speak of is "dying to the self" and having a new life which is completely Christocentric. They say that as we shed earthly concerns and become enflamed and purified by grace, the eye of the soul, the "nous", becomes increasingly focused on God to the exclusion of everything else. I think it is a fair statement to say that some will reach this point, others will not and still others will advance along the way.
"Likewise, when you speak of everything in creation being a manifestation of these divine energies, how is that different from Pantheism?"
I don't think so at all. All of creation was created ex nihilo by God through His uncreated divine energies. In that view, creation does indeed have within it a manifestation of the uncreated divine energies which are from the divine essence. Creation was created perfect. It is distorted by the weight of sin.
"It sounds like through a stronger devotion, work, or some sort of practice one attains a level of being one with God - something that other Christians do not experience."
Ascetical practices, like noetic prayer of the heart, are helpful in dying to the self but as +Gregory Palamas points out, the union with the divine energies is effected not by worls but by grace. Most Orthodox people who are in the least serious about their Faith practice noetic prayer.
"Ok. Was just curious."
Ask away; I'm happy to answer if I can. One thing you may find about Orthodox people. We really aren't very "evangelical" and we aren't offended if someone doesn't agree with our theology, though I must say it does surprise me sometimes when I find some protestant not agreeing with the 7 Ecumenical Councils or embracing an old heresy which was condemned by them. That, however, is my failing. I'll tell you, Blogger, I've learned more about Protestantism in the past couple of years here on FR than in the previous 50+!
At any rate, generally speaking we'll lay out what we believe. If someone wants what we have, great. If they don't, that's fine too. Like I have said before, if that happens, the likely response of a Greek is, "That's nice; would you like another cup of cafe?" :)
Strangley, what usually gets us angry is an insistence that we believe something we don't believe, or adopted an ecclesiastic system we never adopted and are wrong and shpuld straighten out an "submit". I bet you can guess where we get 90% of that from! :)
"For more intensive practice, one needs a director and careful direction, as well as a calling to it. But I can't imagine some sort of spriritual practice for all in the Church."
Interesting. In Orthodoxy we are all called upon to live a life of noetic prayer and spiritual devotion to the extent possibe and we are all advised to have a spiritual father. I do think you are right about these practices being far more common in the east than the West, but you know, the simple devotion of praying the Rosary on a daily basis is just such a practice and virtually any Western Catholic can do that.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power. 44 It is sown a natural (*) body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written: 45 The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit. 46 Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; afterwards that which is spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly. 48 Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly. 49 Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.Note the last sentence quoted: it calls for holiness now.(1 Cor. 15)
(*) Psychikov, lit. of the passions.
By the way, I meant to add that doing any regular intensive spiritual devotion without a spiritual father is positively dangerous.
" Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.
(1 Cor. 15)
(*) Psychikov, lit. of the passions.
Note the last sentence quoted: it calls for holiness now."
That is why we strive to die to the self and be graced by some similitude with Christ here and now. Once we are dead there's nothing we can do in that regard.
my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable; always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.He did not get the pecca fortiter memo.
"He did not get the pecca fortiter memo."
It would seem to be the polar opposite of focusing the eye of the soul on God, wouldn't it?! Very little similitude to Christ, to the "likeness of God" in one who sins vigourously. I suppose the man must have meant something different than what we perceive; I hope he did.
I did some investigating of it first time it was brought up. What Blogger posted a dosen posts above here is what I read before. There was also a letter to Melancthon where the language was a bit more lurid.
The idea is (correct me if I am wrong) that since one is either saved or condemned solely by his faith through the divine election, there is nothing he can do in the course of his life to lose it; and if he has not been saved in that sense, there is nothing he can do to earn it. When one turns away from sin it is because having once been saved he is grateful to God for that and does so in the spirit of thankgiving. When we see one apparently a faithful Christian who goes out and sins, then that is because the appearances had failed us and he had not really been saved.
"Saved" here means a one time sincere committment, like what we read in the gospel occurring in adult converts at the time of their adult baptism. Baptism is a visible manifestation of such committed faith. Another scriptural reference often cited is from John 10, "no man shall pluck [the elect] out of my hand".
The commentary I read here and elsewhere about "pecca fortiter" was that is was a vivid illustration of the doctrine of security of salvation rather than a practical lifestyle advice.
How did I do, Blogger and FK?
In the West, there is a sharper division; however, much spiritual practice, like the Rosary you note, is fairly integrated; Eucharistic Adoration comes to mind.
There is the retreat structure, often organized around a particular practice such as the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. These retreats are usually in the larger cities; or in the case of the one I mentioned, old Jesuit seminaries. Provisions for the laity are a smaller portion of their purpose.
If one is fortunate smaller groups form within the diocese under the direction of the most suitable priest. That's the case in my parish.
As compares to Orthodoxy's 'spiritual father' many have a confessor who often is their spiritual director, whom they meet with regularly. This may include various levels of noetic prayer or other contemplative practices. And yes, intensive spiritual devotion absolutely requires a spiritual father/director.
The West definitely took a more intellectual turn than the experiential East. I wonder if this wasn't natural and inevitable. Both have value, though I would have been more suited for the East.
I also belong to an Anglican spirituality group and agree with the comments on their predispositions vs. other denominations. In the main, Baptists, Methodists, etc., have no contemplative tradition and are often quite hostile to any form of experiential spiritual practice.
This is to their very great loss, and, incidentally, one of the major reasons why my conversion to Catholicism felt like coming home.
"There is the retreat structure, often organized around a particular practice such as the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. These retreats are usually in the larger cities; or in the case of the one I mentioned, old Jesuit seminaries. Provisions for the laity are a smaller portion of their purpose."
At least in Greece its somewhat different and with most matter spiritual in the East, less structured. Pilgrims regularly visit monasteries to spend a few days in prayer with the monks or nuns. I have been invited several times to join a group of lawyers in Athens who go up to the Holy Mountain in the fall for four or five days of it and of course, visiting monasteries is a regular and ongoing practice for most non-city folk in Greece. The monastics and the villagers living in the world exist in an almost synergistic relationship. Its a very spiritual existence. My wife comments that in my maternal village in Greece, the people "walk" Orthodox. Its true in a way.
The real spiritual Olympians are the monastics, however and the champions among them, the hermits. The spirtual power of these men and women is overwhelming.
"This is to their very great loss, and, incidentally, one of the major reasons why my conversion to Catholicism felt like coming home."
I have heard similar comments from Anglicans to orthodoxy. One said to me just last Monday that in Orthodoxy she had found fulfilled all the promises that Anglicanism had made to her.
Not at all. To declare Christ crucified is a long way from hanging His likeness above the kitchen table and painting His skin with blood.
Shall you fall down to the stock of a tree?
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