'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children

'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children

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."

Why bother having Christ judge you, anyway.

We have been judged. We now stand acquitted before God by the obedience and justification of Jesus Christ upon the cross.

How you miss this after reading Scripture is one of life's greatest puzzles.

" but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." -- 1 Corinthians 6:11

"And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers" -- Acts 26:6

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

At our death, God will immediately embrace us because our salvation has been accomplished by Christ alone. And all our works will be judged according to Christ's work within us because "faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

And yet for 2000+/- we have prayed to the saints and the Theotokos to intercede for us, as people have asked their friends to pray for them for at least as long

The difference, and it is definitive, is that our friends are alive and benefit themselves from their prayers for us, whereas the various intermediaries and dead saints are all stone cold compost.

Deuteronomy 18:11, 1 Samuel 28:1-25, 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 and Isaiah 8:19 all speak against praying to the dead.

Repent of it.

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself." -- Hebrews 7:25-27

Sorry for the delay. Let me go over these particular quotes one by one.

Galatians 2:16 is plainly speaking of the works of the law and not generically of works. We agree: circumcision or other works of obligation, confessional or otherwise are not salvific.

Romans 4:2. Here we have to explain scripture with scripture and look at how St. Paul and St. James describe circumcision of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac:

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. 30 For it is one God, that justifieth circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we, then, destroy the law through faith? God forbid: but we establish the law.
1 What shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh. 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God.
(Romans 3, 4)
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God. 24 Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?
(James 2)

First note that the context in Romans (and in Galatians) is Christian unity through faith, the unity threatened by circumcision. St. Paul says that Abraham had faith and was circumcised, while a Gentile would have faith but not Jewish law, and that would be reputed to justice. St. James talks of the work of offering up Isaac, and concludes that had his faith been without the cooperation by works, it would not have been perfect faith. So the two apostles do not contradict one another, none of them is teaching salvation by faith alone, and St. James rejects it forcefully.

Romans 3:27 is a marginal reference to "law of works" in relation to boasting. A more to our point statement is in Ephesians 8:8 which you cite next. That clearly speaks to works done for social reward ("boast"). Again, we agree. Whenever works have a temporal reward as motivation, they are not salvific.

2 Timothy 1:9 speaks of divine calling. We agree, God calls whoever He wishes to call. We cannot work up that call. We are discussing the role of works after one has been called to baptism, not before.

2 Timothy 3:16f supports what I say: the Holy Scripture furnishes one to good works. If works were not salvific perhaps "furnished in faith" would have been more apporpriate phrasing, -- but it is not there.

Titus 1:16 simply says that the reprobate, too, are judged by their works.

John 15:16 says that we the chosen ones should bring forth fruit. Indeed fruit is a metaphore for works. It does not say, what you need it to say: it does not say that works is a passive product of faith. Rather, it urges the faithful to do sometihng, just like every other exhortation to good works in the scripture does.

Finally, Matthew 7:14f speaks of fruit, good or evil, coming from trees, also good or evil. This can serve as a prooftext for the predestination of the reprobate, another Calvinist error (it does not prove it because grace tranforms us). It has nothing to do with how our good works relate to faith.

St. Paul, St. James, the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the faith of our fathers are all in perfect harmony. Works of temporal reward and works of obligation are not salvific. Works cooperating with faith are very much salvific. Nowhere does the scripture say that works are a mere byproduct of faith. This is the matter of plain reading of the scripture, something Protestantism has a big pretense of doing.

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