Posted on 07/09/2011 11:50:48 AM PDT by NYer
The remarkable film Of Gods and Men is out on Netflix, and if you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to put it on your queue and move it to the top. It is one of the best films I seen in years — gripping, moving, enlightening and insightful. I can’t think of a film in recent memory that so truly and respectfully portrays the life of faith, the religious life, and most especially the value, use and meaning of liturgical prayer and the sacramental, Holy Mass — how these enhance the life of faith, deepens its roots so that it may withstand the storms that come.
If it begins a little slow for some, especially in our age of shoot-em-ups, stick with it. This is lovely, simple, lyrical and true:
First of all, it is a realistic portrayal of the life of faith. The monks are not perfect; no saint, or martyr, is. Holiness always makes its home in humanity. Occasionally the monks are impatient, tetchy, or short with one another. (“He’s tired,” says an older monk after a younger one has spoken to him sharply while cleaning up after a meal.) One of them thinks wistfully of the life that he might have had “on the outside.” Moreover, the group struggles mightily with the idea that they might be “called” to be martyrs, indeed resisting it until almost the last minute. As anyone would. The life of the believer often involves uncertainty, doubt, and confusion. Two of them are seen, quite distinctly, as “avoiding” their fate. But all try to grapple with what God seems to be asking of them, strange and frightening as it may seem to them.
Second, the movie does not stint—at all—on the religious underpinnings of their actions and choices. Too often in contemporary cinema, producers or directors indicate by their own choices that audiences will not understand people who talk about God in a serious way. And so we see (and hear) the monks chanting their prayers, celebrating Mass, preparing for Christmas. In this way the movie was reminiscent of another recent film on the monastic life, the documentary Into Great Silence. We hear the words of their prayers, too; and we are privy to their conversations with one another about God, and often with God. God is real to them; and God’s effect on their lives is made real to the viewer.
You’ll want to read that whole review, and I agree that the “last supper” scene was spine-tingling and moving in a remarkable way, but the whole film is full of moments of almost sublime sweetness intermingled with moments of terror, hopelessness, fear, doubt, and pleading prayer – “help me, help me, oh, help me.” 
The director makes his points without hammering us over the head — when the Abbot, Brother Christian, is simply walking through the fields, along with sheep, you understand what he is thinking, and why he cannot leave to save himself. When he is marveling at the circumference of a tree that must be thousands of years old, you understand that he is thinking that it has been there long before he existed, will be there long after he has died. Its roots are deep. And Jesus hung upon such wood.
A scene I found almost unspeakably beautiful involved Vespers. Knowing that at any moment their humble monastery may be invaded by murderous extremists, the brothers hear a chopper come near. Perhaps this is the moment of their martyrdom, and while they by no means seek death, they cannot be anything but who and what they are: monks. As per the Rule of St. Benedict (which Trappists follow) “nothing is to be preferred to the Divine Office,” and so they draw together in their very humble choir, facing the stained glass window outside of which the menacing chopper hovers, and they put their arms about each other’s shoulders — true brothers — and sing all the louder, in beautiful harmony, in defiance, and in joy.
The “last supper” scene truly is astonishing. A confrontation with mystery. Understanding that this may be their last meal together — that they have made an irrevocable decision that will likely mean their deaths — they fill their glasses with the best wine, and instead of a reading, they listen to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. As the music plays, they share a wordless conversation about love. Here is Love; they are confronting its depths and it sacrifice, it’s ache and confusion and its powerful relation to Truth. The Gospel notes are there: that they have saved the best wine for last speaks to the beginning of Christ’s ministry, and Mary’s words, “do whatever he tells you,” a scene which launched the world’s exposure to Jesus of Nazareth and speaks to the truth that to know him and follow him involves continual rediscoveries that hone new depths. We see that all of their pursuit of Christ has brought them to this self-knowing surrender to Providence. Watching this scene, the beginning of Psalm 133 came to me:
How good and how pleasant it is,
when brothers live in unity!
It is like precious oil upon the head
running down upon the beard,
Christ is all over this moment. Later, when the monks are taken prisoner, and the oldest has managed to evade capture, his silent grief at not being with his brothers, not surrendering that final bit of himself, is so sad and affecting, and yet ultimately this film is about freedom and victory.
The monks, living and dying in Christ, were true victors. I love the conversation between Brother Christian and Brother Luc, where they discuss their decisions to remain at the monastery: “to leave is to die,” Luc had said earlier. Now he ponders all he has seen in his life, including Nazi’s, and acknolwedges that he is not afraid of death — that his freedom has always been Christ-centered. As the bell rings, calling them to prayer, they prepare to exit the small office, and Luc jokes to Christian, “let the free man go through.”
It is a lovely moment, and when I watched it I could not help but think of the video I had watched a few hours previous, and which I found alternately ridiculous and profoundly sad.
“Let the free man go through,” said the martyred monk, Brother Luc. When he said it, with a wry grin, he seemed to me to be much more free than John Corapi, and when I said my prayers before sleep, I thanked God for his martyrs, but the bulk of my prayers were for Corapi, who seems to be in terrible trouble. As I texted to my Li’l Bro Thom, “He never looks directly at the camera, and when he looked away at the video’s end, all I saw was self loathing and imprisonment. I am watching Of God’s and Men right now, and those trapped martyrs were more free than that poor soul. It’s too sad.”
Thom’s response touched on what he understands of addictive personalities and compulsive disorders — all of it very enlightening, of course, but my head was swimming with images from the film and I couldn’t help thinking that Corapi’s desire to live a life without confreres, without accountability, without hearing, “no” once in a while or having to confer with a community rather than calling all of his own shots — and with the sacramental life of his priesthood taking a backseat to the preaching — I don’t think it served him well. I don’t think he was ever as free as these stable, committed monks, and frankly, I felt heartbroken for him.
Let us give thanks to God for the witness of his martyrs, who demonstrate to us so clearly that a life of simplicity, stability, prayer and togetherness — all rooted in the love of Jesus Christ, who is the All-in-All — brings forth the depth of reality that is within the mystery, and reveals God to us in myriad ways as we learn what it is to be free.
And let us sincerely pray for John Corapi, who truly seems imprisoned by that rather creepy-eyed creature at the base of his video, and who needs to find that freedom.
More on Of Gods and Men, and Stablity at Sister Laurel’s page
Also, I think I now must get to know these monks better, through this book
UPDATED:
In his homily for this week, Deacon Greg finds stability in the seed-sowing parable
It happens again and again in our history – from St. Paul to St. Augustine to St. Ignatius to Dorothy Day and beyond. The soil they sprang from wasn’t always ideal. We are a church of rocks, and thorns, besieged by birds – and yet, amid this vast and surprising garden, God’s smallest seeds find fertile ground. His Word takes root.
Which brings me to one other significant point in this parable. It bears remembering.
In this story, the sower doesn’t change. The seed doesn’t change.
What changes is the soil.
What changes are the conditions that allow the seed to be planted.
What changes is the environment that lets the seed bear fruit.
What changes, in fact…is us.And we may never know where, or how, it will happen.
Christ does not change, but we do. God is not finished with any of us, yet.
In reading the description of the daily lives of the monks, I’m reminded of the ‘Cadfael’ series of novels by Ellis Peters. In it, Brother Cadfael, a late arrival to his vocation, talks about the different personalities of his brothers in the cloister. It’s amusing to see life played out among these men who are so different, and might not have chosen to associate with each other, were they in the outside world, but do so here, because they consider themselves ‘brothers in the Lord’.
Oh, I understand very well why there are those who would go to the mat for Father Corapi. He was instrumental in my own reconversion to the faith and I have immensely enjoyed and benefited from his sermons and teachings.
The whole think reminds me very much of the attacks on Mel Gibson after his movie, “The Passion of the Christ.”
I don’t mean attacks by the media or his peers or the public.
I mean Satan’s attacks on him and his soul.
This with Father Corapi is very difficult to watch.
Spiritual Warfare is needed now.
As he would say, time to put on the combat boots and arm ourselves with prayer.
The rosary saved him once. We should bombard heaven with them on his behalf.
This is a man very much conflicted.Indeed!
I think the Flip Wilson 'The Devil Made Me Do It' thing goes only so far. We are all responsible for the choices we make, unless we are mentally ill or impaired. I do not at this point know what part of the Corapi conversion story is in fact true.
When he tells the story he repeats the phrase, "I wanted to be somebody..." He was saying that in relation to his drug days and his real estate wheeling and dealings. If that desire was true, it is at his core and has driven him to where he is now. He should have instead wanted to be nobody. Lose himself in Christ, but that never happened.
On a personal note, I lost a son to a heroin overdose. We talked about his habit quite often and he would say he wished he had never taken the first snort of heroin at a party. It made him a user - not just of drugs - but of people, and he hated it. He tried so hard to stop, so many attempts at rehab, but lost the battle and I miss him so much.
I see the same user in John Corapi, the same wheeling and dealing. Looking for how to position himself to use this as a new launching pad to "be somebody". My guess is he becomes an anti-Catholic "name it and claim it" prosperity preacher. Set lose from the authority of the Church he should do quite well for himself financially. Seems to be the motivation in any event.
that’s exactly it! And when I’ve had ENOUGH I look around and the Lord whispers in my ear “well.....who ELSE is going to do it huh?”
Thank you so much for this wonderful thread.
About a week ago, I heard the dog bark at 3:00 a.m., and a voice said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” so I got up and let the dog out, because if I needed assistance to go to the bathroom, I’d sure want someone to show up and provide it! If you get through a whole life like that, even it there’s nothing “bigger” in it than letting the dog out, cooking meals, and changing diapers, it’s still a life with and for God.
Maybe it was Ash using telepathy, although usually only the catz have the mind-control thing ...
I don't recall, in my conversion, making such a conscious decision, but the same principle has always been there. Scott Hahn was a major influence on me, along with Pope John Paul II. With the Pope's having been declared Blessed, we're not going to find, now, that he was the total opposite of what we thought. (As the Greeks said, "Count no man fortunate until he has died well." Or words to that effect.)
However, even if Scott Hahn were to flip out, as some other lay apologists and teachers have, it would not make his books and lectures before that point incorrect, nor would it affect my belief in the Catholic Faith. It would just make me sad.
I'm terribly sorry about the loss of your son. We're going through some trials with our teenagers, although nothing as frightful as drug addiction, and I have to consciously rebuke the voice that says, "You're a failure. Everything you've done to this point has been totally worthless. It's never going to get any better." I'm sure my parents must have thought the same thing, at times, but my brother and I have turned out okay.
Yes .. yes! I also thought of Mel Gibson. His determination to produce "The Passion of the Christ", the media sneers, the depth of realism in his movie, the conversions that took place during the filming ... and then, the fall.
In recent years, we have witnessed several of the more orthodox priests, also fall prey to pride - Fr. Francis Mary Stone, Fr. Albert Cutie, the Miami priest who left the priesthood after the paparazzi caught him with his girlfriend on the beach, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer and now, Fr. John Corapi. Notice that, despite scandal, nothing untoward happened to Cardinal Roger Mahony or my own bishop and others who were responsible for ordaining pederasts. They were protected. No need to repeat who ensured that protection.
Shortly after Fr. Corapi's announcement that he was leaving the priesthood, Fr. Z posted the following:
Fr. Corapi and I were ordained together, by John Paul II, in 1991. I didn’t know him at that time. After ordination I think I only ran into him twice, at conferences where we were both speakers. So, I don’t know him. I don’t know what is up with his life or situation and I won’t speculate. Nevertheless, by that tendril connection of our ordination, I have imagined a kind of bond with him and all the other men scattered across the world, even though I didn’t know most of them personally.Given what I have been seeing and experiencing, I believe the verse many priests pray every night during Compline in the older form of the Office (Tuesday in the Liturgy of the Hours) is being realized in a particularly intense way right now:
“Be sober and vigilant: because your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is roaming around seeking whom he might devour. Strong in faith, resist him knowing that the same affliction befalls your brethren who are in the world. ” 1 Peter 5:8-9.
This is certainly the case in my life right now and I think it is also going on in the life of many priests and bishops who are on the more conservative side of things. The attack is on.
This is one reason why I have been earnestly asking the support of your prayers.
The enemy hates priests and bishops. Let me say that again. The enemy hates priests and bishops. When priests and bishops start making inroads, they will be attacked with intensity.
He ends that post with these words: Please find it in your hearts to pray, daily and often, for priests. We need to heed that request!
OH my, thank you for that honest and heartfelt response.
You are the church and what joy there must have been in heaven when you came home.
Whenever one is converting to Catholicism or coming home after a long time away, it is difficult. There is so much out there that speaks against the Church and so little in one’s daily life that speaks for it. It is a little frightening.
Those men, Scott Hahn, Father Corapi and others gave me such comfort as I read or listened to them. I came home in 2001 during the height of the scandal and I needed the strength of their convictions for encouragement. They also instilled in me a deep thirst to learn all I could about this Church to which I was submitting myself.
I still thank the Holy Spirit for leading me to them. I prayed and prayed to know that I was doing the right thing and when I learned from them, I felt peace. That peace has not left me.
I don’t know about Father Corapi. Your comments raise some very good points about him. I believe he was sincere in his mission at the beginning, but I don’t know what has led him astray. Whatever the reason, he was a priest of such seeming devotion, it is hard to see him fall so spectacularly hard.
Prayer for him and all priests is our only course from here on out.
When I was first back in the church, I went to my local parish. What a wonderful priest was there! Then within a few months of my return, we were given a different priest.
On the altar, the priest was so reverent it made the Mass even more a thing of beauty.
Off the altar, he was not a nice person. I will not go into my own experience with him but I spent a lot of time with him as a CCD/Confirmation teacher. It was not pleasant.
My husband encouraged me many times to go to another parish.
Many parishioners did leave and the parish has suffered because they did so. Now that priest is gone, but the parishioners have not come back.
I explained that I did not go to church for the priest, I go for Jesus in the Eucharist. Catholics need to remember who they serve and who they worship.
Very good point. And yes, even a devout priest can be a jerk when off the altar.
I think part of the cult of personality comes from the changes made to the Mass. Once upon a time, Father came out, celebrated mass (well or not so well), did not wink and nod at the people, didn’t wave his hands around and make jokes, and didn’t feel that he was there to entertain.
I think the way the NO mass is generally said now - with the priest looking at the people, that big awful chair where he plops himself down to gaze out on the audience...er, congregation...etc. all make his personality much more important to the people (and to himself).
Incidentally, the documents of Vatican II required none of the above things in the celebration of the Novus Ordo. It was supposed to be celebrated just as the old mass had been. Those changes (facing the people, etc.) were things that were just introduced independently, first as options and then as de facto requirements, mostly in the USA, by “liturgical reformers.” Unfortunately, because of the same breakdown in authority, they got away with it.
I can’t remember Mother Theresa’s exact words, but it went something like.....there are many people looking to accomplish great things....what we need are more people willing to do the small things with great love....
However, what upsets me the most is that he is perfectly happy to take others with him. First he worked for our holy Father and now he works for the father of lies.
You cannot tell people to stay with the Church and than tell them to listen to him preach despite what the Bishop of his order says. He is telling people to be disobedient. That is very dangerous. Dangerous for his soul and countless others.
People need to move away from him and allow him to hit rock bottom for his own well being. He will not hit rock bottom and stop what he is doing until people wake up and stop enabling him. He is teetering on the precipice of the abyss. We need to tell him “No, back away!” We shouldn't be telling him “yes, go ahead, and take me with you as well”.
I don't care if he believes that the Bishop's are being unjust and unfair. He must obey them as countless others have! He knows this. He advised Mother Angelica to “obey” when she was being attacked by Bishop's. He needs to do the same regardless of any lame excuse he comes up with to defend his actions.
When it boils down to it, he was given the choice of giving up his worldly possessions and going back to his order, or giving up the Priesthood. He gave up the Priesthood! I am very disappointed and very sad!
He looks more pathetic than scary. I think he looks terrible and unhappy, like a strung-out homeless person. He certainly has lost his way. I am praying for him to return to his society. Hopefully, this will happen soon before it’s too late. Better the prodigal son than to die in sin.
Certainly prayers are in order for this lost soul. The whole thing is so troubling.
I agree. Nothing we say will matter. They should attempt an intervention.
Our paster had a nice take on today’s Gospel: he said what allowed the seed to grow was focus on God. When your heart is in the right place, with God as it’s focus, his word is deeply and truly heard.
If we lose the focus on God, we can no longer absorb the life-giving Word in a way that brings lasting, abundant life. The Word then withers in us and we are too weak to withstand the devil’s temptations. Our roots are too shallow to withstand adversity.
This Gospel always makes me sad for all the Catholics who’ve allowed themselves to be snatched away from the Church.
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