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/
Matthew 2
2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Nothing about kneeling to Mary.
do as He says, not as I said
= = =
There you go again, trying to crumble lichen encrusted edifices of man's traditions with truth and logic.
tsk tsk.
Jesus dismissed the dead, "Let the dead bury the dead".
Just add, uh, water?
Steve Wright already made that joke.
Obviously not, since the Church survived. But the Church does not teach everything +Paul taught.
OK, I will wholeheartedly agree with you. But this does tell me something. Does it tell you anything? :)
The Father is invisible. It is very clear from the scripture. Christ is the image of the Father, and Mary gave birth to Him. That does not make her goddess, or priestess but it explains that we only see Christ because she gave him a visible form. Ad Iesum per Mariam.
Oh, here it is:
26 When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. 27 After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
By the way, avoid another Protestant obfuscation: there is no "home" in verse 27. It is not an economic arrangement.
annalex, I think we share the same love of Jesus Christ, and for that I thank God.
But my heart is not "ugly" because I do not fall down to the stock of a tree, or venerate idols, or pray to dead people, or presume there to be any mediator between God and me but Jesus Christ.
And for all those things, I also thank God.
(And I'd like it noted I forgive you for making this "personal.")
All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.
OK, so what's the speed of dark?
No. For most of those hours, I was not allowed to even be less than hyper attentive--at least most of the time. A lot went for 18 hours straight so there was some brief nodding off!
But, actually, I've had enough vivid mirrors pressed through to the back of my skull and the core of my being . . . projection doesn't happen to be one of my besetting sins.
Good.
But you're saying I wasted two thousand bucks then.
:)
Actually, the opposite tended to be the case . . . when I would tentatively offer what I imagined they MIGHT be thinking, they'd informe me it was PRECISELY what they were thinking at the time or had been thinking when they did thus and so.
I don't think "rebuke" is too strong a word. Perhaps it's not even strong enough.
Christ was declaring to all the world that from now on his mother and brothers would share the exact same status as all believers -- "whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. ."
After that rebuke, it's clear we are to kneel to none but Christ.
= = =
INDEED! INDEED! INDEED!
Saints are not dead.
Amen I say to you, there is no man who hath left house or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, Who shall not receive an hundred times as much, now in this time; houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions: and in the world to come life everlasting.(Mark 10:30f)
It's there for a reason alright. No one goes up to the Lord and makes demands, not even his mother. When he did decide to perform the miracle, it was on his and the Father's terms, no one elses.
= = = =
ABSOLUTELY.
I'm beginning to think, we'd do well to pray that our RC friends be blessed with an ISAIAH VISION OF THE LORD
HIGH AND LIFTED UP; HIS TRAIN FILLING THE TEMPLE; AND THE THUNDERING REALIZATION OCCURRING TO THEIR BONE MARROW THAT THEY, TOO, ARE CREATURES OF UNCLEAN LIPS.
Then I'm sorry I ruined your perfect record.
I'll try harder to have your fantasies.
:)
Stop insulting Christ's saints and you will stop attacking Christ. Personally.
Et tu?
Please stop making this personal.
I figure the bottle is sold with an undiluted "one liter" of blessing already in it :D
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