7th Sunday of the Year
22 February 2004
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
In the coming week, three things of great interest will occur:
On Wednesday the Church begins the Forty Days of Lent to prepare us to celebrate the Pascal Mystery of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Please see inside for the full schedule of Ash Wednesday liturgies. All Christians, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, are welcome to receive the imposition of ashes as a sign of repentance and the desire to follow the Lord Jesus in the Way of the Cross.
Also on Wednesday, Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ, opens in theaters around the world. Although I have not yet seen this film, men and women whom I trust and who have seen it report that watching this movie is one of the most extraordinary artistic and religious experiences they have ever had. You have probably read about the controversy surrounding the charge that this film is anti-Semitic. But the reviewers I trust do not share this concern. In fact, Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Lapin while denying that Gibson’s work is anti-Semitic goes even further. Rabbi Lapin writes that “the faith of millions of Christians will become more fervent as Passion uplifts and inspires them. Passion will propel vast numbers of unreligious Americans to embrace Christianity, and the movie will one day be seen as a harbinger of America’s third great religious awakening.” I encourage everyone to see this film during Lent and hope that it will be an invitation to a closer union with the Lord Jesus. One word of caution, though, is in order: this film graphically depicts the brutality of Christ’s Passion, and parents are urged to be cautious before taking pre-teen children.
The third event of importance this week will be on Friday. On that day two reports on the sex abuse crisis in the Church will be released: one will be a statistical analysis of the scope of this problem by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the other will be an account of the nature and causes of the crisis by the National Review Board established in June 2002. In the coming weeks, I will comment on these reports in several ways; for now let us pray most devoutly for the continuing work of reformation that will lead to a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a holier Church.
Father Newman
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.