The Passion of the Christ A Catholic Trap

The movie "The Passion of The Christ" is a Catholic Mass performed by actors instead of a priest. That’s not my opinion, but the clear opinion of the Catholic news organization, Zenit. Here are their exact words, "This film, for its author, is a Mass: Let it be, then, in an obscure language [Latin], as it was for so many centuries. If the mind does not understand, so much the better." (www.zenit.org)

Terry Mattingly, a syndicated religious journalist, declared that Mel Gibson’s hidden purpose was indeed a mass. His words were, "It is crucial to realize that the images and language at the heart of ‘The Passion of The Christ’ flow directly out of Gibson’s personal dedication to Catholicism in one of its most traditional and mysterious forms – the 16th-century Latin Mass." (www.sacbee.com).

I would defend Mel Gibson’s right to make a film of his choice, but not to use that right to set a trap for his chosen beliefs and his Catholic Church. It would be hard to find another reason to spend thirty million dollars on a movie and then to use obscure languages unless to mystically intrigue the masses with emotional scenes planned to take the people into a religious experience of his making. Zenit plainly stated that it was better for Gibson and his Catholic design to use language that could not be understood. The whole movie is a Catholic trap. It is reported that Mel Gibson told on the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network that a Catholic Mass was his goal in this movie. His words were, "The goal of the movie is to shake modern audiences by brashly juxtaposing the sacrifice of the cross with the sacrifice of the altar [Holy Eucharist] – which is the same thing." (Mel Gibson, Eternal Word Television Network.) The words "sacrifice of the cross with the sacrifice of the altar [Holy Eucharist]" is Catholic terminology for the Catholic Mass.

A Catholic Mass is conducted in every Catholic Church every day of the year. Let’s make sure we understand what a Catholic Mass really is and means. The Catholic priest, and he alone, is said to have the right, conferred by the church, to transform the wafer into the literal body of Jesus Christ and the wine into the literal blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Catholic Mass is a return to the passion or suffering of Jesus Christ in such a manner as to enable each Catholic participant to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

Let me allow the Catholics to describe this entire idea in a book, which was written specifically about this movie. It is entitled, A Guide to the Passion, with the subtitle, 100 Questions About the Passion of The Christ. Two Catholic publishing houses, Catholic Exchange and Ascension Press, published it. Here is the question that they propose, followed by their answer.

"Question: One of the men testifying against Jesus argues that Jesus claimed He was the ‘bread of live,’ and repeatedly spoke about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Where is this in the Bible?

"Answer: This reference is to Jesus’ lengthy discourse in the Gospel of John, chapter 6, where Jesus refers to Himself as ‘the Bread of Life’ (John 6:48) and says that ‘unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you’ (John 6:53). In response to this statement, many of Jesus’ disciples stopped following Him. What is interesting is that Jesus allowed these disciples to leave him. He did not call them back, saying ‘Hey, wait a minute. I didn’t mean that literally. I meant it symbolically.’ He let them go because He really meant what He said . . . " (A Guide to the Passion, published by Ascension Press and Catholic Exchange, p. 31.)

This question and answer proves beyond a doubt that, to a Catholic, this movie is totally Catholic in doctrine and presentation. But, believe me, we have only begun to see this trap for what it is.

The Catholics are Laughing at the Gullibility of the Evangelical World
In the introduction to this Catholic guide for the movie, the authors stated the following, "Yet, for all the sophisticated evangelization strategies, the irony is that our Protestant brothers and sisters cannot adequately speak to many of the issues and questions the film evokes because the film is so distinctly Marian, so obviously Eucharistic, so quintessentially Catholic – as is the New Testament itself. In terms of effecting conversions and motivating people to weed out sin from their lives – which is what meditating on the passion of Christ is all about – our evangelical friends have been an inspiration. But can their theology adequately or honestly mine such cinematic gems as the Last Supper flashbacks? Though the founders of some of the prominent Protestant denominations believed in and adored the Blessed Sacrament, this fact has been lost today in huge portions of American Protestantism. And without an understanding of Mary as our model in true Christian faith, one cannot begin to understand her significant role in the film. Only a solid understanding of the Catholic Faith can help us grasp these essential elements that figure so prominently in both in the Scriptural record and the apostolic (Catholic) Tradition. The film quite accurately links the sacrifice of the cross with the sacrifice of the Mass. In doing so, it faithfully depicts biblical and Catholic teaching." (Ibid, pp. 2-3.)

Please note the use of the word irony in describing the "sophisticated evangelization strategies" of the Protestant churches. Irony means "a condition in which one seems to be mocked." It also carries the meaning of "words of praise used as criticism or condemnation." The evangelical world has been duped and the Catholic press is clearly laughing at our ignorance. I do not blame them for laughing at the almost universal ignorance of churches that used to stand like a rock for the infallible truth of Scripture but are now open to anything promising religious hype.

The United States Conference of Bishops issued the following statement in describing this film as a Catholic Mass and, yet, our national leaders offer nothing but praise. The bishops said, "The juxtaposition (being positioned close together) of the wounded and bleeding body of Christ on the cross with scenes of the Last Supper compellingly underscores how the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ." (www.usccb.org).

The churches of Bible-believing people were, in every case, started as bastions of great theological truth rooted in sola Scripture (Scripture alone). Yet, this film is unashamedly based on two books that have no kinship to the Word of God. We will review these two books under the heading of each. Their titles are The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and The Mystical City of God. Both books are filled with mysticism far removed from the Word of God. They both center on Mary and the Catholic doctrines of her as co-redemtrix with Jesus Christ. You cannot be a Bible-believing Christian and believe a word from either book.

Didn’t any religious leader in America know that these two erroneous mystical books were the script for this movie and not the Word of God? Men of the cloth have been deceived beyond my wildest imagination and they are really a laughingstock.

The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
Please note the picture of this book and the clear statement that this book is the inspiration for Mel Gibson’s film, "The Passion of The Christ." The author, Anne Catherine Emmerich, was a nun that lived in Germany. She dedicated her book, not to Jesus Christ, but to "Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Help of Christians, and Refuge of the Human Race." (The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Anne Catherine Emmerich, Dedication Page.)

Let’s look at a description of this writer and nun as she received the vision contained in her book. This will give you some idea of her state of mind and body. "During the whole time of the visions which we have just narrated (that is to say, from the 18th of February until the 8th of March), Sister Emmerich continued to suffer all the mental and bodily tortures which were once endured by our Lord. Being totally immersed in these meditations, and, as it were, dead to exterior objects, she wept and groaned like a person in the hands of an executioner, trembled, shuddered, and writhed on her couch, while her face resembled that of a man about to expire under torture, and a bloody sweat often trickled over her chest and shoulders. She generally perspired so profusely that her bed and clothes were saturated.

Her sufferings from thirst were likewise fearful, and she might truly be compared to a person perishing in a desert from the want of water. Generally speaking, her mouth was so parched in the morning, and her tongue so contracted and dried up, that she could not speak, but was obliged by signs and inarticulate sounds to beg for relief. Her constant state of fever was probably brought on by the great pains she endured, added to which she likewise often took upon herself the illnesses and temporal calamities merited by others. It was always necessary for her to rest for a time before relating the different scenes of the Passion, nor was it always that she could speak of what she had seen, and she was even often obliged to discontinue her narrations for the day. She was in this state of suffering on Saturday the 8th of March, and with the greatest difficulty and suffering described the scourging of our Lord which she had seen in the vision of the previous night, and which appeared to be present to her mind during the greatest part of the following day." (Ibid, pp. 225-226.)

Her book is filled with mystical events. Let’s look at just a few experiences or description of her. "Her angel-guardian used to appear to her as a child; and when she was taking care of sheep in the fields, the Good Shepherd himself, under the form of a young shepherd, would frequently come to her assistance . . . (She) was often favoured by visits from the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven." (Ibid, p. 3.) "When a priest passed by with the Blessed Sacrament (body and blood of Jesus), even at a great distance from her home or from the place where she was taking care of her flock, she would feel a strong attraction in the direction whence he was coming, run to meet him, and be kneeling in the road, adoring the Blessed Sacrament, long before he could reach the spot." (Ibid, p. 5.) "When relics (objects belonging to sacred events or persons) were shown to her, she knew what saints they had belonged to, and could give not only accounts of the minutest and hitherto unknown particulars of their lives, but also histories of the relics themselves." (Ibid.) The writer of these pages may here be allowed to remark that he himself has, in full daylight, several times seen blood flow down the forehead and face, and even beyond the linen wrapped round the neck of Anne Catherine." (Ibid, p. 9.) All kinds of occultic practices filled her life, such as levitation, astral travel, strange visions, and trips to Purgatory. She bore the actual signs, called stigmata, of Christ’s many wounds in her body. She was much given to prayer for the souls in Purgatory.

Many of the events seen in the film, "The Passion of The Christ," are from this script. The scene of the woman, named Veronica, is totally unbiblical, but it is found in this text. Let me quote a few words from her book. "Those who were marching at the head of the procession tried to push her back; but she made her way through the mob, the soldiers, and the archers, reached Jesus, fell on her knees before him, and presented the veil, saying at the same time, ‘Permit me to wipe the face of my Lord.’ Jesus took the veil in his left hand, wiped his bleeding face and returned it with thanks. Seraphia (Veronica) kissed it, and put it under her cloak … No sooner did she reach her room than she placed the woolen veil on a table, and fell almost senseless on her knees. A friend who entered the room a short time after, found her thus kneeling, with the child weeping by her side, and saw, to his astonishment, the bloody countenance of our Lord imprinted upon the veil, a perfect likeness, although heartrending and painful to look upon. He roused Seraphia, and pointed to the veil. She again knelt down before it, and exclaimed through her tears, ‘Now, I shall indeed leave all with a happy heart, for my Lord has given me a remembrance of himself.’" (Ibid, pp. 258-259.) It is said that the veil was seen as late as the fourteenth century AD and that it is, supposedly, preserved in the Vatican.

Numerous events in this movie come directly from this book about Anne Catherine Emmerich. "Christianity Today" stated, "This evangelical enthusiasm for ‘The Passion of The Christ’ may seem a little surprising, in that the movie was shaped from start to finish by a devout Roman Catholic and by an almost medieval Catholic vision (Anne Catherine Emmerich)." (www.christianitytoday.com).

The "TV Guide" review said, "Like all filmmakers inspired by the Bible, Gibson picks and chooses his lore, guided in part by the lurid visions of 18th-century stigmatic nun Anne Catherine Emmerich." (www.tvguide.com).

What many called artistic license is really nothing but the wild imagination of a greatly disturbed woman.

The Mystical City of God
This is the second book credited by Mel Gibson as his inspiration for the film. If the book, The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, is demonic, then this book is even worse. There were actually eight books in the original series, but presently, these are divided into three parts. The primary book about Christ’s passion is book number six, which is in Part II. The picture you get in this book is of Mary, the mother of our Lord, being elevated far beyond Scripture and actually ridiculous in scope. Let’s look at a few quotes.

In this revelation, Mary makes unreal claims for herself. The demon portraying Mary said, "My daughter, all that thou hast written in this chapter is a most important warning for all those that live in the flesh and in the imminent danger of losing eternal happiness. It should teach them to seek my most kind and powerful intercession and to fear the judgments of the Most High; for in this lies an efficacious means of salvation and of meriting higher reward for the Lord. I wish to remind thee once more, that among the secrets revealed to the beloved John at the last Supper, was also this, that he had become the beloved disciple of Christ on account of his love toward me, and that Judas fell because he despised the mercy and kindness which I had shown him."

She is actually crediting herself with Jesus loving John and causing Judas to fall. Jesus is said to ask Mary for permission to enter into His sufferings. Read this carefully!

"My Mother, the hour decreed by the eternal wisdom of my Father for accomplishing the salvation and restoration of the human race and imposed upon Me by his most holy and acceptable will, has now arrived; it is proper that now We subject to Him our own will, as We have so often offered to do. Give Me thy permission to enter upon my suffering and death, and, as my true Mother, consent that I deliver Myself over to my enemies in obedience to my Father. In this manner do Thou also willingly co-operate with Me in this work of eternal salvation, since I have received from Thee in thy virginal womb the form of a suffering and mortal man in which I am to redeem the world and satisfy the divine justice. Just as thou, of thy own free will, didst consent to my Incarnation, so I now desire thee to give consent also to my passion and death of the Cross."

This is nothing less than blasphemy!

Mary further claims that she was miraculously transported to the transfiguration where she was able to hear the voice of God. This is, of course, adding to the Bible in an area, which is nothing but Catholic rhetoric. The book states, "For the purpose of recording this event here, I was given to understand that at the same time in which some of the holy angels were commissioned to bring the soul of Moses and Elias from their abode, others of her own guard carried the heavenly Lady to Mount Tabor, in order to witness the Transfiguration of her divine Son, for without a doubt She really witnessed it. There was no necessity of confirming the most holy Mother in her faith, as was necessary with the Apostles; for She was invincibly confirmed in faith." "She considered how her eyes had seen refulgent in glory that same bodily substance, which had been formed of her blood, carried in her womb and nursed at her breast; how She had with her own ears heard the voice of the eternal Father acknowledge her Son as his own and appoint Him as the Teacher of all the human race." "After the Transfiguration the most blessed Mother was brought back to her house in Nazareth; her divine Son descended the mountain and immediately came to visit her in order to take final leave of his parental province and set out for Jerusalem."

When you read the two mystical books that Mel Gibson used to prepare his script, there is no doubt that this film is first and foremost a Marian film. The Catholic book, A Guide to the Passion, plainly stated the same. More than Mel Gibson’s interest in Jesus Christ is his interest in elevating Mary as the co-redemtrix of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must see the last acts that Mary was said to have performed, as related to His body and His resurrection.

The chapter on the Resurrection in this script that Mel Gibson credited is quite revealing. The book stated, "The fullness of wisdom in the soul of our great Queen and Lady amid all her sorrows permitted no defect or remissness in noticing and attending to all the duties of each occasion and at all times." "The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom had delivered from those nether prisons as Spoils of His victory and as an earnest of His glorious triumph over the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell. In the sepulchre were many angels as its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity.

Some of them, obeying the command of their Queen and Mistress, had gathered the relics of the sacred blood shed by her divine Son, the particles of flesh scattered about, the hair torn from his divine face and head, and all else that belonged to the perfection and integrity of his most sacred humanity. On these the Mother of prudence lavished her solicitous care. The angels took charge of these relics, each one filled with joy at being privileged to hold the particles, which he was able to secure. Before any change was made, the body of the Redeemer was shown to the holy Fathers, in the same wounded, lacerated and disfigured state in which it was left by the cruelty of the Jews." "Then, in the presence of all those saints, through the ministry of those angels, were united to the sacred body all the relics, which they had gathered, restoring it to its natural perfection and integrity." "Accordingly He penetrated through the rocks of the sepulchre without removing or displacing them, as He had issued forth from the womb of his most blessed Mother."

Here, we have Mary commanding the angels and aiding in returning to Christ’s body, relics, particles of flesh, and hair torn from His face. In other words, according to this script, which was used for the "The Passion of The Christ," Mary was the source of His bodily resurrection. No wonder the Resurrection of our Lord was given scant attention lest the multitude see the truth. The two books that Mel Gibson used are flagrant occultic ideas, and superstitious. They have no place in the glorious message of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believe me, when I say, I used a very small amount of the damning evidences from these two books.

The Subtle Message of the Passion
The apparent and clear message that subtly fills this entire movie is that there is no salvation outside the Catholic ideas about the passion of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church has not changed its message, only its method. This film is so filled with His passion and the idea of the Catholic Mass as the only way to experience the life of that passion that it will affect a multitude of people. Our present church generation is weak, extremely weak of Biblical truth. Emotions and physical passions have become the life of most churches. Anything emotional moves such people without even a second thought from them.
"The end justifies the process" has become the philosophy of most religious leaders. "Give me a crowd whatever it takes" is the force behind the "seeker-friendly" churches. This movie is right down their alley. Mel Gibson has plainly stated, "There is no salvation for those outside the (Catholic) church, I believe it." (The Herald Sun.) The Catholic Church states, "The (Catholic) church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign, and the instrument of the communion of God and man." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 780.) This film has made more friends for the Catholic Church than it has made for Jesus Christ.

Making the Passion the Center of Worship
Nothing in this film is more dangerous than the idea of making the suffering of Christ central to worship. The New Testament is complete on the fact of His resurrection, not the fact of His passion. Bible-believing churches erect an empty cross, while Catholic churches erect a cross with the victim. The Son of God has risen from the dead, and He is glorified above all earthly limitations.

Contemplating His wounds and mutilated body will not elevate your soul into the glory and power of a Spirit-filled life. We glory in the cross because it is finished. We glory in the cross because the sacrifice is complete, and the sacrificial Lamb is alive forevermore.

Our Savior does not suffer every day. In fact, He shall never suffer the pains of death again. He is our first fruits of the first Resurrection. He is seated at the Father’s right hand. John saw Him in His great vision. Here is the scene, "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last." (Revelation 1:13-17). That’s the Lord of the New Testament Church, not an emaciated and broken Christ.

Read the New Testament from the Resurrection all the way to the Book of Revelation and you will never see one saint contemplating the passion and sufferings of the Lord. They remembered His death, but they did not glory in the sorrow but rather the victories. We share His death by dying to ourselves, not by experiencing the stigmata of His wounds and His crucifixion.

Conclusion
The duty of every believing Christian is to take the attention given to this film and add the New Testament message of victory by His Resurrection. People that have been moved by His death must be led to rejoice in His life. Nothing could be more spiritually destructive than Christians spending hours going from one wound to another trying to experience the sorrows of His death. He was our substitute; He took our place; He was our sacrificial Lamb; and we are set free to live in His life, not in His death.