J.C. Film Star, 3rd week of Lenten Journey

Sometimes it seems that a spiritual journey’s value is wrapped within the mystic traditions of ancient times and this modern age has nothing of substance to add and yet we live in a time of intellectual abundance and accessibility. With a few clicks of a mouse you have the equivalent of library of Alexander at your finger tips, music, art, and cinema all play before our eyes, and all have value to enliven our souls and bring us closer to the divine.

And so for this week I am going to suggest that we lay aside our interior journey and deal with the exterior influences that make up our imagination of who Jesus was before we walk along his path and pick up our own crosses to follow him.

What is our relationship with God?

What is our image of Jesus?

Do we still relate to Him as we did as a child?

So often as we mature as adults, and as we grow as individuals, our relationships with friends and parents and siblings change to reflect a greater wisdom of there journey through life and of our own, and our relationship becomes more intimate and more personal and yet so often our perception of Christ barely changes from that of a child. And putting aside the biblical passages of suffering the little children to come to me, we must experience Christ through all stages of our existence in order to truly walk with him through life.

Perception is often the key understanding and yesterday I touched upon the concept, of the imagery of Christ, how just thinking of him as overweight might change our opinion of him.

And so for this week I am going to suggest that we explore different images of Christ, especially through film. Now most of the time when these films came out they excited great controversy because the challenged our perception of who Jesus was, they are artistic interpretations and like most realities the truth lies somewhere in the combination of all of them. So keep a open mind when viewing them. When ever possible I will include a link so you can watch them on your computer however some of the movies I could not find a connection to, but I highly recommend picking up a copy at your local video store or joining a Blockbuster or Netflicks to download a version.

After watching the movie take some time to think and pray about what you saw, you can close your eye and center yourself just as you have done in the previous weeks, ask God to come into your heart and tell you what you should take away from what you just witnessed. Thank Him for his love and kindness, and go out and share that love with others.

After you’ve spent a few days watching these movies and thinking about them, then read the gospels one each day or as time permits, and think about them. Has your perception of Jesus changed? Have you developed a more intimate relationship with him? Spend some time thinking and praying with God.

I’m going to spend sometime writing about weight loss again and so those of you who are walking this Lenten Spiritual Journey with me I am going to leave you with the list of films and probably will not pick up the spiritual side of my writing until nest Sunday, have a wonderful week, and I hope it is filled with God’s blessing and that these exercises with bring you closer to experiencing His love

Peace.

The Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus (2000)

An animated version of the greatest story ever told.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/37134/the-miracle-maker

Godspell (1973) One of three Jesus themed musicals released in 1973, the film is set in New York city and featured Jesus in clown makeup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNCCwe0ZeCA

or you can check out a hub I wrote about it once and included all the links at

http://hubpages.com/hub/Godspell

The Color of the Cross (2006)

A retelling of the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, based on the idea that he was a black man whose death was a racially motivated hate crime

(Sorry could not find online but well worth picking up at your local video store)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Scorsese’s controversial adaptation of the novel, in which Jesus is very human and Judas is just following Christ’s orders.

http://stagevu.com/video/qygxufnbqlzg

Jesus Christ Superstar

Rock musical adaptation of the gospels, which had a great influence on a generation of believers, personally I can not go through Lent without listening to the music at least once, though I prefer the 2000 television version to the 1973 Hollywood movie I couldn’t find comparable link the TV version you can download it to uTorent if you are set up for that though

http://veehd.com/video/2311499_Jesus-Christ-Superstar-1973

And finally Mel Gibson’s controversial epic film detailing the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Passion of the Christ

The Passion is spoken entirely in Latin and Aramaic, and the violent Crucifixion scenes are incredibly graphic. But I think it has a value to watch especially during Lent.

http://www.movies-links.tv/movies/the_passion_of_the_christ/

Remember to read the Gospels too

Have a great and spiritual week

FM