There is nothing like watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ to see things in perspective:
- The pompous chief priests and Pharisees decked out in their rich garments and reveling in their power;
- The depravity of the Roman soldiers as they destroyed an innocent man in the most brutal and bloody way they could;
- The raw manipulation of the screaming crowds;
- The people who could help our Savior, but did not and turned away;
- The few who followed Christ to the end;
- And, of course, Satan, ever lurking in the background, watching, waiting for a chance to secure the moment and damn another soul.
The movie clearly showed utter bloodlust.
Let’s look at this another way, in a strange parallel to our own existence:
- The pompous, preening governors, members of state legislatures, and Congress decked out in their finery for the media and reveling in their power – over death by abortion;
- The depravity of abortion providers as they destroy innocent lives of children in the womb, as they, who worship at the altar of women’s rights, abuse pregnant women with conveyor belt abortion visits, and also intimidate their (mostly female) workers who allegedly step out of the company’s line (cf. “Planned Parenthood Affiliate Fires Two Union Leaders, Disciplines Entire Bargaining Team,” Max Nesterak, Iowa Capital Dispatch 3-31-23);
- The raw manipulation of the crowds, with women stirred up and yelling, screaming for their alleged rights to kill babies growing in the womb.
- The people who could help – pastors, legislators, those who allegedly “agree” with the right to life, but cannot “impose” their morality on others, and those who fear someone might find out they don’t follow the crowd – but remain hidden in their self-concern.
- The few who follow Christ, accosted as they protest the slaughter of the innocents, getting maligned by letter writers, cursed by hecklers (the middle fingers of these may fall off from overexertion), and arrested on false charges by a corrupt Justice Department;
- And, of course, Satan, possessing all of them, pouring evil into souls, confusing the minds of mothers, and dragging so many into the abyss of burning hell.
- Evil surrounds us, bloodlust for destruction of God’s gift of life rules the day – via courts, legislatures, Congress, and yes, even the Presidency.
The end of The Passion carries a promise, seen in the slight smile on the face of Jesus as He goes forth from the tomb. He is bringing Hope. Unfortunately, we’re still stuck in the tomb, in a situation similar to that described in Psalm 22,
Indeed, many dogs surround [us], a pack of evildoers closes in upon [us].
The only way out of this grave is through fidelity to Christ and prayer. In this first week of Easter, during the Divine Mercy Novena, let us bend our knees in humility and beg,
Lord, have mercy.
This article, Parallel Universe is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/parallel-universe/
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