For the past five years, it has been my tradition to watch The Passion of The Christ on Good Friday. The film is exceptionally well done and moves me to tears every time I watch it.
It serves to remind me, in a way that almost nothing else can, how much my Lord suffered for me. For my sins. For my redemption. Oh how He suffered, for me.
My two oldest children are 11 and going on 10 years old. I am seriously considering asking them to try and watch it with me. I want them to understand the last supper, the agony in the garden, and the crucifixion in a way that they never have before.
This film did this for me. It moved me to pity and …
April 21, 2011 at 11:22 pm
Since I ran into this and it seems to fit so well, I thought I'd better share it, too:
The event of the Transfiguration marks a decisive moment in the ministry of Jesus. It is a revelatory event which strengthens the faith in the disciples' hearts, prepares them for the tragedy of the Cross and prefigures the glory of the Resurrection. This mystery is constantly relived by the Church, the people on its way to the eschatological encounter with its Lord. Like the three chosen disciples, the Church contemplates the transfigured face of Christ in order to be confirmed in faith and to avoid being dismayed at his disfigured face on the Cross. In both cases, she is the Bride before her Spouse, sharing in his mystery and surrounded by his light.
This light shines on all the Church's children. All are equally called to follow Christ to discover in him the ultimate meaning of their lives, until they are able to say with the apostle: 'For to me, to live is Christ' (Phil. 1:21). But those who are called to the consecrated life have a special experience of the light which shines forth from the Incarnate Word. For the profession of the evangelical counsels makes them a kind of sign and prophetic statement for the community of the brethren and for the world; consequently they can echo in a particular way the ecstatic words spoken by Peter: "Lord, it is well that we are here" (Mt. 17:4). These words bespeak the Christocentric orientation of the whole Christian life. But they also eloquently express the radical nature of the vocation to the consecrated life: How good it is for us to be with you, to devote ourselves to you, to make you the one focus of our lives! Truly those who have been given the grace of this special communion of love with Christ feel as it were caught up in his splendor: He is "the fairest of the sons of men" (Ps 45:2), the one beyond compare. — Pope John Paul II – March 1996
April 22, 2011 at 12:17 am
I remember when I first heard about the crucifixion. My family was not Christian. So I heard it as a historical event not a religious one. I was about 7. I found the very idea of the crown of thorns and being nailed to the cross to be so disturbing that I felt truly sick. I had trouble sleeping just thinking about it. Now your children are probably more prepared than I was, but when you see something like that you can't unsee it. The Passion of the Christ movie is not the actual Passion. There are many different images that can convey the message of the Passion, and I would start with some of the more benign ones and move to the more graphic. See how your kids react before jumping into the movie. I finally saw the movie a few years ago at age 30. I found it very powerful, but I didn't ever want to see it again. Maybe someday. But I'm still sensitive to graphic images, even graphic descriptions.
April 22, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Yes, our blessed Mother showed the children at Fatima a vision of hell, but you don't know exactly what they saw. You can't know that the vision wasn't "age appropriate" OK? My view is that you should wait until your children ole enough to ask if they can see the film.
April 22, 2011 at 5:00 pm
I would be willing to bet that the vision of hell at Fatima would have been a lot worse then TPOTC even in a kiddie version.
"She opened Her hands once more, as She had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. That vision only lasted for a moment, thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, Who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven. Without that, I think that we would have died of terror and fear."
Dave
April 22, 2011 at 5:23 pm
I love the Passion of the Christ especially the part during the crucifixion where it cuts back to the Last Supper. It really illustrates the meaning and importance of the Eucharist. That was so profound for me and I want my children to understand that subtlety so I am going to wait until they are older (16 or so) so they can experience that realization as well. If I show it to them now they won't get it and they may never want to watch it again.
April 23, 2011 at 3:30 am
My vote is: you know your children.
There are 10 year olds that can handle this movie and 20 year olds that can't.
So far three of my 9 children have watched The Passion. They are currently 17,16 and 14. The 14 year old saw it for the first time at 12. He was ready. My current 12 year old. Not ready, probably next year. My current 10 year old, she is so sensitive I don't think she will ever be able to watch it, even as an adult. She witnessed a dog die and it upset her so much she had nightmares for months and had to be counseled by our priest. She is a very pious girl and loves Jesus very much, watching The Passion would destroy her, literally.
When the movie came out in theaters originally I had friends taking their young children…6,7,8 years old. I think that is unequivocally too young.
For a 10 year and 11 year old, maybe skip the scourging and the nailing to the cross. Those scenes can wait a few more years.
April 23, 2011 at 3:33 am
P.S. I would never, ever FORCE anyone to watch this movie. That is absurd. A movie, no matter the topic, is not necessary to salvation.