Normally, when someone with some measure of fame becomes Catholic or even makes a step towards faith I acknowledge it but my instinct is to leave them alone. Just because it can be difficult and there can be misunderstandings along the way and confusion. It’s a hard process. Becoming Catholic is like trying to celebrate Christmas and doing your spring cleaning on the same day.

I can remember some Catholics who became pro-life and Catholic and were instantly talking about things of the faith publicly.

That’s fine because we should all be in conversation about things of the faith but you’re going to stumble a time or two in your understanding but when you do it in the spotlight and get attacked, it can leave you feeling a little alone. So I tend not to focus on it because I don’t want to attack new Catholics and have them think they can’t speak for fear of getting shut down or spiked on.

Shia Labeouf is becoming a Catholic after filming Padre Pio. God bless him. As Shia seems to do, he goes full in on whatever he’s doing. I like that about him. I respect it. I have to admit that I kind of appreciate his hubris here, saying that all the crucifixes he’s seen have it wrong. That’s something for a newbie Catholic to say, isn’t it?

But he also pointing to something important. Not the part where he says all the crucifix makers had it wrong but that we must remember that the mission He took on was fulfilled on the cross. Amid all the pain and suffering, He knew that He was setting the world free and setting us free in that moment and that should be represented in His face as well.

I love his passion here.

However, there are many instances which I think accomplish what Shia is talking about. In The Passion, Christ embraces the cross.

I think where Christ says “It is finished” in most depictions is exactly what Shia is talking about. Christ isn’t just talking about the end of suffering. He is referring to His mission here on Earth.

I applaud Shia LaBeouf’s passion here and I am grateful to hear him discuss it publicly. I think considering Christ on the cross as “joyful” is an interesting concept to explore because it goes against our modern understanding of joy. Shia, here, is talking about a deeper joy.

But I’d be a little careful before announcing that everyone before you had it wrong. I’m not mocking him. It’s likely just an exuberance of faith thing. God bless him on his journey. I appreciate the fervor.