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JESUS’ PASSION
the story of redemptive suffering
for god so loved the world esus Christ’s life, death, and ResurrecBible study, but the study has been designed so tion have been inspiring artists and writthat participants who wish may view segments ers for the past 2,000 years, but not even of the film as part of their preparation for each Jesus’ many miracles have drawn more week’s lesson. Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Reinterest and speculation than the events demptive Suffering focuses on the texts from the of his Passion, the term used to describe the exScriptures that inspired the movie, and it also treme suffering that the Son of God willingly looks at the Catechism of the Catholic Church underwent for the salvation of all humankind. and other Church documents to examine how Pope St. John Paul II’s apostolic letter Salvi2,000 years of Church teaching relate to varifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human ous scenes in the film that are not specifically Suffering) explains why Jesus’ Passion is such a described in the Scriptures. popular theme: “Human suffering evokes comArtists and authors frequently exercise passion; it also evokes respect, and in its own way their creative license when depicting biblical it intimidates.” Particularly realistic depictions of events—Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sisthe brutal treatment that tine Chapel contain Jesus endured trigger elements not found in instinctive reactions either the Old or the Apart from the cross, of aversion and horror New Testament, and there is no other ladder at humanity’s capacDante’s Divine Comity for cruelty—natural edy is fictional poetry by which we may get to heaven. responses to the story based on his personal of Jesus’ agony and visions of heaven, —St. Rose of Lima (1586–1617) betrayal in the Garden hell, and purgatory. first canonized saint born in the Americas of Gethsemane; his triSince the earliest als before Herod, Pondays of the Church, tius Pilate, and the Jewish religious leaders; his devout Christians have made use of such artisscourging; his carrying of the cross; and his Crucitic works to meditate on biblical themes, espefixion and death. All of these events are recorded cially themes connected to the life of Jesus. A in detail in the New Testament, and all are vividly number of popular Catholic devotional prayers portrayed in the 2004 movie The Passion of the are based on Jesus’ Passion—including the sorChrist. The emotional experience of watching this rowful mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations movie or other visual dramatizations of the events of the Cross. No matter how many inspirational of Holy Week can lead Christians to reflect on Jebooks are written and how many films are made sus’ suffering in a more intimate way than is posabout the Son of God, however, there simply is sible when simply reading about his Passion. no substitute for reading the Bible—the inspired It is not necessary to watch the movie The Word of God—to learn about Jesus’ life and his Passion of the Christ in conjunction with this teachings.
JESUS’ PASSION — INTRODUCTION
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TURNING TO GOD’S WORD
