The first point I wish to make is that Mel Gibson is a solid Roman Catholic and he consulted his bishops and others in the Roman Catholic church for help and advise on this movie. He even got the blessing from Mr Pope himself. This movie is first and foremost a Catholic movie. It presents Catholic doctrine centered around Mary-idolatry. Non-Catholics will look at this movie and due to lack of knowledge will ignore the Roman Catholic foundations of this movie. I would expect this movie to be fully embraced by all the liberal pastors and churches that have not held fast to sound Biblical doctrine. Churches who have given themselves over to rock and roll music, Wescott and Hort perverted Bible versions, Promise Keepers, the Alpha Course, and other compromises will love and accept this movie. Just watch and see because I know that I'm right!
I have read information about several scenes in this movie and will make some points in this article. I haven't seen the movie and I really do not plan to do so. This movie will bring glory and exalt Mary. In my opinion this the purpose of the movie and that is what Mel and the Catholics wish to accomplish. The current pope and the Catholic church seeks to exalt Mary and this movie is a tool for that purpose.
In the movie there are cut-scenes and flashbacks where the young Lord Jesus fell and Mary was there to comfort him as His loving mother. The Scriptures are very silent about the early life of the Lord Jesus so all these scenes are directly out of the imagination of Mel and the Catholics. Here is a point you will not see in this movie: What about Jesus' brothers and sisters? After Mary had Jesus, Joseph (her husband) "knew" her and more children were produced. Yet Catholics ignore that fact. Scriptures mention nothing of Mary and such comfort or of Jesus being a "mommas" boy. I'm sure Jesus was raised in a loving home with a good mother and father with several brothers and sisters. But it would be wrong to speculate on His early life as the Scriptures are very silent. However Mel and the Catholics will show scenes of the motherly Mary during the early years of the Lord Jesus. Of course they will ommit the fact of His brothers and sisters. The goal is to present Mary in a very compassionate and motherly loving image.
Later in the movie, there is an emotional scene of Mary cradling the dead Jesus in her arms after He died on the cross. This is very catholic and it is not mentioned in the Bible. No where in the Bible do we see Mary holding the dead Lord Jesus in her arms after He died on the cross. Again this comes out of the imagination of Mel and the Catholics. I'm sure there is agony and pain on the face of Mary as she holds the dead Lord Jesus in the movie. The goal of the movie at this point is to show the extreme suffering of Mary. Many will be moved to tears at that painful scene. However, this is very important to Mel and the Catholics because Romanism teaches that all the sufferings of Mary somehow made her co-redeemer with the Lord Jesus. According to Roman Catholicism her suffering and watching her son die is also is a payment for sins before God. This makes this movie a very good way to present forth this false teaching of the co-redeemer of Mary to many people. The movie, although not coming out and stating this, puts Mary in a position where the co-redeemer theology can come forth easily for acceptance by the blind masses of people. The theology of Mary being a co-redeemer with the Lord Jesus is not new. It is an established doctrine and can be found written in the Catholic catechism which we will quote later.
Personally, I am not excited at all about this movie. I'm sure Satan will use it to further open compromise and unity with Roman Catholicism with all the liberal churches who want that sort of thing. I think the discerning Christian should beware of this very Catholic movie!!
Let's continue by looking at a small piece of an interview with the man who played Jesus in the movie:
From an interview with Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in The Passion
Fr. Mario Knezovic: "The Passion of the Christ" movie, in which you are playing Jesus Christ, is almost finished What was it like to play Jesus? How did you adjust your body and your soul to the body and the soul of Jesus? How was it to be Jesus?
Jim Caviezel: The catharsis for me to play this role was through
Medjugorje, through Gospa. In preparation, I used all that Medjugorje
taught me. Mel Gibson and I were going every day for Mass together.
Some days I couldn't go for Mass, but I was receiving the Eucharist.
Somewhere along the line, I heard that the Pope was going for confession
every day, so I thought that I should go for confession as often as
possible. I didn't want the Lucifer to have any control over the
performance. We have sins of commission, but also sons of commission.
My sin of omission continuously is that I don't love enough. So, the
confession was the preparation for the Eucharist. Ivan Dragicevic and
his wife Lorraine gave me a piece of the true cross. I kept this on me
all the time. They made a special pocket in my clothes for it. I also
had relics of Padre Pio, St. Anthony of Padoua, Ste Maria Goretti, and
saint Denisius, the Patron saint of Actors. Another thing was fasting.
I read many of the messages continuously. Every day everyone could see
me with the rosary in my hands.
http://www.medjugorje.hr/Int%20Caviezel%20ENG.htm
* * * * *
As you can see Jim Caviezel is very Roman Catholic. This man is totally devoted to the worship of Mary. He loves the abomination of the Eucharist where Jesus is supposedly turned into bread and then eaten by Catholics. He went with Mel to the sacrifice of the Mass every day. This is where Jesus is re-sacrificed again for the sins of the people. This sacrifice is done in a bloodless manner on the alters of Roman Catholicism. The reason it is done is Romanism does not believe the sacrifice on the cross was sufficient payment for all sins. Instead, the Lord Jesus is sacrificed again in each and every Catholic mass for the sins of the people. Jim also mentioned in the above interview that he kept a charm or a relic on his body for supposed blessings. Witches and occultists use charms and tailsmen but Catholic's uses relics (i.e. so called pieces of the cross etc). Finally, Jim carried his rosary daily. There are two types of prayers: Our Father, and many Hail Mary's on the rosary.
Like I mentioned, this movie is very Catholic and Mary is a very big part of the movie.
Next, we will look at some related Catholic doctrines. We will be quoting from the Roman Catholic Catechism approved and prefaced by the Pope himself. There are 2865 catechisms of the Catholic Church. All catechism references are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Image, Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. This is official Catholic belief and teaching.
Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that Mary is a co-redeemer with Christ
Is MARY-IDOLTRY - A SINLESS CO-REDEEMER WITH CHRIST? or IS IT HERESY?
The following is what the Roman church teaches about Mary from their catechism:
(491) Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854.
(494) At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God nothing will be impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus, Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a SINGLE SIN to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to save the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace:
(966) "Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.
(508) From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. "Full of grace," Mary is "the most excellent fruit of redemption" (SC 103): from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life. (Page 142)
(964) Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
(969) "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this SAVING OFFICE but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us gifts of eternal salvation. . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix." (Page 275)
Above is what Romanism teaches and it paints quite a non-Biblical picture! The following demonic and heretical claims are made:
- Mary is sinless from conception and remained sinless throughout
her life
- Mary is co-redeemer with Jesus
- Mary was taken bodily up to heaven and made Queen of all things
- Mary assists in the work of salvation. She brings people gifts
of salvation
- Mary can be prayed to
- Mary is our advocate before God
Mary is literally another path to God and another way to be saved apart from Jesus according to Roman Catholic teaching. However, the Bible presents another picture. Jesus is the only way to be saved and He is the only Saviour. There are no other paths to heaven except through the Lord Jesus. :
John 14
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Acts 4
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Next, Mary is a sinner just like everyone else. She was not born free from sin and she did not remain sinless throughout her life. Here is what the Bible says:
Rom 3 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Luke 1
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Romans clearly says that ALL have sinned. All includes Mary! Also notice that Mary calls God her Saviour in the above verse (Luke 1:47). Only sinners call God their Saviour!
The Bible is very clear that all are sinners. There are no exceptions. We have all sinned before God and this includes Mary. Of course the Bible contradicts Catholic theology. Myself, I'll believe the Bible instead of Roman theology.
Finally we have a mediator between God and man. It is NOT Mary! It is the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone!
1 Tim 2
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;
I personally do not see Mary in the above verse. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is our mediator.
Heb 9
24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
1 John 2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that
ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's
only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The Lord Jesus is the only advocate with the Father, not Mary. What more can be said? According to the Bible Mary is a sinner who needs the Lord Jesus as her Saviour just like everyone else. She is not a mediator before God, she is not an object of worship or prayer. She is just a lady in the correct family line who God used when He became a man (Jesus). She certainly is not sinless, or the 'mother of God', or the 'queen of heaven'.
This is very sad. I have seen people so obsessed with Mary and Mary-worship that they do not want anything to do with the Lord Jesus. Mary is everything to them. She is their Saviour, their object of prayer, and their mediator to God. I remember witnessing to a elderly person terribly devoted to Mary. She even wore Mary jewelry on her at all times. The hope is if a person dies with this jewelry on then it greatly reduces time in purgatory as Mary will intercede on the person's behalf. What a sad deception. At any rate this person was told that she needed Jesus as her Saviour as He is the only one who can save and forgive sins. Her reaction was anger. She said that she didn't want anything to do with Jesus and that she will stick with Mary.... period.... end of story... end of discussion! It is also interesting to note that about one month later she had a fall in her tub. She was taken to the hospital with a broken hip. In the hospital she developed respiratory problems and died quite suddenly. Well, she is now in a lost eternity with her 'Mary' and now she now knows that the Mary she worshipped was nothing but a demon and a satanic deception to keep her away from the only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Quite an eternal price to pay for Mary worship!
People who whore-ship (worship) Mary are lost and on their way to hell. Jesus is the only Saviour and Mary is nothing more than one of the many pathways to hell. This is the devil's goal. His plan is to get as many people into hell as possible. This is done by getting them to reject the Lord Jesus as their only Saviour and Lord. Some follow Mohammed or Buddah. The devil likes to see that as they will perish in their sins. Others follow the deception called Mary worship. Instead of Jesus they trust in Mary for their salvation. They too will perish in their sins as Mary has nothing to do with salvation and eternal life. The Lord Jesus is the only Saviour and the only way a person may be saved! Don't let the devil deceive YOU with his counterfeit plan of salvation. The end result is the lake of fire and separation from God for all eternity.
Proverbs 14
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
are the ways of death.
As it can be seen, it is Catholic doctrine to make Mary a co-redeemer with the Lord Jesus Christ. This movie exalts Mary in a very Catholic way! It portrays her loving motherhood and her suffering which according to Roman Catholic dogma makes her co-redeemer with the Lord Jesus.
THE MASS
Next lets take a quick look at the Mass which is a re-sacrifice of the Lord Jesus in a bloodless way for the sins of the people. This is done because Catholics do not believe what was done on the cross was enough. They do not believe that the sacrifice on the cross was complete. All sins are not covered by what the Lord Jesus did on the cross. Only some sins were covered by the Lord Jesus on the cross. This is heresy!
The mass is not just another ceremony done by Christians. Instead, it is a bloodless re-sacrifice of the Lord according to Catholicism. Here is what the Catholic Catechism says about the mass:
(1414) The Mass Is A Re-Sacrifice Of Christ. As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God. (Page 395)
(1365) Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood." In the Eucharist Christ gives us the VERY body which he gave up for us on the cross, the VERY blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Page 380)
(1367) The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the SAME: the SAME now offers through the ministry of priest, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the SAME Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross IS CONTAINED and offered in an unbloody manner." (Page 381)
The above quotes are very interesting. According to Catholicism the mass is a time when Jesus comes down from heaven and dies again on a Roman altar for the sins of the people. The teaching is very clear from their Catechism book. Next, lets ask the question, does this line up with what the Bible teaches? Here are several Bible verses which answer that question:
Heb 10
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for
ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Notice verse 12. 'one sacrifice for sins for ever'. Now, does that sound like Jesus is being sacrificed again and again and again in a Roman mass? (The answer is NO)
Heb 7
27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's:
for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
In verse 27 we read '...for this he did once...'. There is that 'once' word again. That means one-time does it.
Heb 9
24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high
priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood
of others;
26: For then must he often have suffered since the foundation
of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment:
28: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation.
Verse 25 says 'Nor yet that he should offer himself often....' which indicates that one-time will be sufficient. Next in verse 26 and 28 is that 'once' word again. I think it is pretty clear in the Bible that the ONE sacrifice was sufficient. There is no need for Jesus to die again and again and again on a Roman altar in every mass. The one time sacrifice on the cross provides a complete sacrifice for all sins. No other sacrifice is ever needed.
Contrary to Catholicism, the Bible says the sacrifice the Lord Jesus made on the cross was sufficient. His ONE sacrifice forever settled payment for sin. No works, priests, popery, sacraments, or purgatory is needed. The blood of Jesus cleanses from ALL sin forever....period!
1 John 1
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
CONCLUSION
What more can be said about this Catholic movie from Mel and his Catholic advisors? It presents Catholic teaching as it exalts Mary. Mary is shown to be a loving mother who suffered greatly at the death of the Lord Jesus.
As the world heads deeper into spiritual apostasy, just watch for the worship of Mary to increase. This movie will have its part in exalting Mary to the world. I would say that all the liberal churches who have not remained faithful to the Lord Jesus or the Bible will get involved with this movie. It will be used as an outreach with the hopes of adding many new members to liberal congregations.
Matthew 24
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no
man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall
deceive many.
Matthew 24
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Acts 20
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves
enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
So Christians, beware of these last days deceptions!
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