Weirdos?

St. Paul already warned us quite clearly. Those who take their Christian faith seriously better be prepared to be humiliated and treated like a laughing stock.

“We have been made a spectacle to the world…we are fools for Christ…we are maligned…we have become as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all.” (1 Cor 4,9-13)

Talking about Christ, now as it was then, will always meet some resistance. “For the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks look for ‘wisdom,’ but we, for our part preach a crucified Christ—to the Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to the Gentiles foolishness.” (1 Cor 1,22-23)

These thoughts came to mind when I was following some commentaries related to the forthcoming showing of the film, “Da Vinci Code.”

Yes, dear, we are now in the middle of a media firestorm to hype this controversial movie. So, we just have to activate our critical mind. We cannot be naïve. Times are extremely tricky.

The usual tack used by most commentators is that we should not be too bothered by this movie, since after all the author of the book on which it based said it’s just fiction.

Actually this view amuses me more than piques me. I smell naiveté here or a sense of helplessness. It is as if these hardened commentators suddenly become ignorant of the many tricks and gimmicks in this world.

What most amused me most was to read a columnist who said that those who are asking for the banning of the movie are actually “weirdos.” Now, wait a
minute! Am I now a weirdo?

Though I’m too old to be talking about banning and boycotting a movie, I just can not let a movie that satirizes my faith, my most intimate treasure, to pass by without me airing some complaint.

How would you react if someone approaches you to say the he has just written a book, now being made into a movie, and that he has used your wife or mother as the main character, portraying her as a slut, but that you should not worry because the book is just fiction?

If to complain about this development is to be a weirdo, then by all means I am one such weirdo.

The problem we have is that many of us are such suckers of any movie and novel that we seem not to mind anymore if there are certain basic values that are being perverted in the process.

Especially if the movie has some action, drama or feel-good themes, or it has some titillating sex scenes, it seems to me that we can just forget about the integrity of our faith.

This, in my view, is again another manifestation of addiction and obsession. And I must say this phenomenon is quite widespread.

I find this funny, because many people come to me and ask why they have a hard time praying, etc. I also ask them, how many hours do you spend on TV and the DVD? I always find a correlation between more movies and less prayer.

We need to discipline ourselves. We need to be more discerning. As I said, I will not talk about banning or boycotting the movie. The nature of the story itself should tell us whether it should have been written in the first place, then read and promoted, then filmed and watched.

Alas, we expose the real problem we have. It has many layers. Among them, that many of us are so weak we cannot say no to any curiosity that may grip us. Worse, is the crisis of faith that many of us are having, most of the time not even being aware of it.

As for me, I remain unrepentant in pursuing my resolution not to read the book, much less to see the film. And I will pray for divine mercy and divine retribution.