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dlobrien
Guest
Should I wait to watch the Passion of Christ until lent and Easter season? Also, should I/can I watch it by myself?
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Kamaduck
Guest
It’s probably more powerful during Lent, but you don’t *have *to wait.
I’m not sure why watching it by yourself would be a problem. It’s fine to watch it in a group, too, but you’re probably not going to hear a lot of commentary beyond “wait, that actually happened?” It tends to leave people rather speechless.
It’s a bloody, disturbing movie. Not recommended for squeamish people, but I personally think it’s well worth the time regardless of how and when you choose to watch it.
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garn9173
Guest
Not sure why you would want to watch it during the Easter season when we are celebrating Christ’s resurrection, but I know a cousin of mine and his wife will watch the movie on Good Friday.
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Phalanx
Guest
My vote goes for wait.
I saw it one time during easter and i will never watch it again. I can watch slasher/torture horror movies all day but the passion really disturbes me.
I watched it with my family.
I saw it one time during easter and i will never watch it again. I can watch slasher/torture horror movies all day but the passion really disturbes me.
I watched it with my family.
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George_Stegmeir
Guest
I do not think you should wait until Lent to watch this movie. However, whether or not you should watch this movie by yourself depends on how old and/or how mature you are.
If you are in your teens or younger, I would not recommend watching this movie alone. It is so gory, that if you are not mature, you are liable to have nightmares from this…I saw this movie several years ago, and the Scourging at the Pillar and the Crowning of Thorns scenes are so realistic and bloody, that I instantly remember them every time I say the Sorrowful Mysteries on the Rosary! And I am in my 70’s and a veteran of two wars.
One suggestion to anyone watching this film. Always remember that all of this happened, the Romans were not noted for having the milk of human kindness when dealing with conquered people. In fact, kindness and mercy were considered weaknesses in Roman society. All of this no only actually happened, it happened to Jesus Christ in reparation for all of our sins.
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Ad_Orientem
Guest
I’d watch it with someone else so you have someone to experience & discuss it with afterward – preferably someone who won’t ruin it by talking throughout the movie.
It’s also better with the lights out.
In a way the no subtitle experience is better, but you may want them the first time.
It’s also better with the lights out.
In a way the no subtitle experience is better, but you may want them the first time.
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Jeanne_S
Guest
I agree,the images of Our Lord’s Passion as depicted in this movie,have had a very lasting impression on me as well.Any time as you ,mentioned, I meditate on The Passion,whether it be the Sorrowful Mystries,Divine Mercy Chaplet,or the Seven Sorrows of Mary,these images come to mind and I am moved to tears.
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Tighty_Whitey
Guest
The movie is very gory and while likely worth watching it is not necessary to fully appreciate Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. God has given us in the Bible all that God wanted us to know about the Passion and that is also how God wanted us to know about it.
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Falco
Guest
I have several friends who heard it was a gory, realistic movie, and said they would not watch it as they are ‘sensitive’. I was disappointed in them. EVERY Christian should watch this movie at least once.
I watch it yearly, on Good Friday, alone, so I can cry aloud and talk to Jesus while I watch it, without others seeing me.
I watch it yearly, on Good Friday, alone, so I can cry aloud and talk to Jesus while I watch it, without others seeing me.
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judynurse
Guest
I saw “The Passion of the Christ” with my husband when it first came out. As background for you, my husband was a nurse for 48 years and served in country as a Combat Medic and Medical Specialist (equivalent to an LPN) and saw a lot of gory things. I was also a Nurse & had worked in ER, and had also seen a lot of blood, broken bodies and blood. We had studied some about crucifixion & how it was done a couple of years prior to this film being released. It is “gory” to most people, and did affect even us, after all the real life things we had both seen. It might be worth noting that the film was “cleaned up” compared to what actually occurred to Our Lord! The actual scourging which the Romans did with the multiple whips on one handle were much, much worse than the film showed. Each of those whips had metal, bone, and stones (jagged ones) knotted into the whips at intervals of 1" - 3", and after about 10 strokes, bones were actually visible. Often the spinal cord was exposed and some vertebrae cracked and broken. The whips wrapped partially around the body, and fully around the legs, flaying them, often to the bones. The film is one I watch each Holy Week, usually on Good Friday, and I am beginning to understand the Aramaic which is spoken, although I read the subtitles for much of it. If you have small children in the house DO NOT LET THEM WATCH. It will terrify them. If you are at least 16, or 18, you can probably handle it. If you feel moved to see it, go ahead, don’t wait for Lent or Good Friday. Having another Catholic friend with you might help both of you get through it, and will definitely give you something substantive to discuss. Realize though, that you & your friend will probably be unable to discuss it for up to an hour or so after seeing it. It truly does leave you speechless. Watch with the subtitles, unless you know Aramaic very well, or you will miss a lot of the subtle parts.
When we came out of the theater, not a word was spoken, and most of the audience was in tears. We purchased the DVD, but my husband, who had seem so much in two wars (Korea and Viet Nam) never watched it after the first Holy Week after we purchased the DVD when he saw it for the 2nd time. He said it caused him to have nightmares from the wars. I switched from ER to Terminal Care and Hospice after seeing the film, and feel it gave me a much deeper appreciation for why Christ sweated drops of blood while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had probably seen some crucifixions previously, since it was common with the Romans, & frequently done in Israel under their rule, so He knew exactly what He was facing! I now have a much deeper appreciation for what He endured for all of us. Even knowing that He would save millions of souls, He was still a human man, and facing that kind of death could not have been in any way easy!! The pain of His Mother must have been terrible, to see her beloved Son in that condition! It will certainly give you a deeper love for the Lord, for what He endured to save you!
Certainly NOT recommended for children!! I saw some families at the theater who brought children as young as 7 years old to see it. I don’t think that was a wise decision. Just remember, it is less “gory” than the reality was, but it’s close enough to really make you think hard about His Sacrifice! I have 2 large wall crucifixes in my home, hand painted in Mexico, which are much more graphic that the metal or ceramic ones in the U.S., which are usually very clean, with little or no blood on the Corpus. Each time I pray before my Crucifix, I remember what I saw in the film, and what I know as a Nurse about the damage done to His Precious Body. I also remember it when I see the Holy Eucharist raised by the Priest during Mass!
When we came out of the theater, not a word was spoken, and most of the audience was in tears. We purchased the DVD, but my husband, who had seem so much in two wars (Korea and Viet Nam) never watched it after the first Holy Week after we purchased the DVD when he saw it for the 2nd time. He said it caused him to have nightmares from the wars. I switched from ER to Terminal Care and Hospice after seeing the film, and feel it gave me a much deeper appreciation for why Christ sweated drops of blood while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had probably seen some crucifixions previously, since it was common with the Romans, & frequently done in Israel under their rule, so He knew exactly what He was facing! I now have a much deeper appreciation for what He endured for all of us. Even knowing that He would save millions of souls, He was still a human man, and facing that kind of death could not have been in any way easy!! The pain of His Mother must have been terrible, to see her beloved Son in that condition! It will certainly give you a deeper love for the Lord, for what He endured to save you!
Certainly NOT recommended for children!! I saw some families at the theater who brought children as young as 7 years old to see it. I don’t think that was a wise decision. Just remember, it is less “gory” than the reality was, but it’s close enough to really make you think hard about His Sacrifice! I have 2 large wall crucifixes in my home, hand painted in Mexico, which are much more graphic that the metal or ceramic ones in the U.S., which are usually very clean, with little or no blood on the Corpus. Each time I pray before my Crucifix, I remember what I saw in the film, and what I know as a Nurse about the damage done to His Precious Body. I also remember it when I see the Holy Eucharist raised by the Priest during Mass!
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Bruised_Reed
Guest
Well, if one has read the scriptures there isn’t anything in the “gory” scenes that should be a surprise. It is possible that some can’t image the level of torture Christ endured. Most crucifixes are rather sanitized.
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colliric
Guest
Yes, keep it until Maundy Thursday, and watch it late, possibly after you get home from the Church(after the Mass of Our Lord’s Supper).
That’s what I do.
But if you feel you must see it now, then yeah, don’t wait, as obviously something is calling you to see the film.
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Skye_Ariel
Guest
I’ve seen the movie and it gets me all emotional and my stomach gets into all kinds of knots. It’s very hard to watch and makes me want to repent and ask forgiveness just because I belong to the human race that did that to Him. :bighanky: But I do suggest that every Christian watch it at least once. It’s very realistic and really lets you see what Jesus went through for us. That whipping scene seemed to go on forever I can’t imagine how anyone can endure that. :bighanky: I felt like I was going to throw up during that scene. Wew! It was too much. But that’s what Jesus went through for us and probably worse than that!
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Skye_Ariel
Guest
Yeah I was one of them, I didn’t realize crucifixes were that bad till I saw the movie. I was used to the clean sanitized version. Some people need to see that.
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Skye_Ariel
Guest
I totally agree, and just thinking about how bad that was and to think the real thing was even worse just boggles my mind. That movie definitely gave me a greater appreciation for what Jesus suffered through for us and you are totally right about why He sweated drops of blood before the crucifixion. He was God but He was a man too and felt pain like we do. And that had to be hard for Mary watching her son get tortured like that.
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