I ONLY WANT TO SAY - JESUS CHRIST AT THE GETHSEMANE

GETHSEMANE (I Only Want To Say)

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

These are the two most resounding lines from the chorus of the popular song taken from the movie Jesus Christ Superstar, “Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ. Who are you, what have you sacrificed?” As the finale song of the movie/rock opera is sung; the viewers are left with this very intriguing question as to the importance of the Man and His Mission.

To my mind, the clear answer to this perplexing issue raised by the chorus is obvious, that Jesus had sacrificed His Humanity to the point of death to proclaim His Divinity (His Resurrection). This is the central theme of the movie/rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, where men are unable to accept His Human/Divine status, when Jesus declares that He truly is the Son of God.

The movie had its initial screening in 1973 as Jesus Christ Superstar the movie. Celebrating 40 years since it first opened in Broadway and at London's West End, this entirely new and re-conceptualized musical production was recorded in video as Jesus Christ Superstar 2012; a rock opera concert tour performed live at the London Arena in 2012 where it was, well received and acclaimed by appreciative audiences.

Timothy Rice was the brilliant lyricist who wrote the Scripture based lyrics focusing on the final years of Jesus’ Mission before His Passion and Death, while the entire musical arrangements were magnificently composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber who had originally intended it to be a rock musical play.

In the movie adaptation, the location setting being typically conservative was filmed in expansive deserts and mountainous terrains to project a realistic feel indicative of the times of the Passion. The costumes and hairstyles of the cast were also reminiscent of 1973 when the hippie culture was the popular trend of that generation.

In the rock opera live version, an updated 2012 look was presented with the glamorous cast dressed in elegant costumes such as designer jackets, suits, overcoats, heavily accessorized with trendy communication gadgets. Also the presence of a massive video screen as background wall was efficiently utilized to project visual settings appropriate to relevant events; being alternately useful to highlight the more important scenes from the performers.

In the movie screenplay, Ted Neely was cast to portray as Jesus Christ, Carl Andersen as Judas Iscariot and Yvonne Elliman, who was personally chosen by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the role of Mary Magdalene. The 2012 rock opera version presented for its performing ensemble; Ben Forster as Jesus Christ, Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot and Melanie Chisholm as Mary Magdalene. 

Interestingly, Ben Forster was a show finalist, appropriately chosen by the viewing British public from the ITV primetime program Superstar; a reality based talent-search competition TV show launched by Andrew Lloyd Webber on May 16, 2012 in his quest to find the best artist to play the lead role in his forthcoming Superstar Live Arena Tour.

Since its initial live presentation as a London stage play in 1972, Jesus Christ Superstar celebrates 40 years of successful theater performances. The movie adaptation as directed by Norman Jewison was subsequently released in cinemas worldwide for viewing appreciation of international audiences. Fortunately, 40 years thereafter, both opera/movie masterpieces are available in standard and high-definition Blu-ray digital video format for video enthusiasts. 

The final years of Jesus Christ as its central theme is magnificently portrayed by the powerhouse cast with stunning performances; further enhanced with definitive melodious pop-rock musical arrangements. Inspirational lyrics are brilliantly interspersed with powerful melodies, such that the harmonious messages are effectively reinforced upon the viewers with repetitive choruses.
 
Undeniably, the opera version is quite difficult to execute as there are no re-takes and the musical accompaniment is performed live with precision by a full ensemble orchestra. New technological advancements have also greatly contributed to the enhancement of the soundtrack's superb multi-channel digital audio. With the utilization of digital video equipment, the visual presentation is finely detailed in high definition clarity, a welcome eyesight candy.

Jesus Christ Superstar is the story of the humanity of Jesus Christ. It portrays the human side of Jesus as he experiences the different facets of human emotions of love, fear, anger, hurts, doubts, frustrations, and abandonment. This human aspect of Jesus is portrayed in the play from the point of view of the closest people around him.

Judas Iscariot in his self-proclaimed status as the right-hand man of Jesus offers him unsolicited advice on how He should go about with His Mission. The ever supportive Mary Magdalene explores her undeclared love for Jesus singing, “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” in which she professes her human inability to comprehend and express the proper and reverent way to love the Divine Jesus.

And the reluctant Pontius Pilate who demonstrates his apprehension to sentence the innocent Jesus to death by crucifixion; exploring other possible ways to reduce His sentence by having him flogged 39 times. Ultimately not receiving a defining response from Jesus finally forces Pilate to give in to the clamor and approves the death sentence with his regretful chorus, “Die if you want to, you innocent puppet.”  

Jesus Christ Superstar is about the humanity of the Son of God who typifies any other human mortal experiencing doubts and uncertainties in the trials of life. The lyrics of Tim Rice and the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber rightfully portrays the human side of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane scene where Jesus dares to ask God for enlightenment and questions why He should die and if it is possible for Him not to drink the cup of poison.  

The Gethsemane portion was the most intense and passionate part of the musical. It expresses the magnanimity of the Divine Love of God for all of mankind; who despite the petition of Jesus to withdraw the cup of suffering; didn’t withheld His very own Son from mortal death for our sake.

In the 1973 movie, this particular line where Jesus expresses, “God, Thy Will is hard, But you hold every card.” was craftily substituted in the live opera version with “God, Thy Will be done, Take Your only Son”. And as Jesus sings His troubled Heart out to the Father, he concludes it with a willful resignation of an obedient Son by declaring, “Take me now, before I change my mind.”

Simon in his overwhelming devotion to Jesus the Superstar, as their newly proclaimed political Messiah declares, “You’ll get the power and the glory, forever and ever.” Surprisingly, Jesus downplays His Superstar status in response to Simon and the crowds with this perplexing chorus, “While you live, your troubles are many, poor Jerusalem. To conquer death, you only have to die, you only have to die.” Jesus emphasizes that human death is inevitably a necessary phase for His transition from humanity to full Divinity.

Another interesting portion of the musical was the intimate appeal of His followers for Jesus to reconsider His decision from proceeding with His Passion as Mary Magdalene and Peter the Apostle leading the chorus, “I think you’ve made your point now. You’ve even gone a bit too far, to get the message home. Before it gets too frightening, we ought to call a halt. So could we start again please?”

In retrospect, this song “Could we start again please?” is also an intimate invitation for the viewers to reconsider reconciliation and avail of the Sacrament of Confession, where we are reconciled with Jesus and are given a new start for a new life with Him. The ultimate reward of His Sacrifice is our Redemption, and the very reason why Jesus lovingly offered Himself to God the Father, in atonement for our sins.

So there it is, the very act of His Supreme Sacrifice is what makes Jesus Christ a true Superstar, the Name that is above all name.  Jesus willingly sacrifices Himself, His Life, His Humanity to proclaim His Divinity triumphantly. By His death, he has conquered death with His Resurrection and His Divinity is gloriously proclaimed and reaffirmed by God who decrees that from henceforth all authority in heaven and on earth is given to His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

“Jesus Christ, Superstar, Son of God, you truly are. You have the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.”

JESUS OF NAZARETH - THE TV FILM

 

JESUS OF NAZARETH - Full Length Movie

In the entire history of mankind, there has never been a more controversial, admired and most talked about person other than Jesus Christ. So much has been written about this revered Holy Man who is so misunderstood despite the fact that He willingly offered His very own life on the Cross as a supreme sacrifice so that all of mankind may be saved.

For those who prefer watching movies rather than reading the Bible, I highly recommend that you see this great classic film in its entirety; as it will surely change your perspective of Jesus Christ. It has touched and inspired many of my friends including skeptics who have seen this movie many times over.

What better way to reflect on a meaningful Lenten season than to understand and appreciate this Holy Man as the only Son of God who had conquered death through His Resurrection.

In a person's lifetime, JESUS OF NAZARETH is one must see great movie on DVD, I enthusiastically encourage everyone to watch. The entire movie consists of a two (2) discs DVD with Disc 1 focusing on the origin and birth of Jesus and Disc 2 detailing His life, work, teachings and suffering. 

While each Disc is about three hours in viewing duration; but under the artistic masterpiece and superb direction of the multi-awarded Film Director Franco Zeffirelli; the entire story was so engrossing in its realistic presentation that the viewer intensely enjoys uninterrupted viewing; hardly noticing the duration time has passed by.

It was originally presented by Sir Lew Grade and produced by Franco Zeffirelli Productions in 1977 as a television mini-series televised as continuing episodes with a total running time of 6 Hours and 22 Minutes.

The powerhouse award winning casts boast of Hollywood's greatest actors during their production time which had included Robert Powell, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, James Farentino, James Earl Jones, Stacey Keach, Tony Lo Bianco, James Mason, Ian McShane, Sir Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasance, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Fernando Rey, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, Michael York, and Olivia Hussey as the Blessed Mother Mary.

This magnificent classic is the greatest Jesus movie of all time and what never ceases to amaze me is the par excellance performance of Robert Powell as Jesus Christ. He actually looks and talks like Jesus.

Even Director Zeffirelli was so impressed at his outstanding performance; he noted that Robert Powell never blinked his eyes even in the delivery of his long parts, which to him was the mark of a great actor as it was the first time he has witnessed such.

The following review is an excerpt of my movie review of Jesus of Nazareth as featured in Amazon.com:

No doubt about it, this for me is the greatest film on the life and story of Jesus Christ. While the Passion of The Christ centers on the actual suffering and was graphically vivid for the excruciating pain our sins have inflicted on Jesus, the movie Jesus Of Nazareth focuses more on his teachings and the impact of His earthly presence among those who have come into actual contact with Jesus.

This timeless masterpiece is a creatively brilliant humanist portrayal of the divine virtues of Faith, Hope, Love and Humility as Jesus teaches us to emulate.

In various scenes within the movie, Jesus emphasizes the fact that "All who were fortunate enough to see what others dreamed to see and to hear what others longed to hear" refer to the fortunate crowd who have actually witnessed the teachings of Jesus in the flesh as compared to those who only read in the Holy Scriptures about the coming of the Messiah.

But the greatest irony of all was those who were indeed fortunate enough to witness Him in the flesh were even the ones who rejected His Holy Presence even questioning the selfless purpose of His foretold Divine Mission, were the very same religious leaders entrusted to preach the Scriptures.

Well fortunately for us all, Jesus of Nazareth is now on video and although I've probably seen this over a dozen times; it never ceases to amaze me that I always get a different perspective of spiritual enlightenment and contemplative appreciation of the same impressionable scenes every time I watch it during Lenten Season and Christmas.

Now as a video viewer, you have two choices. You can either embrace and come to love the film as strong as your faith in Jesus or you can reject it by pressing the eject button and stow the discs away in its protective jewel box.

Either way, it's worth one complete viewing which guarantees not only five star entertainment but an all star casts entertainment. This spectacular masterpiece film is always great no matter how many times one watches it; since the story is about the life of the greatest superstar of all time who ever walked the earth, none other than Jesus of Nazareth.

THE GIFT OF PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR SOULS IN PURGATORY

 

It's that time of the year when we visit our departed relatives in their resting place. It's also an opportune time to gain Plenary Indulgences which can be offered to our departed loved ones so that they are lifted from Purgatory and into Heaven, their final destination.

Praying for the poor souls in purgatory is so important! The Church dedicates November to the holy souls in Purgatory. She encourages the faithful to offer prayers, indulgences, works of penance, and/or almsgiving for these suffering souls who cannot help themselves.

How You Can Offer a Plenary Indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory from November 1 till November 8. Every November, the Church gives the faithful the opportunity to offer a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory.

This means we can release souls from their temporal punishment in purgatory so they can immediately go to heaven!

You can offer one year-round, but the Church recognizes this specific plenary indulgence from Nov. 1-8. This method is a partial indulgence any other time during the year.

It is possible for the person offering the indulgence to release one soul from purgatory per day during this time period.

Steps to Obtain a Plenary Indulgence for Souls in Purgatory:

1.  Pray at a cemetery

It doesn’t matter which cemetery, as long as you pray at one. Some suggested prayers are the Prayer of St. Gertrude or the Eternal Rest prayer.

2.  Visit a Church on All Souls' Day (Nov. 2)

According to The Manual of Indulgences, fourth edition, 1999, "On All Souls’ Day (or, according to the judgment of the ordinary, on the Sunday preceding or following it, or on the solemnity of All Saints), devoutly visit a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed."

3.  Go to Confession

Receive the Sacrament of Confession. In order for one to obtain a Plenary Indulgence, whether it be for the poor souls or for oneself, the person working to obtain it must be detached from all sin. If the soul is not detached, a partial indulgence will be applied. (You only have to go to Confession once during this time period)

4.  Receive Holy Communion

Simple as that! (Just please do it in the state of grace!)

5.  Pray for the Pope

The Church suggests praying one "Our Father" and one “Hail Mary” for the Holy Father.

Additional Requirements for Indulgences

The Church asks that if possible, “the sacramental Confession, and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope’s intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed.”

However, since this is not always possible, one must perform the above within approximately 20 days before or after praying at a cemetery.

If you wish to gain more than one Plenary Indulgence for the poor souls in purgatory, you must receive Communion, visit a cemetery, and pray for the Pope each time you wish to grant the Plenary Indulgence. 

This must take place between Nov. 1-8. Only one confession is required for all indulgences, as long as the other requirements are fulfilled.

WHY JESUS RODE ON A DONKEY

 

Jesus rode on a donkey on Palm Sunday to fulfill an ancient prophecy and to show what kind of King he was. The donkey symbolizes His peaceful coming, He is coming to seek and to save the lost. He is coming as the Sacrificial Lamb, to atone for our sins.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PALM BRANCHES

 

The blessing of the Palms celebrates the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, which becomes the prelude to the Passion and other events of Holy Week.

The Palm Sunday Mass itself is therefore focused entirely on the Passion. The palms should be taken home, where they will serve as a reminder of the victory of Christ, which they celebrated in the procession. (PS 29).

WHY DOES THE LITURGY BEGINS WITH A PROCESSION

 

The commemoration of the entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem has, according to ancient custom, been celebrated with a solemn procession, in which the faithful in song and gesture imitate the Hebrew children who went to meet the Lord, singing 'Hosanna'.

The Procession may take place only once, before the Mass that has the largest attendance, even of this should be in the evening of Saturday or Sunday.

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION