Activists Already “Concerned” About New Mel Gibson Film

(www.RemnantNewspaper.com) According to James Hirsen of News Max (Nov. 2, 2005), Mel Gibson’s upcoming epic film, Apocalypto, is already “prompting some concern from indigenous affairs activists in Mexico.”

Fernando Nava, director of the National Indigenous Language Institute, is concerned that the movie not "ideologically contradict [the realities of] Maya culture, or present it in such a way that it offends present-day Maya people," although he also acknowledges that filming in the Mayan language could help the general population to know that the language exists and that people continue to use it.

Xochitl Gálvez, director of the National Commission for Indian Development, expressed guarded optimism. "Hopefully, Mel Gibson has put together an appropriate advisory team so as to avoid any errors," she said.

Miguel May May, chair of Maya language and culture at the Institute for the Development of Maya Culture in Yucatan state, spoke of the careful guidance necessary when using indigenous language. Gibson's use of the Maya "is something that must be managed carefully, so that we don't become objects of ridicule and our language and culture are not 'folklorized’," said May May.

Apocalypto, which was scheduled to begin production on November 14th, will be shot almost entirely in the jungle of Mexico's Veracruz state, and will feature actors unrecognizable to most moviegoers, actors who will speak in the Mayan tongue of Yucateco. Set 600 years ago, prior to the arrival of Spanish explorers in Mexico and Central America in the 16th century, the film will be light on dialogue and heavy on images and action, according to Gibson.

The film's title, Apocalypto, a Greek word for an unveiling or new beginning, "just expresses so well what I want to convey," Gibson said to reporters in Veracruz, as reported by the Associated Press (Oct. 31, 2005). "I think it's just a universal word. In order for something to begin, something has to end. All of those elements are involved. But it's not a big doomsday picture or anything like that."

Asked about future endeavors, Gibson replied, "I have many other projects planned. I might just try one in English."

Comment: It would be rash to presume that the Mayan scholars cited above are merely engaging in the type of self-serving hysteria which marked the “concerns” launched against The Passion of The Christ while the film was still in production. Abraham Foxman, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dr. Eugene Fisher, Rabbi James Rudin, Sr. Mary Boys and the other perpetrators of the Passion hysteria were more interested in denigrating the Gospels, casting aspersions upon the history and teachings of the Catholic Church, and proving their moral superiority over the average grunt in the pew, than they were about any “historical accuracy.” Their own words condemned them time and again.

If the Mayan scholars remain reasonable, limit their concerns to historical and scholarly topics, avoid using Gibson’s film merely to grab their own fifteen minutes of fame, and shun any desire to rewrite history, then they can only be an asset to the enterprise. On the one hand, the Mayan civilization developed astronomy, calendrical systems and hieroglyphic writing. On the other, they engaged in the bloody and brutal practice of human sacrifice, including the ritual murder of children.

Depicting ancient civilizations and recreating the past is a dicey proposition. No two film makers will do it the same way, and Hollywood has produced enough cheesy “sword-&-sandal” epics, which, though rich in camp value, prove the point. Even a huge budget is no guarantee of historical integrity. A recent episode of a multimillion-dollar cable television series featured a raunchy depiction of Cleopatra as an opium-smoking nymphomaniac, prompting one noted classical scholar to call it “the single worst presentation of Cleopatra (and of Ptolemaic Egypt) that I’ve ever seen.”

Mel Gibson told reporters that Apocalypto is "a story about a man and his woman, his child and his father, his community," adding that the man "is put in an incredibly heightened, stressful situation ... has to overcome tremendous obstacles. So it's a universal story in that respect.” In preparation for the film, Gibson researched the writings of a Spanish missionary and the Mayan bible, the "Popol Vuh," and visited Mayan sites in Guatemala and Mexico. He chose the Mayan setting because "it's just fascinating to me. There's still a lot of mystery about the culture. I'm hoping by focusing on this civilization we can ... analyze ourselves," he said, adding that the movie "is kind of an anthropological journey."

House of Representatives Commemorates Nostra Aetate

On November 7, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate. The official summary of the Resolution, designated “H.Con.Res. 260,” reads:

H.Con.Res. 260 recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate. The resolution recognizes and appreciates the religious diversity of the United States and the world and encourages the United States to serve in a role of leadership in combating anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms and ending religious intolerance and religious discrimination worldwide. Additionally, H.Con.Res. 260 acknowledges and supports the new relationship of collaboration and dialogue that has grown between Jews and Roman Catholics worldwide.

The resolution also “requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate and urging the people of the United States to observe the anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Introduced by Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) on October 6th, H.Con.Res. 260 passed by a vote of 349-0. It is a House Concurrent Resolution, a legislative proposal that must be passed by the House and Senate but does not require the signature of the President and does not have the force of law.

The twelve co-sponsors of H.Con.Res. 260 are: Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY), Rep. William Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Tancredo (R-CO). The Resolution is now headed to the Senate and is being advanced by Senators George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ).

Comment: American politicos going out of their way to support a document issued by the Vatican? Has the “New Springtime” finally blossomed into a Catholic revival that reaches to the very halls of government? Not quite.

What do Rush Holt, sponsor of Resolution “H.Con.Res. 260,” and the following co-sponsors and advocates of the Resolution all have in common – Gary Ackerman, Howard Berman, Lloyd Doggett, Anna Eshoo, Alcee Hastings, Nanci Pelosi and Frank Lautenberg? Each one of these individuals: (1) Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortions, (2) Voted NO to barring the transportation of minors to get abortions, and (3) were awarded a 100% “pro-choice” voting record by NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League).

Yes, the sponsor of this Resolution, half of its co-sponsors and one of its two senatorial advocates are so enamored of Catholic principles that they believe it is the duty of a well-ordered society to slaughter infants even outside the womb and drag young people off to abortion mills. Yet, these are the “leaders” who want the United States “to serve in a role of leadership in combating anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms and ending religious intolerance and religious discrimination worldwide.” Ugly forms? And what is partial-birth abortion? A cakewalk?

Once again, “anti-Semitism” becomes the standard by which all other crimes against humanity are judged. “Thought crimes” become more heinous than actual, bloody evils. You can murder infants by the millions, but watch your language!

“Church and State” mixing it up in the halls of government? Pro-abort American politicians getting all bubbly over a 40-year-old document from Rome? Since Nostra Aetate has about as much to do with Jesus Christ and Catholic doctrine as does “Where’s Waldo” – and everything to do with the most pandering sort of political correctness – why not? It’s difficult to decide which is the more appalling: politicos pretending to honor a “Catholic” document, or a Church document so bereft of the genuine presence of Jesus Christ that it can play into the hands of such people.

Hey, since Resolution H.Con.Res. 260 calls upon the people of the United States “to observe the anniversary [of Nostra Aetate] with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” why don’t we start with a government-sponsored Blessed Sacrament procession around the streets of Washington, DC in reparation for offenses rendered to God through abortion, homosexual “marriages,” false ecumenism and the outlawing of Christian symbolism? Anyone care to guess what the likes of Pelosi and Lautenberg would say then?

Women Prone To Demonic Possession, Says Exorcist

According to a certified Filipino exorcist, women are prone to demonic possession because they are generally more “psychic and intuitive” than men. “They are more open to the spiritual world,” said Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia, a professor of spiritual theology at the San Carlos Seminary and one of the few “designated” exorcists in the local Catholic hierarchy,” as quoted by The Inquirer News Service (Nov. 1, 2005). Fr. Syquia has worked with Fr. Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s Chief Exorcist.

In an interview with reporters, Syquia said that even nuns were not spared from possible possession, considering that evil spirits were usually attracted to holy people and places, such as seminaries and monasteries. However, it is this same holiness that will banish demonic exploits, he added.

In the Philippines, demonic possession seems to be a common occurrence because of occult practices, such as going to an “albularyo” (shaman) or consulting people who claim to be witches. Fr. Syquia also noted the immense popularity of the “spirit of the glass,” a supposed means of communicating with the spirits. Syquia says that the Roman Catholic Church was particularly strict about the spirit of the glass, citing the Book of Deuteronomy which asks the faithful “never [to] contact or search the spirits because you only open yourself to demonic interaction.” He went on to say that people who engage in such practices “are allowing the evil spirits to have power over you because you are worshipping them.”

“Demons are all around us and they can attack us in many possible ways,” said Fr. Syquia. “That’s why we have to have these protections” – Rosaries, Scapulars, St. Benedict Medals, etc. If all these fail, the job of driving away evil spirits that have taken over a body falls on exorcists. Technically, he said, any priest could perform an exorcism provided he is authorized by the bishop of the diocese under whose spiritual jurisdiction the possession has occurred, and only after making sure that the case was indeed a possession, not a psychiatric problem.

Not all exorcisms would immediately drive away bad spirits. Some cases take years before a person is completely purified depending on the degree of evil within him. “Evil persons are difficult to exorcise,” said Fr. Syquia.

Comment: It is no secret that Satan has a special grudge against women. You wouldn’t guess it from the depiction of women offered to the public in such programs as Sex and the City or Desperate Housewives, which reduce women to ignorant, calculating, obsessively carnal caricatures, but there is a power and mystery to real women that is a gift of the Holy Ghost. That power and mystery is strongest when a woman is sensible of her own worth and her unique place in the created order.

When writing about the Fall of Lucifer in The Mystical City of God, Ven. Maria of Agreda observed that the rebellious angel’s hatred of Jesus Christ began after the newly created angelic hosts were informed of the future Incarnation of the Second Divine Person. Lucifer had himself “aspired to be the head of all the human race and of the angelic orders, and if there was to be a hypostatic union, he demanded that it be consummated in him.” However, the Divine decree of the Incarnation constituted Lucifer as inferior to the future Mother of God. Thereafter, he desired only to topple Mary from the exalted position in which she had been placed, and set God’s plan of salvation to naught. In short, the Divine Maternity drove Lucifer insane with jealousy.

The ability to bear children, to create life in union with the Blessed Trinity – this is something even the greatest and most powerful archangel cannot do. And, in a sense, when this gift is surrendered to God in the vow of chastity, it becomes even more fearsome to the powers of Hell, for it is a real triumph of surrender to the Divine Will. The women who achieve this triumph have proven themselves stronger than the onetime, but now fallen, shining star of the angelic host. Is it any wonder that the Devil should have a special animus toward nuns? When Our Lady appeared at La Salette, she warned of the following, all too visible in our own time:

     In convents, the flowers of the Church will decompose and the devil will make himself like the king of all hearts. May those in charge of religious communities be on their guard against the people they must receive, for the devil will resort to all his evil tricks to introduce sinners in to religious orders, for disorder and the love of carnal pleasures will be spread all over the earth.

To the shallow thinker, dulled by too many decades of feminist tirades, the observations of Fr. Syquia would be labeled “sexist,” but the truth goes far deeper. If certain women find themselves prone to spiritual assaults, then they are in very good company, indeed: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.

Early Christian Church Unearthed Near Armageddon

Reuters (Nov. 6, 2005) and The Cybercast News Service (Nov. 9, 2005) report that Israeli archaeologists have unearthed what they believe to be “the oldest church discovered in the land where Jesus was born.” The remains of the church, dating from the mid-third to the mid-fourth century, were found inside the barbed-wire topped security wall of northern Israel’s Megiddo Prison, a maximum-security jail not far from the hill of Armageddon, during a dig for possible artifacts before the planned construction of a new prison wing.

The ruins of the church, which had been built in the style of a hall, contain two mosaics featuring very interesting inscriptions. The first mosaic, depicting the early Christian fish symbol, states that “Gaianos the Centurion paid for the mosaic himself and Brutius was the artisan.” The second mosaic, a simple flower pattern, contains two inscriptions. One of them is an exhortation to remember four women named as Frimilia, Kiriaka, Dorothea, and Karasta. The second inscription reads: "The God-loving Akaptos [another woman] has offered this table to the God Jesus Christ as a memorial." Archaeologists do not know if the "table" refers to a table or an altar, since none has been found, but they say that this is one of the earliest references to Jesus Christ found in a mosaic.

Independent archaeologist Stephen Pfan said there were two things about the mosaic inscriptions that struck him. Firstly, they include a memorial to four women, at a time when women were not usually mentioned in such a way. And secondly, a centurion of the Roman Empire, which was opposed to Christianity, had funded a Christian mosaic.

What makes the find especially interesting to archaeologists and historians is not just that it is ancient and possibly the oldest church found in Israel, but that it clearly shows there was public Christian worship there at a time when Christianity was still outlawed in the Roman Empire and when Christians were being persecuted, said archaeologist Najar Arfan, who is working at the dig. Archaeologists believe the building was used publicly for some kind of Christian activity before the legalization of Christianity by Constantine in 324 A.D.

"This is one of the most important finds of early Christianity," archaeologist Yardena Alexandre of the Israel Antiquities Authority told journalists during a tour of the excavation. Another archaeologist, Yotam Tepee, director of the excavation at the prison site, said that, while archaeologists had previously discovered domestic prayer sites in the Holy Land that may be older than the ruins at the prison, none was classified as a church. He also noted that the three Greek inscriptions on the two mosaics indicate that the building – about 29 feet long by 20 feet wide – was a public and not a private building.

More than 60 prisoners worked on the excavations and a few of them were so happy with the work, they have asked for jobs with the Israel Antiquities Authority when they complete their prison sentences, said an Israeli Prison Service spokesperson.

One prisoner, who gave his name only as Yoram, said that working at the excavation site had prompted him to think about people and religions and the conflicts between them through the ages. "There is something more than physical rehabilitation. There is rehabilitation of the soul ... to start to think in a different way. Because you're not being rehabilitated like someone who is working in a plastic factory. You are being rehabilitated when you see history...you can think about [things]," Yoram said.