Things bloom from dormancy in the spring

A heartfelt thanks to all the folks who asked me about Passion last night at the Kevin Kline Awards. It truly made my night. Things have been a bit slower for me the last two months regarding the show but getting to speak about it with friends, and feeling supported in this endeavor reinvigorated me. I have a meeting with a producer, was asked to submit it to a new play festival, was given suggestions as to where to find that elusive Hallelujah, and got some great ideas about venues.

I just hope I wasn't too overwhelming when talking about Passion. It kind of all whooshes out of my mouth and the "passion" I feel for this project makes my heart swell. 

I'd say, "back to the grind" but that isn't at all how I feel about Passion. I am supremely blessed to be bringing this project to the stage and even more blessed by the people (some of whom I would have never guessed read this blog) who came to me with their support and good wishes.

listening

So Matt, my husband, bought me a cd set about how the gospels were written. I've come across lots of info on this particular subject, (the timeline, the friend of a friend of a freind said/wrote, whose was written first, who borrowed from whom for their gospel) but I am excited to listen to a biblical scholar as I road trip to Rolla this summer. Oral histories are always hard to pin down and it amazes me that there is still so much research going on regarding these books. Yes, they are THAT important.

About two weeks ago the gospel was about laying our worry aside, that God would see to us and our abundance just as he takes care of the birds in the sky, and we rate higher than them. This is a major task for me but one where I have been finding small successes. As we head into Easter season again, and use the next 33 days for preparation, I am keeping my eyes and ears open for the Holy Spirit to show me the way for Passion. I have an entire year - Jesus only had three years in his ministry. Surely, I can figure out one production in that time.

Tremendous news!

About a week ago I learned that the Pope agrees with me! Pope Benedict has a new book out titled Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week, in which he makes clear that the Jews ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE for the death of Jesus. Whew!

Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of Pope Benedict. I much preferred his predecessor Pope John Paul II. But I am thrilled, nonetheless, that he (and the Church he leads) has said/written for all to see, that Catholics anyway, are not going to blame the Jewish people for the death of Jesus Christ. Thank God. In working from gospels for Passion, this was the conclusion I came to again and again. I simply couldn't see how God would renounce an entire people, His Chosen Ones, when everybody knew this was coming. I will contend that there were numerous Jewish officials (high priests, members of the Sanhedrin, etc) that were absolutely culpable in getting Jesus pushed through the Roman legal system and should be held responsible for his death - but not the whole lot of them. This is akin to saying that all Catholics are responsible when a priest molests a child. It's disgusting, despicible and reprehensible, but they are the actions of a man, not the agenda of a people. Same with those Jewish officials: they had their own agenda. They were threatened by Jesus and how he could affect their power. It had very little to do with the everyday Jewish person. As I've written in previous posts, Jesus was not sent here to start a new religion, but to fulfill the prophecies of old.

Additionally, "He examines in depth the words in Matthew’s Gospel which have had such a terrible impact on the Jewish people down the ages: “His blood be upon us and upon our children” and offers a completely new way of understanding these most difficult words, giving an explanation based on the Genesis text concerning the blood of Abel, as well as the accounts of the Last Supper. In doing this, his interpretation is wholly positive and no longer negative or damning."

The Christian will remember that the blood of Christ ... is not spilled against anyone but ... for many, for all," Benedict writes. "Read from the point of view of the faith, this means that we all need the purifying force of love, and that force is his blood. These words are not a curse, but redemption, salvation."

In my research on the historical times of Jesus, over and over I came to the conclusion that the Romans were responsible for His death. He was tried in a Roman court (which, by the way, wanted nothing to do with him, and believed the charges against him to be false). As you can read in the gospels, Pilate tried to release him - several times - only to be pressed by the Jewish officials again and again. In what was surely a political move to satisfy those men, did he finally concede to put Jesus to death. Essentially, Pilate needed a backbone and he caved to the pressure of men who, what? thought God wouldn't see them working behind the scenes?

Since the Jewish law doesn't allow for someone to be put to death, Jesus died in typical Roman fashion: a crucifixion. Bloody, savage, public and just another Friday for them.

I have not read the entire book, only seen articles and reviews which reveal the crux of his standings - something which anyone who has read the gospels could easily figure out on their own, as I did. And frankly, it is amazing that no one had the cajones to state it as clearly before now. So, props to Benedict for that! I just wish it could have come sooner, like, hundreds of years ago.