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| The Scourging by Rubens |
While I was on retreat, I kept thinking about Mel Gibson's film,
The Passion of the Christ. The third week of the Spiritual Exercises consists of meditating on Jesus' suffering and death. As I was reflecting on the events of the passion, I kept seeing images from the movie. The slow motion scene of Veronica ministering to Christ especially came to mind because I was also reading Cardinal Sarah's
The Power of Silence. There was Veronica in the midst of all that turmoil and chaos perfectly silent and at peace as she reached out to Christ in love and compassion. The Roman soldiers didn't exist for her at that moment. It was as if she lived in another dimension of silence, her eyes and whole attention focused on the face of Christ. Yes, true internal silence can reign in our hearts in the midst of exterior tumult!
Yesterday someone sent me a powerful video interview with Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Christ in the film. That movie was a life changing event for so many. I think I will watch it again on the Feast of the Sacred Heart this Friday. O Jesus, meek and humble of heart make my heart like unto Thine. Make me, in the words of St. Teresa of Avila, a "burning furnace of charity."
