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JESUS OF MONTREAL

Homework in Christology, based on the film:


“Jésus de Montréal”

1. WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES IN INTERPRETING THE FIGURE OF JESUS?

In an attempt to present the figure of Jesus, the first difficulty fell upon the
parish priest. He needed to convince a good actor by the name of Mr. Daniel
Coloumbe to gather a group of talented theatre artists and then come up with a
play about Jesus’ life. Then the aforementioned main actor first found it
challenging when he painstakingly looked for the appropriate cast of characters.
And among his daunting task was to come up with as many data as possible
surrounding the historical Jesus of Nazareth. In one scene of the movie, the
librarian noticed Daniel making comprehensive research about Jesus. But then she
eventually told him “He will find you!” The Jesus whom he and his co-actors were
attempting to present to the people was quite elusive to them since he is neither a
church-man nor a truly devoted Christian. Therefore, looking for details
surrounding Jesus was overwhelming. Moreover, considering the fact that he still
needed to find the right persons who will fit the role, he took great effort in
convincing fellow actors to accept the offer. He succeeded, albeit with a lot of
effort put into it. But then, the challenge of really coming up with a good script
that would not only satisfy their artistic cravings and standards but one that could
also entertain the spectators was also tasking. Finally, after having completed a
worthy script, they presented it to some people. And then there was the parish
priest who tried to regulate the script since he was concerned of the doctrinal
orthodoxy of the play’s message. Such were the challenges in interpreting the
figure of Jesus.

2. WHAT…SOURCES USED? ...VALUE GIVEN TO THE SOURCES?

In the movie, when the actors presented the figure of Jesus, they used various
sources that they thought were useful. One was extra-biblical and, presumably,
biblical writings that Daniel, with the help of the librarian, researched in the library.
In this research work, he spotted some icons or works of art that connected with
Jesus Christ. These were quite useful for the actors in coming up with the plot,
costumes, and actions. More concretely, the painting of the crucified Jesus, which
Daniel found in the library, was the figure that he employed in presented the
crucified Jesus. Another source was an existing script, whose playwright was the
parish priest, and was patterned after orthodox Christian teachings. This particular
script did not suit to the taste of the artists since, for them, it was a bit outdated
and less engaging. Finally, there was the archaeological discovery that Daniel
managed to know of from a certain fellow. It tells about Jesus as being the son of a
Roman Legion named Panthera (Jesus bar Panthera). This particular source was
given much importance by the actors that they included this in their script, to the
dismay of the parish priest. All these sources were employed by the actors to come
up with their original and appealing script but indeed controversial. The particular
detail that Jesus was the son of the Roman legion was abhorred by the parish
priest because of it was not in harmony with the orthodox Catholic teachings about
Jesus.

3. WHAT DO THE PERSONS INTENDING TO INTERPRET/PRESENT JESUS NEED TO


FACE?

In their good intention to present Jesus to the expectant crowd, the priest and
the actors needed to face some of their own issues. These issues were concerning
their own worthiness and Christian faith. First of all, the parish priest had to face
his own Ecclesiastical authorities because he needed some boost in order to
impress them. He was also having an illicit affair with one of the lady-characters of
the play. This woman, knowing of her own sinfulness, was indeed trying to face
herself with respect to her role in the upcoming play about Christ. Daniel came to
know this sad fact, of course. In addition, one was an actor who did some voice-
overs in pornographic flicks; another one was reluctant to participate in anything
connected to religiosity since he himself was struggling in this particular area;
another was a daring advertisement model who was hooked in an illicit relationship
with her manager-boyfriend and was practically a woman ‘of the world’. When she
decided to accept the role, her boyfriend needed to face the furious opposition of
her boyfriend, who desperately tried to discourage her by telling her she was only
good insofar as she had a ‘great ass’. Daniel also had to deal with his own
temperament.

4. WHY THE MOVIE IS ENTITLED “JESUS OF MONTREAL”?

In my personal understanding, the movie was entitled as such because beyond


the play that the actors presented, Jesus was realized in an actual manner through
Daniel, who played the character of Jesus. Right from the start of the movie, a
stage actor was praised by his fans as very good in acting. But then he pointed to
somebody who was better than he—Daniel Coloumbe. This runs parallel to that of
John the Baptist’s pointing to Jesus as someone who is better than he: “He must
increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). In the end, this actor’s head was used in
an advertisement in the subway station, depicting that of John the Baptist’s
beheading. Moreover, he was somebody who, like Jesus, also suffered: he
experienced brief trouble in the court because he created quite a scenery in the
audition hall, similar to his getting into trouble with Jewish authorities when he
overturned tables of money lenders and cast vendors out of the Temple (Matthew
21:12–17). He got acquainted with sinners and had to deal with their idiosyncrasies,
etc., like Jesus’ having disciples that vary from Tax collectors to temperamental
fishermen; some were even women who were converted sinners. Ultimately, it was
through his death that gave life to persons who were in need of some of his organs
like the eyeballs and the heart. As what was shown in the movie, two recipients
were given a chance to live their respective lives in a better fashion. After his
death, his friends (co-actors) decided to continue on with his legacy by performing
the play for all those who are in need of religious revival. Their eventual conversion
to a life dedicated to their new-found passion, a life away from their previous
mundane ones, can be attributed to Daniel. He was a special person who united
them into a wonderful team of artists who found joy in their simple but sublime
new task of performing a religious play. I can already guess, although it was not
shown in the movie, that in the future all of them who were part of Daniel’s life
would be living a very unique and benevolent life patterned after the values they
learned and motivated by their new-found happiness. Hence, like Jesus who died
on the cross to save all humanity from the entanglement of sin and to give life to
all, Daniel, who is a native of Montreal, Canada, similarly gave life to his fellows.
His was a wonderful reflection of Jesus’ life.

5. HOW WOULD YOU PRESENT THE FIGURE OF JESUS TODAY TO THE


YOUTH/PARISHIONERS…?

As a student of theology, who is teaching third year college students and is


journeying with many young people in Tambo, Parañaque, I would present Jesus as
a person whom they can consider a friend. This friend, called Jesus, is ever present
when we are in times of suffering and persecution. One should never think that
Jesus is very far away from you when in trying times, for it is during those
moments that Jesus is actually very intimate with you. Of course, I will see to it
that I would never present a washed-down figure of Christ to these young people,
no matter what the cost may be. There is great need to present Jesus to the young
people today in a very pleasing manner insofar as there are plenty of distractions
out there that could possibly sway their attention on Christ. Nevertheless, by
seriously studying and preparing my lessons well in theology and formative inputs,
and by trying to live a truly Christian life, my attempt to teach and present the true
Jesus to them is already a guaranteed success, provided that I do them without
being haphazard and with strong faith in Jesus who is indeed my personal Lord and
friend.

End

Submitted by: Bro. Gino Godinez, SDB

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