Is this new or are we just more aware of it? Hatred and contempt are everywhere. They are in our government houses, in our communities, in our churches and in our families. We are struggling, mostly without success, to be civil with each other; let alone to respect each other. Why? Why is this happening and intensifying?
Moreover, on both sides, we are often justifying this hatred on moral grounds, even biblical grounds, claiming that the Gospel itself gives us grounds for our disrespect – My truth is so right and you are so wrong that I can disrespect you and I have biblical grounds to hate you!
Well, even a cursory look at scripture should be enough to enable us to see this for what it is; rationalization, self-interest – and the farthest thing from Jesus.
Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Let’s begin with something already taught long before Jesus. In the Jewish scriptures, we already find this text: “I have made you contemptible and base before all the people, since you do not keep my ways, but show partiality in your decisions. Have we not all the one Father? Has not the one God created us? Why do we break faith with one another?” (Malachi 2:8-10) Long before Jesus, Jewish spirituality already demanded that we be fair and never show partiality. However, it still gave us permission to hate our enemies and to take revenge when we have been wronged – “an eye for an eye.”
Jesus turns this on its head. Everywhere in his person and in his teaching, most explicitly in the Sermon on the Mount, he challenges us in a radically new way, telling us that, if we want to go to heaven, our virtue needs to go deeper than that of the Scribes and the Pharisees. What was their virtue?
The Scribes and Pharisees of his time were very much like the church-going Christians of our time. They were sincere, essentially honest, basically good people, who kept the commandments and practiced strict justice. But, according to Jesus, that isn’t enough. Why? If you are a sincere person who is honest, keeps the commandments, and is fair to everyone, what’s still missing? What’s still missing lies at the very heart of Jesus’ moral teaching, namely, the practice of a love and forgiveness that goes beyond hatred and grievance. What exactly is this?
In justice and fairness, you are still entitled to hate someone who hates you and to extract an appropriate vengeance on someone who has wronged you. However, Jesus asks something else of us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. … If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
This is the very essence of Christian morality. Can you love someone who hates you? Can you do good to someone who wishes you evil? Can you forgive someone who has wronged you? Can you forgive a murderer? It’s this, and not some particular issue in moral theology, which is the litmus test for who is a Christian and who isn’t. Can you love someone who hates you? Can you forgive someone who has hurt you? Can you move beyond your natural proclivity for vengeance?
Sadly, today we are failing that test on both sides of the ideological and religious spectrum. We see this everywhere – from the highest levels of government, from high levels in our churches, and in public and private discourse everywhere, that is, people openly espousing disrespect, division, hatred and vengeance – and trying to claim the moral high ground in doing this. Major politicians speak openly and explicitly about hating others and about exacting revenge on those who oppose them. Worse still, churches and church leaders of every kind are lining up behind them and giving them “Gospel” support for their espousal of hatred and vengeance.
This needs to be named and challenged: anyone who is advocating division, disrespect, hatred or revenge is antithetical to Jesus and the Gospels. As well, anyone supporting such a person by an appeal to Jesus, the Gospels, or authentic morality, is also antithetical to Jesus and the Gospels.
God is love. Jesus is love enfleshed. Disrespect, hatred, division and revenge may never be preached in God’s or Jesus’ name, no matter the cause, no matter the anger, no matter the wrong. This doesn’t mean that we cannot have disagreements, spirited discussions and bitter debates. But disrespect, hatred, division and revenge (no matter how deeply they may in fact be felt inside us) may not be advocated in the name of goodness and Jesus. Division, disrespect, hatred and vengeance are the Anti-Christ.
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Wrath is a “dark vice” that destroys relationships, focuses all blame on others and only worsens over time, Pope Francis said.
“It is capable of depriving us of sleep, of barring the way to reason and thought” because wrath completely clouds thinking clearly and builds up incessantly without mercy, the pope said Jan. 31 at his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall.
Continuing a series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope reflected on the vice of wrath. “If it is born of an injustice suffered or believed to be suffered, often it is unleashed not against the offender, but against the first unfortunate victim,” he said, giving as an example people who can “withhold their rage in the workplace,” but then unleash it at home on their spouse and children. Wrath “destroys human relationships. It expresses the incapacity to accept the diversity of others, especially when their life choices diverge from our own,” he said.
When someone is dominated by wrath, the pope said, “they always, always say the problem is the other person; they are unable to recognize their own defects, their own shortcomings.”
St. Paul recommends Christians face up to the problem right away and attempt reconciliation before the end of the day, the pope said, quoting the apostle’s Letter to the Ephesians (4:26) “Do not let the sun set on your anger.”
Pope Francis greets a child after his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Jan. 31, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
“The night cannot be handed over to the devil,” the pope said, repeating that it is important that any misunderstandings be handled before the day is over since this vice can keep people “awake at night, brooding over our reasons and the unaccountable mistakes that are never ours and always the other’s.”
“In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus makes us pray for our human relations, which are a minefield: a plane that is never in perfect equilibrium,” he said.
“We are all sinners, all of us,” with outstanding debts or “trespasses” committed and experienced throughout life, he said.
“Therefore, we all need to learn how to forgive” as far as humanly possible, he said. “Wrath is countered by benevolence, openness of heart, meekness and patience.”
However, the pope said, “not everything that stems from wrath is mistaken.”
“We are not responsible for the onset of wrath, but always for its development,” he said.
Sometimes “it is good for anger to be vented in the right way,” he said. “Holy indignation exists,” especially at an injustice, but this is not wrath.
Jesus felt it several times in his life, but “he never responded to evil with evil,” the pope said.
When he entered the temple and drove out the merchants and overturned the tables of the money changers, Jesus “performed a strong and prophetic action, dictated not by wrath, but by zeal for the house of the Lord,” he said.
“We need to distinguish the good,” which is holy indignation, he said, from the bad, which is wrath, and to pray to correctly govern one’s passions, “to educate them so that they turn to the good and not the bad.” The pope also recalled Jan. 31 was the feast of St. John Bosco.
In his greetings to visitors in other languages, the pope highlighted the work of the 19th-century Italian saint, saying he helped many young people in their difficulties and, with his apostolic zeal, brought them to Christ. “Let us also be witnesses to young people that Christ wants to enter our lives to fill them with the joy that only he can give.”
He invited people to imitate the saint, “educating young people in the faith and training them in the different sciences and professions, for a better future in which humanity can enjoy peace, brotherhood and tranquility.”
Season four of “The Chosen,” the wildly popular series on the life of Jesus that began its existence as a crowd-funded streaming series, is finally here, much to the delight of fans around the world. This time around, all episodes will enjoy a theatrical release before debuting on streaming and broadcast outlets. At nearly the same time as season four is released, Catholics begin the liturgical season of Lent. “The Chosen” provides much inspiration that could kick start your Lenten reflection on how God might be inviting you to metanoia, or conversion, during this penitential season.
The first episode deals with the death of John the Baptist (David Amito) and the fallout of that for Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) and the apostles, especially Andrew (Noah James), one of John’s early followers. John’s faithfulness to his God-given vocation, even through imprisonment and death, encourages us to reflect on our own responses to God’s invitations. How have we responded to God’s prompting? How do we even recognize how God summons us to follow him on a daily basis? Are we courageous in the face of persecution, whatever form that may take, or do we shrink from it?
Sister Hosea Rupprecht is a workshop presenter and film critic for the Pauline Center for Media Studies. (OSV News photo/courtesy Daughters of St Paul)
In episode two, things heat up for Jesus following John’s execution. More than that, though, there is dissension in the ranks when Jesus declares that Simon (Shahar Isaac) is no longer Simon but Peter, the rock upon which his church will be built. That night around the campfire, the apostles start to bicker with comments like, “Is Peter the best?” and “He doesn’t act like a rock.” Have you ever felt disappointed in those in leadership positions? How did you respond? What place does humility have in your life? How might God be inviting you to deepen your humility?
Fans of the show will remember that Matthew (Paras Patel) is depicted as having some form of autism. He’s extremely precise – that made him a good tax collector – and he really doesn’t like physical contact. There’s a small scene in episode two when Matthew encounters his old friend, the Roman, Gaius (Kirk B.R. Woller). Gaius observes that Matthew seems different, more relaxed and at peace. Matthew’s response is all about trust in Jesus and surrender to God’s will. He says, “I have only one thing to do today: Follow him. The rest takes care of itself.” What if every Christian could have that attitude? What would happen if we could let go of the problems that worry us and give them all over to God? Is there one thing in my life right now that I need to let go of and relinquish to God? How might I do that this Lent?
Lent is a time to think about the need for reconciliation and forgiveness. In “The Chosen,” the ongoing tension between Matthew and Simon (now Peter) started way back when Matthew almost turned Peter over to the Romans for unpaid taxes. Matthew has never apologized for his actions, and Peter holds onto his resentment. With hostility increasing all around them, Matthew feels unsettled and seeks out Jesus. Jesus helps him to see the need to own up to his actions and reach out to Peter. Jesus tells Matthew that one apologizes to repent, but that forgiveness is a gift from another person. It cannot be demanded.
The thing is, neither Matthew nor Peter is ready to reconcile. Jesus is gentle in his prodding saying, “There is no peace when two of my followers hold resentment against one another.” Since there are over 2 billion Christians in the world, it can be assumed that there are enough resentments to displace the peace that comes with following Jesus. What is one resentment that you could let go of this Lent? Do you need to apologize to anyone? Do you have the power to offer the gift of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you? What’s holding you back?
Yes, “The Chosen” is a made-up television series and not the Gospel itself. Yet, the power of media stories is that they show real, flawed humans, just like you and me, interacting in an imaginative way. “The Chosen,” in particular, can inspire us to take what we see on screen and prompt us to look at our inner selves and the quality of our own following of Christ, especially during this Season of Lent.
(Sister Hosea Rupprecht, a Daughter of St. Paul, is the associate director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies.)
GUEST COLUMN By Silvio Cuéllar This February, we celebrate Valentine’s Day, the day of love and friendship. February 14 is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. At first glance, many will think that we will not be able to celebrate with our partners, but there are interesting parallels between true love as a couple and Lent. During Lent, we focus mainly on three important things: prayer, fasting and charity. Likewise, to have a successful and holy marriage, it is also required to have a prayer life with Christ at the center, make many sacrifices and be generous in giving ourselves to our family as Christ offered up himself for the church.
—Prayer— Prayer is essential for a Catholic home and a couple’s relationship to last and bear much fruit. When we look at the lives of the saints, many were the fruit of their parents’ lives of prayer. We have the example of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, who persevered in prayer for many years for the conversion of her son, who, despite having had a non-exemplary life, decided at one point to embrace the faith, becoming a doctor of the church.
Silvio Cuéllar is a writer, liturgical music composer and journalist. He was coordinator of the Hispanic Ministry office and editor of the newspaper El Católico de Rhode Island, the newspaper of the Diocese of Providence. (OSV News photo/courtesy Silvio Cuéllar)
My in-laws, Paul and Barbara, are examples of prayer, sacrifices and charity. I have always admired their great faith and commitment to serving others. They adopted a child from the foster care system and, over the years, helped many single mothers financially. From them, I learned what it means to live the faith, not just in the parish, but Monday through Sunday. I remember that, at every family gathering, they would begin with a family prayer. They always led by example and never missed going to church.
One suggestion during this Lent would be to take on (or pick back up) the practice of praying the rosary as a family, giving the children the opportunity to lead a decade. Let us remember that “The family that prays together, stays together.”
—Sacrifices— For Catholics, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence. Likewise, the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence; on those days, we abstain from eating meat. That may not be a sacrifice for you so there are many other ways in which we can practice sacrifice and fasting. For example, we can fast by limiting or eliminating social media and technology use during the 40 days of Lent.
Sacrifice is also very important for a couple. Spouses should love and make sacrifices for each other as Christ sacrificed himself for the church. This concept goes against the modern culture of instant gratification, where the “I” comes first.
At the beginning of a marriage, we go through the honeymoon or infatuation stage, where everything is rose-colored. Then comes the maturity stage, where every day we make the decision to love the person God has placed in our lives. That implies making sacrifices for the sake of our partner and family, putting them ahead of our needs.
I remember recently, the night after a very exhausting weekend, I was very tired on my way to bed when I received a call from my son at 10:30 p.m. He was at the gym and had no way to get home. Even though my body was telling me to go to bed, without a moment’s hesitation, I answered, “I will be there in 15 minutes.” As parents, we may have countless examples of how we have sacrificed for our children, including our time and income.
Another important way to make sacrifices and an excellent investment is, for example, to enroll our children in a Catholic school, where they can receive an excellent education and formation in the faith. I sometimes joke that I could be driving a luxury car with what I pay for my daughter in high school. But the truth is that as parents we know that any material sacrifice is not enough to give the best to our children.
—Charity— Finally, Lent is a time to practice charity more intensely.
Many of our parishes participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl campaign to support the efforts of the U.S. bishops’ international relief agency, which helps the world’s most disadvantaged with development programs and emergency assistance. Diocesan Service Appeal campaigns also help fund diocesan ministries and local relief. Let us be generous with these opportunities and offer our generosity in our parish community.
In married life, we can focus on giving more of our time this Lent, seeking to strengthen the relationship between spouses and with our children by being more present in their lives and activities.
We can also make time to reconnect with family members with whom we have not spoken for a long time, call them to reconcile, ask forgiveness if we have offended them, give them a word of support and offer to pray for them.
This Lent, let us seek to focus on habits of prayer, fasting and charity, using our resources, time, treasure and talents to volunteer in ministries that serve and help others.
(Silvio Cuéllar is a liturgical music composer and journalist. He is a former coordinator of the Hispanic Ministry and editor of El Católico de Rhode Island newspaper in the Diocese of Providence.)
JACKSON – Last Saturday, Jan. 27, was a cloudy damp day in the Mississippi Delta, but the joy and the warmth flowing from the pews filled with the faithful and friends of Our Mother of Mercy Mission in Anguilla dispelled any thoughts of the atmospheric conditions outside. The church was marking the 100th anniversary of the first Masses celebrated in people’s homes.
Anguilla is situated on Highway 61 in Sharkey County. In the early 1900s, Father Andrew Gmelch would come from Merigold. Father Gmelch served the Austrian Catholic farmers in that town, but the continual flooding challenges caused this small contingent of Catholic farmers to move away. Around 1912 Anguilla became a mission of Cleveland and Belzoni All Saints became a mission of Greenwood where Msgr. John Clerico, known as the pastor of the Delta, based himself.
ANGUILLA – Our Mother of Mercy Church was filled with joy and warmth during a celebration on Saturday, Jan. 17, marking the 100th anniversary of the first Masses celebrated in people’s homes in the community. (Photos by Tereza Ma)
Msgr. Clerico roamed the entire Delta tending to the flock scattered across the Alluvial plain. In 1927, Anguilla became a mission of Greenwood and Msgr. Clerico made regular visits to celebrate Mass in homes of the faithful and share meals and conversations in Italian with those who shared his Italian heritage and birth.
With donations from its faithful and a nice grant from Catholic Extension, Anguilla bought a small piece of land in March 1929 and built Our Mother of Mercy Church. Bishop Richard Gerow dedicated the church on Aug. 6, 1929.
Belzoni and Anguilla became missions of Leland in 1944 when Msgr. Clerico’s Greenwood parish was divided. A few years later in 1953, Belzoni was elevated to a parish and Anguilla became its mission. Today, Anguilla is served by Father Panneer Arockiam Selvam from Yazoo City.
This is a brief history of Our Mother of Mercy and its journey taken from Cleta Ellington’s book Christ the Living Water written for the 150th anniversary of the diocese in 1987. These excerpts capture only a small glimpse of the closeness of this small Catholic community in the Delta.
To get an eyewitness account of the dedication day festivities, I looked up Bishop Gerow’s account of the day in his diary and below is his entry for Aug. 6, 1929.
“This morning at 9 o’clock, assisted by Father Clerico and in the presence of a large number of people, I dedicated the new Church of Our Lady of Mercy at Anguilla.
“The lot on which this church is situated was bought with funds raised by the people of Anguilla and thereabout. Extension Society gave the people $2,500 for the building of the church and $400 worth of equipment, vestments, etc. It is quite a nice little church and substantially built, and the people are very justly proud of it.
Linda Alford gets a hug from her former pastor, Father P.J. Curley at the anniversary celebration at Our Mother of Mercy on Saturday, Jan. 27.
“Joe Prestiano, a zealous and enthusiastic member of the congregation at Anguilla, was determined to make this a big day. He had, therefore, advertised it very extensively. Through his efforts the Knights of Columbus band came up from Vicksburg for the occasion. Father Clerico brought his Greenwood choir over and a great many friends from Vicksburg, Greenville, Greenwood and surrounding cities and towns were in Anguilla for the dedication; besides a great number of the faithful from the small towns who will attend Anguilla as their mission church.
“The dedication started at 9 o’clock. A procession formed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cook, headed by the Knights of Columbus band playing lively march music – the procession made up of the men of the congregation and a few altar boys, with Father Clerico, and the Bishop dressed in cope, miter and carrying his crozier – and marched to the front of the church.
“After the dedication Father Clerico sang the high Mass – the Greenwood choir did itself proud – and the bishop preached a sermon to the people; and after the church ceremonies a general picnic was held, the people remaining upon the grounds all day, the Knights of Columbus band supplying very good music for the occasion. It was a great day for the people of Anguilla.
“Although the congregation of Anguilla itself is very small, yet Anguilla is centrally situated and people from many other places, such as Rolling Fork, Hollandale, etc., come to church at this point.”
I was struck by how much of that same zeal and flavor was present this past Saturday in January.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz was the celebrant; Father P.J. Curley, former pastor, provided an inspiring homily only he could deliver; several former pastors were present; friends came from all over the region; and the reception after Mass in the parish hall (now occupying those original grounds) was adorned with fabulous food, fellowship and memories – a quintessential Delta brunch.
Even though there was no Knights of Columbus Band or big choir, those present filling the church to capacity offered beautiful hymns, prayers and responses of which they could be proud. I find I am as inspired by these celebrations in smaller communities as much as any Cathedral Mass. The love and joy that flows in and around the sacred mysteries is a powerful witness to the vibrancy of our faith in the diocese. Who knows what the landscape will be in another 100 years, but on a cloudy day in January 2024, Anguilla bore witness to that vibrant faith.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
By Paulina Guzik WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) – When the creators of “The Chosen” started with a crowdfunding project in 2017, they would not have thought in their wildest dreams they would be walking the red carpets from Los Angeles to New York and from London to Warsaw, with screaming fans begging for selfies.
Five years since the premiere of the first season, the series about the life of Jesus of Nazareth is now garnering over 770 million views of its episodes and has more than 12 million social media followers. Season four will debut in theaters across the U.S. and Canada Feb. 1, followed shortly by debuts in several other locations worldwide.
“I wasn’t expecting any of this. I think it was one of the most enthusiastic receptions we’ve had for our premieres,” Elizabeth Tabish, who portrays Mary Magdalene in the series, told OSV News in Warsaw Jan. 27, the day after two episodes from season four were shown on big screen in the Polish capital, with 1,600 fans filling four rooms of one of the city’s biggest theaters.
“It was very exciting, you could just sense the warmth and love from the Polish people, and it just was very encouraging,” Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, told OSV News, days after the crew got a spectacular reception at the London premiere Jan. 22.
“The Chosen” is a groundbreaking historical drama based on the life of Jesus Christ, seen through the eyes of those who knew him. Set against the backdrop of Roman oppression in first-century Israel, the show shares an authentic and intimate look at Jesus’ extraordinary life and teachings. It is set to run seven seasons.
Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in “The Chosen” series, poses for a selfie during a Warsaw, Poland, premiere of season four Jan. 26, 2024. The event attracted 1,600 fans of the show, which has been seen by 200 million viewers worldwide. “The Chosen” launched in 2017 as crowdfunding project and is the first multiseason series about Jesus’ life and ministry. (OSV News photo/Chosen Poland)
“The Chosen” is now one of the most-watched shows in the world, consistently a top performer across streaming platforms Prime Video, Peacock and Netflix.
Tabish said the series “changed every aspect” of her life, but she did not see that coming. She almost didn’t make it to the audition for the role.
“Before I booked it, I was trying to quit acting. I wasn’t getting the sort of roles that I really wanted to be doing, and I told my agent to just stop submitting me. I need to switch gears, do something more practical,” she said of a time of her life where she was struggling to even pay rent.
But the agent insisted she audition for the series, “and I read the script for the first episode, and I was so connected to her character, it was so beautifully written – just so much backstory and emotional depth and complexities. And I thought, this is what I would love to be doing,” she said.
Now, she told OSV News, “we get to make something that is affecting people in wonderful ways, bringing hope to viewers and creating something that has purpose.”
Tabish now feels deeply connected to St. Mary Magdalene, one of the best-known personalities surrounding Jesus but also the most mysterious.
“The fact that she was there, the first to see him resurrected, was like, this woman is so special to this story – and of course, she’s sort of captured the imagination of people for thousands of years,” Tabish told OSV News.
For Roumie, a practicing Catholic, the role of Jesus also came as a surprise. Years before “The Chosen” project started, he was supposed to play a good thief in a production filmed for a Good Friday church service. But at the last minute the director changed his role to Jesus.
“And I said, oh, man, Jesus has like five lines in this film. But, you know, I love Jesus. I’m a huge fan of Jesus. And I thought, well, look, this is an opportunity to play Jesus,” he recalled.
When the same director, Dallas Jenkins, invited Roumie to play Jesus in “The Chosen” series, he wanted to take the role, even though Jenkins told him the series “probably won’t go anywhere, but at least it’ll be a little bit of work.”
Roumie, like Tabish, had his own struggles before he started filming.
“I struggled in Los Angeles for eight years before ‘The Chosen’ came along, and three months before ‘The Chosen,’ I committed to to giving everything over to God, to letting go of the reins of control over my career, over my concept of how I thought my life should go, how I thought my career should go,” he said.
“And when I did that, everything changed in the span of 24 hours,” he continued. “And then three months after that one specific day where I let it all go, Dallas (Jenkins, the director) called me up and said, ‘We’re going to do this show.’ And since then, it’s just been a journey towards growing deeper and deeper into my faith.”
From the beginning, the challenge of playing Jesus was not easy for him. When a scene in the first season required Roumie to preach directly from Scripture, he felt it was a heavy burden to carry, he recalled.
“At that moment, I started to become overwhelmed, like, ‘What am I even doing here? How am I even saying these words? I’m not worthy to be preaching these words that Jesus preached and now to be portraying him for the entire world that’s going to see this.’ It was completely overwhelming,” he told OSV News.
“I had a conversation with our director, and he just reminded me that we’re meant to be here, we’re here to do this story for a reason. And that kind of gave me a lot of comfort,” Roumie continued. “And I’ve continued to just pray and discern and really stay rooted in the fact that God has me on this path for a specific reason.”
During Roumie’s stay in Poland he visited and prayed in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy and the neighboring Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Kraków. “It was really beautiful,” he said.
Asked about the recipe for the series’ success, Tabish said that “it starts with the writers and it starts with the script – our writers know the Bible so well.”
Writing the scriptural characters as personable, funny and smart, she added, “infuse this sort of modern sensibility into the whole thing, where modern audiences can relate to these characters. Because if you take it off the page and into real life, they are relatable. They are actually going through the same sort of struggles that we go through.”
Oftentimes biblical characters have been treated as people “floating above the ground everywhere you go,” and “people can’t relate to that,” Roumie added.
In the series, however, they see Jesus who “suffered, he had troubles the way I have troubles and struggles and trials,” Roumie said. “And so I think because of that, people see themselves in each one of the characters and then it draws them closer to their faith, knowing that all of these people, even Jesus, experienced the fullness of humanity. Jesus (was) obviously without sin, but still he experienced the entire spectrum of emotions.”
For Tabish, “Mary (Magdalene) is such a representation of all of us – flawed people who need help, who need Jesus, who need to be rescued.”
“Rescue” is not an exaggeration for people affected in real time by “The Chosen” series. He gets hundreds of testimonies of people changed by the series, including coming back to the church. He knows of people who “were going to take their own life and decided not to because there was a moment where a friend interceded and showed them this show. And after watching the first episode of the show, they were overcome with this sense that, you know, God has a purpose for them. So they decided not to go ahead and take their own life.”
Roumie met a couple who told him the show helped them restore their marriage and begin going to Bible studies. Another fan of the show is discerning priesthood, “and he said this (show) has had a direct impact. So glory to God! It’s just that. It’s incredible how much of an impact a television show can have on a person. So you, you really begin to realize that there is a sort of a hidden responsibility that we have as actors on this particular show,” he said.
Jonathan Roumie and Elizabeth Tabish, who play Jesus and Mary Magdalene in “The Chosen” series, are seen during its season four premiere in Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 26, 2024. The event attracted 1,600 fans of the show, which has been seen by 200 million viewers worldwide. “The Chosen” launched in 2017 as crowdfunding project and is the first multiseason series about Jesus’ life and ministry. (OSV News photo/Chosen Poland)
Asked whether it’s challenging to be an actor whose face millions of people associate with the face of their Savior, Roumie said he tries to take it with humility.
“I’ve come to accept the fact that this is where God has put me. And I’m just trying to be a good steward of the gifts and the responsibility of playing this role and ultimately, surreally becoming what people kind of imagine as the face of Jesus for their modern era. So I try not to think about that too much. … It’s humbling and it’s an honor,” he said, adding he’s just “a flawed human being.”
“I’m just a person that, you know, has a really, really interesting job and playing this character. So I’m grateful for that,” he said.
The financial commitment of people in the first stages of “The Chosen” production indicates the series’ great meaning for the audience, the actors told OSV News.
“We’ve been provided for because, I think, the people who want to see it are desperately wanting to see it,” Tabish said.
People wanted to crowdfund the show because it has “this ring of authenticity to it and this honesty and this desire to bring something that we know to be true to the world,” Roumie added.
When the producers decided to unlock the series and stream it for free, “it exploded the minute they did that,” Roumie said. “We got like four times as many people contributing to help us fund the next phase, the next season, after we made it free.”
In season four, with stirring scenes including ones featuring John the Baptist and Lazarus, Tabish said, “We kind of come to this point of no return. Everything is a little bit more dangerous, the stakes are all higher. … There’s no turning back. It’s a painful season in a lot of ways.”
Asked whether he feels the anxiety of knowing of Jesus’ coming crucifixion as an actor portraying him, Roumie said, “I am looking forward to telling the story, but performing that is – I know – it’s going to be challenging for me personally as an actor and as a Christian. It’s a painful part of this story, but it’s not the end of the story. The end of the story ends in life and light and truth and salvation and eternity. That’s the end of the story.”
For Roumie, season four was “for a while, completely challenging to film on a technical level, and on a narrative level was painful and sorrowful and difficult at times,” but “what ultimately comes out of it and the message behind season four – and the faith and the encouragement and the hope and the message to trust and put faith in God and that he has your back – ultimately is the beauty that I think people will walk away with when they leave the theaters.”
(Paulina Guzik is international editor for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @Guzik_Paulina.)
By D.D. Emmons (OSV News) – Among the beautiful, meaningful and solemn ceremonies of the Catholic Church is the gathering of the faithful on Ash Wednesday.
This special day begins our Lenten journey. It is the start of 40 days of prayer, penance and almsgiving as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. But why does Lent begin on a Wednesday, and what is the significance of ashes?
Ash Wednesday was added to the liturgical calendar well after the 40-day penitential season of Lent became the norm throughout the Latin Church. Lent, in turn, was universally established only after the early church sorted out the date of Easter. The issue was clarified at the famous Council of Nicaea in 325 where “all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the vernal equinox.” (Catechism, No. 1170) The vernal (spring) equinox generally falls on March 21, thus the date of Easter in the Western Church can occur anytime between March 22 and April 25.
Catholics from the Jackson Metro area gathered to receive ashes at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in downtown Jackson at noon on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023 for the beginning of the Lenten season. During the 40-day period of Lent, Catholics seek the Lord through prayer, giving alms and fasting. (Photos by Tereza Ma)
The word “Lent” is from an Old English term meaning “springtime,” and by the second century the term was being used to describe the period of individual fasting, almsgiving and prayer in preparation for Easter. Among the Christians of the first three centuries, only those aspiring for baptism – the catechumens – observed a defined period of preparation, and that time lasted only two or three days.
The idea of Lent being 40 days in length evolved over the next few centuries, and it is difficult to establish the precise time as to when it began. Among the canons issued by the Council of Nicaea, the church leaders, in Canon Five, made reference to Lent: “and let these synods be held, the one before Lent that the pure gift may be offered to God after all bitterness has been put away, and let the second be held about autumn.” The language of this canon seems to validate that Lent, in some fashion, had by the fourth century been established and accepted by the church. While the exact timing and extent of Lent both before and after the Nicaea council is unclear, what is clear from historical documents is that Christians did celebrate a season of Lent to prepare themselves for Resurrection Sunday and used a variety of ways to do so.
That Lent evolved into a period of 40 days in length is not surprising, as there are numerous biblical events that also involved 40 days. Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving instructions from God for that number of days (see Ex 24:18); Noah and his entourage were on the Ark waiting for the rains to end for 40 days and 40 nights (Gn 7:4); and Elijah “walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.” (1 Kgs 19:8)
Mostly, though, the 40 days of Lent identify with the time our Lord Jesus spent in the desert fasting, praying and being tempted by the devil. (Mt 4:1-11) “By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.” (Catechism, No. 540)
There is, therefore, evidence that by the end of the fourth century Christians were participating in a 40-day Lent before Easter. The dilemma now became how to count the 40 days. In the Latin Church, six weeks were used to identify the Lenten period, but one doesn’t fast on Sundays, so six Sundays were subtracted and there remained only 36 fasting days. In the early seventh century, St. Pope Gregory I the Great (pope from 590-604) resolved this situation by adding as fast days the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the first Sunday of Lent. Thus the Lenten 40-day fast, or the Great Fast as it was known, would begin on a Wednesday.
Initially, people fasted all 40 days of Lent. They ate one meal a day and only an amount of food that would sustain survival. But the church taught, and people believed (then as now), that fasting is not about what we eat, it is about changing hearts, interior conversion, reconciliation with God and others. It’s about living in an austere way, giving from our abundance to the poor. St. John Chrysostom (347-407) explained it this way: “Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works! … If you see a poor man, take pity on him! If you see an enemy, be reconciled to him! If you see a friend gaining honour, envy him not! If you see a handsome woman, pass her by!” (Homily on the Statutes, III.11)
The church has long used ashes as an outward sign of grief, a mark of humility, mourning, penance and morality. The Old Testament is filled with stories describing the use of ashes in such a manner. In the Book of Job, Job repented before God: “Therefore, I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes.” (42:6) Daniel “turned to the Lord God, to seek help, in prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.” (Dn 9:3) Jonah preached conversion and repentance to the people of Nineveh: “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.” (Jonah 3:6) And the Maccabees army prepared for battle: “That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their garments.” (1 Mc 3:47)
Ashes were imposed on the early catechumens when they began their preparation time for baptism. Confessed sinners of that era were also marked with ashes as part of the public penitential process. Other baptized Christians began asking to receive ashes in a manner similar to catechumens and penitents. Christian men had ashes sprinkled on their heads while ashes were used to trace the cross on the forehead of women. Thus the use of ashes as the sign of penance, in readiness for Easter, was becoming a churchwide practice.
During the papacy of St. Gregory the Great, the practice was further expanded and is mentioned in the sixth-century Gregorian Sacramentary. Around the year 1000, Abbot Aelfric of the monastery of Eynsham, England, wrote: “We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the new that men who repented of their sins bestowed on themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent, that we strew ashes upon our heads, to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten feast.” This same rite of distributing ashes on the Wednesday that begins Lent was recommended for universal use by Pope Urban II at the Synod of Benevento in 1091.
So when we go to that early Mass on Ash Wednesday morning and receive the blessed ashes on our forehead, we are repeating a somber, pious act that Catholics have been undergoing for over 1,500 years. As “The Liturgical Year, Septuagesima,” by the Benedictine Abbot Gueranger, written in the middle decades of the 1800s, puts it: “We are entering, today, upon a long campaign of the warfare spoke of by the apostles: forty days of battle, forty days of penance. We shall not turn cowards, if our souls can but be impressed with the conviction that the battle and the penance must be gone through. Let us listen to the eloquence of the solemn rite which opens our Lent. Let us go whither our mother leads us, that is, to the scene of the fall.”
Like all those before us, we unhesitatingly embrace this invitation to sanctity, this time to turn away from sin. We are part of that great cloud of witnesses who through all the ages have donned the ashes, publicly acknowledging that we are Christians, Christians who have sinned and seek to repent. We acknowledge that “we are dust and to dust we shall return.”
By Sandy Cunningham SAINT BENEDICT, La. – A group of seminarians from St. Joseph Seminary College won the 22nd annual Father Pat O’Malley Invitational basketball tournament in Mundelein, Illinois, this past weekend. It is the second straight year the team has won the tournament, which brings seminarians from around the country together to compete on the hardwood.
St. Joseph Seminary swept through pool play with wins over Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary (Athenaeum) from Cincinnati, 61-38, host Mundelein Seminary, 49-39 in overtime, and St. John Vianney Theological Seminary of Denver, 54-49. The Ravens defeated Mundelein in the semifinals, 35-30, to advance to Sunday’s championship game, where they beat Conception College Seminary of Conception, Missouri, 75-62.
MUNDELEIN, Illinois – Shown with the championship trophy are, from left, kneeling, Emmanuel Legarreta and Jacob Zimmerer; and standing, Coach Brian Cochran, Francisco Maldonado, Logan Simon, Thomas Benson, Tim Talbott, Michael Bradford, Ethan Green, Zach Jolly, Grayson Foley, Evan Lang, Carter Domingue, Joey Piccini and Father Maurice Moon. (Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Seminary College)
Team members are Ethan Green, Thomas Benson, Michael Bradford, Tim Talbott and Joey Piccini, Archdiocese of Mobile; Grayson Foley and Francisco Maldonado, Diocese of Jackson; Evan Lang and Jacob Zimmerer, Diocese of Fort Worth; Emmanuel Legarreta, Diocese of El Paso; and Carter Domingue and Logan Simon, Diocese of Lafayette. Zach Jolly (Saint Joseph Abbey) assisted the team, coached by Brian Cochran. Father Maurice Moon served as team chaplain.
Domingue, who scored 32 points in the championship game, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
(Sandy Cunnuingham is the communications and marketing manager for St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana.)
PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS BOONEVILLE – St. Francis, Bingo, Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. till 12 p.m. We play for fun, plus we help the food pantry. Bring your dollars! Details: church office (662) 728-7509.
GREENWOOD – Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mardi Gras Chili Fest, Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 5-7 p.m. at the parish center. Wear your purple, gold and green. Details: church office (662) 453-3980.
HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Cocktails and Catholicism, Friday, March 8. Doors open at 6 p.m. with talk and cocktails after with Debbie Tubertini with the Office of Family Ministry for the diocese. She is speaking on marriage. Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
JACKSON – Bishop Chanche Awards, Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. at Cathedral of St. Peter. Honoring parishioners with outstanding service to the diocese.
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School, Annual Draw Down, Saturday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. Grand prize $5,000; tickets $100 (admits 2), second chance insurance $20. Details: school office (601) 352-5441.
MADISON – St. Franics, Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper, Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 5:15-7 p.m. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.
NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Mardi Gras Bingo Night, Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Bingo cards are $2 each; $1 soft drinks; $5 potato bar. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Mardi Gras party, Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in the parish hall. Enjoy jambalaya, salad, bread and King Cake! Donations to the food pantry welcome. Details: church office (662) 323-2257.
VICKSBURG – Vicksburg Catholic School, Drawdown on River, Sunday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Levee Street Warehouse. Enjoy a silent auction, food, drinks and fellowship, in addition to the $20,000 drawdown. Tickets sell out every year – so purchase yours today. Details: https://one.bidpal.net/2024vcsdrawdown/welcome.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Ladies Lenten Retreat – a Reflection on Grace, Saturday, Feb. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parish hall. Mass will be at 11:30 am. Presenter is Fran Lavelle, Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson. Sponsored by the KC Ladies Auxiliary, lunch will be provided and there is no charge. Details: church office (601) 856-2054.
HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Lenten study of “Beautiful Eucharist” by Matthew Kelly facilitated by Sara Rauch. Deepen your relationship Jesus and experience His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. Thursdays from Feb. 15 through March 21 from 10-11 a.m. in the room beside chapel. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.
JACKSON – Cathedral of St. Peter, Lenten Day of Reflection, Saturday, Feb. 17 at 9 a.m. Father Nick Adam will give some prayer, fasting and almsgiving oriented talks and then have Mass and lunch. Sign up in the Narthex. All parishioners welcome to attend, just RSVP. Details: church office (601) 969-3125.
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick, Parish Lenten Mission, Feb. 25-27 from 6-7 p.m. Mission featuring Father Phil Krill, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. All are welcome. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
LENTEN MEALS MERIDIAN – St. Patrick/St. Joseph, Stations and Lenten Fish Fry, every Friday in Lent. Fry follows Stations at 6 p.m. Rotates between parishes. Begins with St. Patrick on Feb. 16. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Lenten Fish Fry, Every Friday beginning Feb. 23 from 5-7 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Cost: Catfish $12; Shrimp $12; Combo $14. Dinners include fries, hushpupppies and coleslaw. For grilled catfish call 30 minutes ahead to Darren at (601) 597-2890.
PEARL – St. Jude, Lenten Fish Fry, Every Friday beginning Feb. 16, immediately following 6 p.m. Stations of the Cross. Menu: catfish, fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw and tea. Dine-in only. Proceeds benefit Knights of Columbus community programs. Details: church office (601) 939-3181.
SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, Lenten Fish Fry, Feb. 15, March 1 and 15. Potluck Lenten meals, Feb. 23, March 8 and 22. Meals at 5:30 p.m. with Stations at 7 p.m. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.
LENTEN RECONCILIATION HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Reconciliation Service, Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Reconciliation Service, Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m.
SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, Reconciliation Service, Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
JOB OPENING JACKSON – The Department of Faith Formation is looking for a full-time administrative assistant. The successful candidate will provide administrative assistance exercising quality pastoral skills for those in pastoral and formational ministry in the Diocese of Jackson. Details: 3-5 years’ experience in an administrative role providing direct support to a multicultural intergenerational department. Understanding basic accounting a plus. High school diploma or GED certificate required; completion of college degree in business preferred. Contact fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org with questions or for full job description. Send a cover letter and resume no later than March 11, 2024.
TUPELO – St. James parish hosted a January birthday celebration with residents of Traceway Manor. Erin Bristow played a few greatest hits for the crowd, good food and cupcakes were served and even a bit of dancing was in order. (Photos by Michelle Harkins)
