tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post1358622193032387193..comments2024-03-20T10:16:21.352-04:00Comments on Pilgrims' Daughter: Jennie, get a lifeJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-80744779069116926942011-04-09T00:20:20.985-04:002011-04-09T00:20:20.985-04:00Salinger is right that there is no one else like J...Salinger is right that there is no one else like Jesus, in Scripture or outside of it. He's the only person ever recorded who doesn't show the characteristics of any one type of human temperament. He's not shy, outgoing, pushy, weak, wimpy, macho, melancholy, laid back, manipulative, talkative, hesitant, pompous, obnoxious, absent-minded, irritable, impatient, etc.. He's all that's good and wholesome, and nothing that falls short. He has all of the good qualities and none of the faults of humanity; of course then adding the supernatural patience, courage, wisdom, love, and perfection of God Himself. But then He's so much a personal being, with all the emotions we have, yet without sin.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08436592291407709101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-16956706094185132332011-04-08T11:21:43.549-04:002011-04-08T11:21:43.549-04:00We watched the Last Supper scene in which Jesus re...We watched the Last Supper scene in which Jesus reveals his betrayer. The suspense is quite forced because we all know who, don't we? <br /><br />After Jesus tells Judas to "do it quickly," Judas' face passes through a number of expressions, from confusion to recognition and acknowledgement to even happiness. So, yeah, I agree he's a good actor.<br /><br />In my temptation to prefer these actors to the characters in the Gospels, I'm reminded of <a href="http://teresatwocents.blogspot.com/2011/04/if-youre-going-to-say-jesus-prayer-at.html" rel="nofollow">a favorite bit of advice from Salinger in his novella <i>Zooey</i></a>. I just have to guard my religious imagination, you know?Moonshadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277057132720569896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-89583262731952546752011-04-08T11:00:14.896-04:002011-04-08T11:00:14.896-04:00I also love Atticus Finch (love Gregory Peck in th...I also love Atticus Finch (love Gregory Peck in that movie), and Jean Valjean. I really enjoyed seeing Les Miserables at the Fox Theater in Atlanta when I was younger.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-21899604698119742862011-04-08T10:58:14.051-04:002011-04-08T10:58:14.051-04:00I had to go look up Ian MacShane. I remember him n...I had to go look up Ian MacShane. I remember him now. (I see he's now playing Blackbeard in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment, by the way; good fit). When I last watched him as Judas, I was too unsophisticated to appreciate 'bad guys' or notice their acting performances. It was too real to me, and so I pretty much despised him.<br />I had to go look up kenosis, again, just like I did last time Teresa used the word :) It has to do with how Jesus emptied himself of His Godhood to become incarnate.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-22322625648678607762011-04-08T09:57:16.097-04:002011-04-08T09:57:16.097-04:00I love Ian MacShane as Judas in Jesus of Nazareth....I love Ian MacShane as Judas in Jesus of Nazareth. I haven't seen the show in years, but I have never forgotten his smoldering performance. I also love Atticus Finch and Jean Valjean (and the actors who played them). And what about the powerful Judas portrayal by Carl Anderson in Jesus Christ Superstar, especially singing, "Listen Jesus I don't like what I see"? That always gives me chills.<br /><br />Remind me what kenosis means.<br /><br />I don't think it's necessarily wrong to be moved by examples of masculine charisma or courage - but it's a fine line, I suppose.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11127291742330663617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-7982923481447459162011-04-08T02:01:10.658-04:002011-04-08T02:01:10.658-04:00I don't see scorn or contempt at all in Jesus,...I don't see scorn or contempt at all in Jesus, even when dealing with the Jewish rulers. I see anger there, but not contempt. <br />I remember watching 'Jesus of Nazareth' when I was a teenager. I think I liked it back then, but later looking back on it, I thought it was pretty bad; not like the Jesus I see in scripture at all. But that image of Jesus stuck in my head for a long time. Now it looks eerie to me.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-72321064469124247592011-04-07T23:12:48.334-04:002011-04-07T23:12:48.334-04:00I said "frustration" but I really mean &...I said "frustration" but I really mean "scorn" and "contempt" (without sinning) even though that sounds harsh.<br /><br />Tonight we watched a couple of hours of Zeffirelli's <i>Jesus of Nazareth</i>, the six-hour TV miniseries from '77. Robert Powell appeared dead(pan) all the time, even before the crucifixion. Absolutely no animation. And I just wondered whether this was an aspect of the kenosis. <br /><br />Maybe I'm just being facetious.Moonshadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277057132720569896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-69595146990722405982011-04-06T23:15:38.882-04:002011-04-06T23:15:38.882-04:00because Jesus in the Gospel reading seemed to get ...<i>because Jesus in the Gospel reading seemed to get frustrated: "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” I found myself thinking that Dafoe's Jesus would never say that.<br /><br />So, again, the trouble I encountered (am encountering) is when I prefer Dafoe's portrayal of Christ to what I read of Jesus in the Bible.</i><br /><br />Is it because Dafoe's character would not get frustrated? I haven't seen his portrayal, so I don't know how he did it. But the fact that Jesus got frustrated, to me it shows His humanity, but also His loving parenthood. Even in the Old Testament God gets frustrated and angry at His people, but He loves them as a Father and a husband. If my husband didn't get frustrated or upset with me when I'm annoying, I'd figure he just didn't care anymore, not that he was so good he couldn't get mad. I don't know if that makes any sense. But Jesus frustration makes me love Him more, and know He cares about us even when we're idiots.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-16658328403566471772011-04-06T22:48:48.195-04:002011-04-06T22:48:48.195-04:00I should have said that the Caribbean cruise sound...I should have said that the Caribbean cruise sounded like a pleasant surprise for you.<br /><br />The other thing that happens to me when I get engrossed in a celebrity is that I try to find out all I can about the person. Of course, that research invariably turns up some unsavory tidbits and I get turned off. <i>"They aren't so different after all."</i><br /><br />I have favorite characters from movies and literature who are "Christ-like:" Jean Valjean, Atticus Finch, Jeff Smith, George Bailey, even John Doe. But these are all consciously <b><i>not</i></b> Christ. So, again, the trouble I encountered (am encountering) is when I <b><i>prefer</i></b> Dafoe's portrayal of Christ to what I read of Jesus in the Bible.<br /><br />And this preoccupation might start all over again for me tomorrow night because we'll be watching <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_of_Nazareth_(miniseries)#Powell.27s_portrayal_of_Jesus" rel="nofollow">Zeffirelli's <i>Jesus of Nazareth</i> (the miniseries) with Robert Powell</a>. Eh, I've already seen scenes from that movie so I don't expect the same effect!Moonshadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277057132720569896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-16705386629724798582011-04-06T10:53:53.595-04:002011-04-06T10:53:53.595-04:00Hi Teresa, it's good to see you again. I don&#...Hi Teresa, it's good to see you again. I don't think it's a coincidence, seeing the similarity of the situation and knowing how hard it was for me to share it. I'm glad I did. You are exactly right that it is 'idle hands' and that it should fade when we get back to work again. That goes right back to King David again, who was not at war with his men and got into trouble by wandering idly and looking at what he shouldn't, then getting obsessed with having what didn't belong to him. It's really exactly the same, and it's a big danger from the internet, even more than tv and movies, because of the ability to possibly communicate with others and get attached to them. It shows how easily our hearts are moved and captivated, and how much we need to beware and abide in Christ, and keep accountable to others. Its a good lesson for me, I know.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-64787139581446457822011-04-06T00:19:04.153-04:002011-04-06T00:19:04.153-04:00Quite a coincidence ... :
In a "Jesus in fil...Quite a coincidence ... :<br /><br />In a "Jesus in film" series last week, we watched Scorsese's <i>Last Temptation of Christ</i>. Up until then, the film selections have mostly been wooden things from the 20's and 40's. Jesus in those movies was certainly "other," quite divine and hardly human.<br /><br />But, here in Willem Dafoe was an earnest, searching, faithful, loving guy who also had some chutzpah. I was totally bowled over, as you say, though not by his appearance. He is not good-looking in the least. But his voice has such a fine timbre, balanced in gravity and levity, depending on the scene. And he had such integrity! Really!<br /><br />So I watched again some <i>Last Temptation</i> scenes at YouTube - there aren't many - and also another movie from the same period featuring Dafoe, <i>Mississippi Burning</i> - again, there aren't many clips available. And I was beginning to feel preoccupied: I couldn't get this man out of my mind for nothing.<br /><br />I thought to suggest to my husband that he request some early Dafoe movies in the NetFlix queue, but I figured he'd get suspicious (and tease me) because I'd already told him how stunned I was with Dafoe's portrayal of Jesus!<br /><br />I felt convicted yesterday at mass about this (not for the first time, either) because Jesus in the Gospel reading seemed to get frustrated: <i><b>"Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”</b></i> I found myself thinking that Dafoe's Jesus <i>would never say that.</i><br /><br />I think these things fade eventually as we get too busy to keep them alive. "Idle hands ..."<br /><br />Pax.Moonshadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277057132720569896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-57244353769637938492011-04-05T18:58:25.529-04:002011-04-05T18:58:25.529-04:00Yes, you're right, Christine.
Also, sometimes...Yes, you're right, Christine. <br />Also, sometimes it seems laughable, but then I think it isn't right to laugh about something that I've been convicted over. I feel like it will seem funny to others though. I really will need a bag to put over my head. We'll see.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-38285277748232292012011-04-05T12:00:25.865-04:002011-04-05T12:00:25.865-04:00The other women will really benefit from your shar...The other women will really benefit from your sharing, especially over time. If you hadn't had this struggle, you might not have the understanding and compassion for someone in the future who needs advice.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11127291742330663617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-81907657948213904332011-04-05T09:49:13.091-04:002011-04-05T09:49:13.091-04:00You have greater insight into yourself than many p...<i>You have greater insight into yourself than many people do, when it comes to these things, and caught yourself early on.</i><br /><br />If I have greater insight, I also have greater responsibility. I caught myself, but I didn't want to stop, and had a big struggle, and didn't even want to ask the Lord for help. And I was too embarrassed to ask for prayer about it, as it seems pretty juvenile. I'm actually almost the oldest lady in my church, but seem to be the one that shares personal struggles the most. Others haven't opened up so much, though I'm one of the shyest. Maybe they don't have as many issues, or maybe they're not ready yet.Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-29181479968678852542011-04-04T23:33:37.478-04:002011-04-04T23:33:37.478-04:00We do have alot in common! I also have 'The So...We do have alot in common! I also have 'The Sound of Music' memorized from singing it so much. And singing has always made me happy, and helped relieve stress too. I don't talk alot, so I get alot out by singing!Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-73045201175174375862011-04-04T20:28:58.591-04:002011-04-04T20:28:58.591-04:00Christine,
God bless you! You don't know relie...Christine,<br />God bless you! You don't know relieved I am to read your encouragement. I was sitting on this one for about 2 weeks and adding to it before I had the courage to post it today. <br />Do you think we need to start an SPAA group? (Steve Perry Addicts Anonymous);)Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126868703568627388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31521339.post-11202755121897122142011-04-04T19:22:30.486-04:002011-04-04T19:22:30.486-04:00Jennie - don't be so hard on yourself. You ha...Jennie - don't be so hard on yourself. You have greater insight into yourself than many people do, when it comes to these things, and caught yourself early on. And it wasn't even a "real" man - lots of people get caught in "innocent" friendships and lie to themselves until it's too late.<br /><br />We have these things in common: I love Steve Perry's voice; I know the Sound of Music by heart (and was appalled when my parish priest, a good friend, said the movie was "a snorer"); I too started singing at church and love to sing. In my case, my love of singing far exceeds my ability. The first night I went to choir practice, I came out and thought to myself, "What is this feeling that I'm experiencing right now? Oh yeah, it's called <b>happiness</b>! I really believe that singing releases endorphins. <br /><br />Enjoy it! Good for you. The first time I sang with just one or two others, I was beyond petrified, and a couple years later now, I'm pretty nonchalant!Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11127291742330663617noreply@blogger.com