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Sarah Masters reviews the film series

Corpus Christi

The 10-hour film series Corpus Christi consists of two elements, talking and text. It is an in-depth and minutely detailed exploration of the six verses of the story of the Passion as told in the Gospel According to John.

Directors Gerard Mordillat and Jerome Prier spent seven years interviewing more than 100 scholars and selected 27 specialists in the study of the early Christian texts for this 4-DVD documentary compilation, which is filmed against a black background.

Interviews conducted on camera draw from history, exegesis, study of ancient languages, and archaeology. Many interviewees compare the text with the text of the three other Gospels and all admire the Gospel According to John, while pointing out the contradictions and highlighting the enigmas.

The film targets an audience relatively unfamiliar with this text, but the scholars reflect on many illuminating details of the times and customs of early Christianity and place well known passages in a contextual framework that often challenges basic Christian understanding of the text.

Mordillat and Prier repeatedly shine a light on the fact that the Gospels were not written contemporaneously to the events described. They approach their film from the vantage point of early 1st century Judaism and the social, political and religious realities of Palestine and not from a modern frame of understanding. They also keep in the forefront of the viewer’s mind the context within which these texts were written, the certainty that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel.

Mordillat and Prier write that their goal was not so much to answer questions as “not to omit any questions” and the documentary examines each question raised from numerous points of view.

Completed: 1998
Running Time: 10 hours
Director: Gerard Mordillat and Jerome Prieur

If you are interested in purchasing this film series, you can do so at www.hartleyfoundation.org. Please click on “Masterworks” to select Corpus Christi. The cost is $99.95 for the 4-DVD collection.

Book Review

Rev. Charles J. Lopez, Jr., reviews

Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction

Alan Jones, Rector at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, writes in the Preface, that “all along we’ve had a spiritual life and we didn’t know it.” Margaret Guenther, says Jones, recognizes “God’s amazing work in us and among us in the ordinariness of human existence.”

Spiritual direction, writes Guenther, is about “holy listening,” waiting, attentiveness and presence. Her perspective is as a woman, a mother, a teacher and an Episcopalian priest. Hospitality or welcoming the stranger is at the core of spiritual direction when getting started with a directee. She emphasizes that the true director is the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, she underscores the notion that spiritual direction is neither psychotherapy nor is it pastoral counseling nor is it a deep personal friendship, but frequently it shares some of the raw material found in each.

One major difference between spiritual direction and psychotherapy is that “the director must be willing to be known…but known in her vulnerability and limitations as a child of God.” (46)

The spiritual director is simultaneously a learner and a teacher of discernment. The first step in discernment is perception and the second is judgment with a heavy emphasis on the “value of the present moment.” (44-45) In short, the director must be capable of discernment as well as being fully present with the directee.

The imagery of midwifery and the increasing role of women as spiritual directors and participants in spiritual direction is enlightening and insightful. Women finding and trusting their voice is important in this ministry.

Guenther’s book is useful because it reinforces the role of spiritual director as listener, teacher, and midwife. The example of silently saying the Jesus Prayer - “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner,” (18) is important when there are times of silence with the directee. Self-awareness is part of the foundation for the spiritual director. Keeping a personal journal, having one’s own spiritual director, and making a retreat will help keep the director sharp.

Chapter 1, “Welcoming the Stranger,” provided helpful insights for director and directee because both director and directee are vulnerable before the first encounter. Hence, the director must comprehend that the directee is on a journey. The director welcomes individuals on their journey by being self-aware, by recognizing that there will be times of silence, by providing a safe space, by listening to the directee’s story, and by asking questions. The directee shares their story and self-disclosure is maximized as the relationship grows. I appreciated Guenther’s insight as she wrote, “…we have neither magical powers nor a direct line to God’s ear…we are (director/directee) only fellow travelers – at different places on the road, perhaps, but fallible and ordinary nonetheless.” (37)

Chapter 2, “Good Teachers,” was most helpful to me because spiritual directors also teach. Jesus was, after all, a rabbi, a teacher. There are some forty references in the four Gospels to Jesus as teacher. I appreciated the story of the woman at the well (John 4:13-15), where Jesus helps the woman to look deeply into herself and discover her thirst for God. Guenther shares that “in the ministry of spiritual direction, there are no right answers, only clearer visions and ever deeper questions.” (65)

Guenther uses gender appropriate images of midwifery. As a male, I sense no challenge from Guenther; rather, midwifery draws me out of my comfort zone to experience a new image for the process of spiritual direction. As one involved in spiritual direction, the director is able to encourage the directee to move ahead by giving birth to something that is new and not yet known. Every person living on this earth has had a birthing; Guenther provides an earthy description of moving forward and trusting the Spirit. The image of midwifery is interesting because even in the birth of the world, God brought order out of chaos. She provides voice for struggling women and also men. The Epilogue reminds one that even Eli encouraged Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3: 1ff)

Guenther, Margaret. Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cowley Publications, 1992, 146 pages.

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