Gladiator and the Martyrs

I know it's an older movie, but have you seen "Gladiator"? It ranks in my top 5. Some days it is my number 1 movie.

My friends that are girls are galled at me: " It's such a violent movie! How can you stand all that blood and fighting"? But they miss what it is all about.

It helps that this movie is set during Roman rule. When he is fighting as a gladiator and the lions are released on him you can't but help think of the early Christians.

But the major thing I see in this movie is a man who is martyred for the Truth, for a dream that was Rome. He lost everything-he was a general meant to be murdered, his wife and child burned and murdered and his mentor and father figure Marcus Aurelius who was leading Rome as Rome deserved was murdered-all murders by Marcus Aurelius' hack of a son Commodus (played brilliantly by Joaquin Phoenix) who hates the principled hero Maximus-our Gladiator.

Throughout the movie there is always the chance that Maximus will be killed as a gladiator. Commodus had ordered him killed initially and tried to do it again and again. "Fate" would not let this happen. Maximus stays alive until his mission is accomplished. Other scenes show Maximus as a uniter of the gladiators (who are meant to compete against each other to stay alice) and they hail him for it. They rally around him to protect him.

Commudus, on the other hand is only out for himself. He whines that the crowd does not love him, tries to seduce his sister and plots to kill her son who is the heir apparent. His selfishness turns him in to a psychotic paranoid. I love how they show him in white-which to our imaginations means "the good guy"-but a very twisted white. He is pale white with shadows under his eyes and his white robes barely disguise a ruler gone bad-ghostly, barely human.

Maximus' actions spur many people in the movie to return to virtue and for the work of the good. I think the best line of the entire movie comes at the end when his fellow gladiator, Juba says "and now we are free. I will see you again...but not yet... ... not yet". It brings me to my knees every single time ('course the music behind the scenes just about undoes anyone listening, sung by the immensely talented Lisa Gerrard who doesn't sing words but "as the Spirit leads"). And the nearly last scene? With the doors? Good gravy get me a Kleenex, I just love the end the best.

My other favorite line-and I'm pretty sure I blogged about this awhile back-is at the beginning and is the theme for the movie and should be the theme of our life: What you do echoes in eternity. Isn't that a great line?!

I realize it is rated "R" , mostly for intense graphic combat but I would absolutely use this movie to inspire teens to greatness. You can use various scenes on their own, to be sure, but the entire movie is worth watching and then having a discussion on. We are in the business of forming future saints-and Gladiator shows the purpose and necessity of going through the rigors of this life for martyrdom for the Gospel .

PS What do you make of Maximus' reaching down to pick up dirt before each battle?

Lent: Don't Miss This Opportunity!

Do you have a plan for Lent?

I just finished my project and found myself connecting it to Lent.

The assignment was to teach a doctrine using the Rites of the Church. This is very important because everything we teach needs to be centered on our Liturgy. If the center of our faith is the Eucharist, we should always be pointing to those rites, and the sacramental rites.

I chose the doctrine of Eternal Life and used rites from the funeral Mass, Baptism, Penance andthe preface to the Eucharistic prayer for the 1st Sunday of Lent. The objective was to teach the reality of Eternal life and that what we do in life determine that reality, with the grace of God and the sacraments, naturally.

My proclamation was "What we do in life echoes in eternity" and yes, I used the film Gladiator as well.

With Lent approaching I included a project to challenge the kids to think about what they are doing. Middle AND high school students are old enough to do more than "give up candy". I made a picture of a grave marker. On it they would put their name, qualities people would say about them at their death and then qualities they WANT to be said about them when they die. On the flip side they would put their lenten resolutions that would get them in the habit of achieving those qualities. I made it a "lift ticket", complete with wickets. You could either use name tags or glue the two pieces of paper over a wicket.

If I have the chance I'll post the whole lesson.

In any regard, be sure that you are preparing your students to enter into Lent. This is a marvelous opportunity to assist in the formation of your kids and get them thinking about putting to death those things that do not assist them in the goal of heaven and start thinking about ways of living holy lives to get to heaven.

What are you doing? Share with the class!