As a Catholic film reviewer, I try to be sensitive to the Church calendar.  It seems to me that we easily forget that many of the holidays we celebrate originated with Christianity.  One might think Easter would be an obvious one, but I am not so sure.  Every year, I like to make an Easter basket for each of my nieces.  This usually involves a lot of candy.  The most typical shapes for the sweets are bunny and/or eggs.  You have to do some digging in order to find the connection between them and the reason we celebrate this moveable day every year.  In fact, the reason it is changeable is because of Catholicism and the calculations made to fulfill the proper number of days between Christmas and the beginning of Lent.  Does that help explain the bunnies and eggs?  Absolutely not.  Easter is when Jesus conquered the grave and came back to life, just as Spring does for life on Earth.  The candy shapes are seasonal objects.  Like I said, it is not a perfect analogy, but neither is society perfect.

What can be found amongst these seasonal treats, if you look hard enough, are chocolate crosses.  This does strike me as somewhat sacrilege, but I include them in my nieces’ Easter baskets in order to give them some reminder of what we are celebrating at this time.  What is conspicuously absent from the Target and Walmart aisles containing these materials are religious articles.  I have to go to the nearby Cathedral gift store in order to add specifically Catholic items to the haul I stuff into the receptacle.  I go through this trouble because, as my eldest niece’s Godfather, I feel it is my duty.  It is always difficult to evangelize family.  Jesus encountered the same problem, and the people of His hometown at one time were going to throw Him off a cliff.  Thus, my way of trying to pierce their hearts has to be subtle.

It is also my desire to pierce your heart.  The one day I try to be especially sensitive to on the liturgical calendar with The Legionnaire is Good Friday.  It is one of those dates that sometimes is remembered, but more often is overlooked by those who usually find themselves in church only on Christmas and Easter.  Yet, it is essential.  It is the day on which we celebrate Jesus’ Crucifixion.  I said “celebrate” purposely.  The date has the word “good” in it, after all.  It is referred to as such because it was the vehicle by which our Lord and Savior achieved remission of our sins.  Without dying on the Cross, there would be no Easter, or chocolate whatever on the holiday.  Without this act, there is no Christianity.  I wish Good Friday were more central to our broader understanding of these days rather than just two days before Easter.

On Good Friday, Jesus died for our sins.  He died for you.  My challenge for you is to let that fact into your heart.  You do not have to be a daily Catholic communicant, or even a Christian, to know the enormity of what Jesus did.  I see my role with The Legionnaire as a way of helping you make better choices when it comes to watching movies, no matter who you are.  Unfortunately, that means exposing myself to a lot of what Jesus sacrificed Himself for, which is one of the reasons I go to Confession every week, particularly when I cannot shut my eyes in time.  Some have complained that I spoil movies, but I feel the more information I can give you without having to put some material in front of your eyeballs, the better.

Therefore, I do not like to post a new review on Good Friday.  Instead, I would encourage you to look at Cameron’s review of The Passion of the Christ (2004), and/or watch it.  Having talked about how much people forget about this day, this film remains one of the highest grossing rated R productions of all time.  So, perhaps there is some hope, which is really what these days are about.