Third Chances

We hear about “turning the other cheek” and “pearls before pigs” and “judge not lest ye also be judged”. What we do not hear is what the whole quote says.

Indeed, Matthew records (7:1):

1

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

6

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

… but somehow the whole quote is seldom uttered in the same breath (outside of Church…)

Good, then, that I had the opportunity to experience this exact sentiment this week, during Lent, both in my private life (which I shall not inflict upon anyone who might be reading this), and while watching a film (though this might also count as ‘private’ but can be discussed on a forum without running the risk of being invited to the JerrySpringShow or any of its poorer imitations…)

The film in question is by Pasolini, a director I’d almost dismissed entirely after having watched two of his films in the past year or so, namely, Teorema and Medea, and finding I had to fast-forward the benighted artistic endeavors, lest my death come & go without my noticing the last rites approaching, so bored was I staring into the unforgivingly black&white screen which also lacked any kind of special effects or wildly mechanical and soulless music, which would have otherwise distracted my senses into believing I was watching something that could have passed for mindless entertainment. Not even the pathetic excuses for sex scenes found buried deep, so to speak, in Teorema, gave me hope of being suddenly aroused out of soporific tedium.

Nevertheless, saintly as I am known to be in some parts, I turned the other cheek, judged not (too harshly), and decided to watch yet another Pasolini film yesterday.

Good!

It was worth it.

I don’t know if I’m being fully lucid when I say it was good. It was not bad. But that’s a start.

Yes, it is Lent. Yes, I am religious (in a way -- I’m a bad Catholic, which makes me a Good Catholic). And yes, it is a film which depicts the life of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.

But it is remarkably faithful, as it were, to the gospels according to Saint Matthew. And its black&whiteness added to the authentic feel one expects to find when watching the life of anyone who lived there 2,000--and 11-- yrs ago. And the lack of special effects and huge Hollywoodian production, for once, added to, rather than removed from, the ambiance I expect to see portrayed in a film exploring this story.

The music was surprising.

I couldn’t spot anything in the script that isn’t in the gospel.

It was under 2 ½ hrs long.

The plot is easy to follow.

But: no surprises in the end.

The best thing of all for me though was to have Someone I Dislike (no… not Jesus and not Saint Matthew, but Pasolini, or, rather, his films) give me something I like.

That’s Fresh.

That’s what turning the other cheek and not judging too harshly … all these things ppl repeat all the time…

I think that might be what they’re about. As well.