The Passion Of Christ
By Al Staggs
Wearying are all these depictions
Of the suffering of our Lord
Whose dying and death
Are “performed” in so many plays,
Cantatas and now by one big film.
All this is so tiring to my senses
And sensibilities-
These “performances” miss the point.
That is, that Jesus is being oppressed,
Tortured and murdered every single day
In the lives of millions upon millions
Of the naked, sick, the hungry and thirsty
Of our world.
Did he not tell us ever so plainly
That he was embodied in all those
Who suffer in our time.
While the Church has “performed” its
Ritual of remembrance of the ‘Passion of Christ’
Throughout her history,
Innumerable souls have tasted real torture
And very real death.
Have we in the Church, perhaps, been more concerned
With our dramatic “performance”
Than with the plight of those
Whom Jesus said he was to be?
Oberammergau’s power of performance
Continued to flourish during the Nazi regime,
When Jews were being dragged away
By the millions to death camps.
Let us weep for Jesus, yes,
But let us also weep for those
Who are being crucified this very day.
