From a solemn silence, the toll of a bell is heard. Slowly a sweet and somber melody begins to play, calling out to expectant hearts, preparing eager ears to journey to another place and time. A tender voice, full of fervent hope, begins to speak, setting the scene, building the mood, drawing the hearers into the story as the actors take over and carry the plot along to its powerful conclusion.
 
The audience is held in a moment so profound that all else fades into the background. Deep emotions are stirred. Tears are shed. Hearts of stone are broken and replaced with hearts of flesh, open to the Spirit’s promptings. Joy overflows and cascades in a release of surrender and peace.
 
The Call of the Divine Drama of Salvation
 
Such is the power of a Christian audio drama. As Catholic men, those who are called each year to the wonderful dramatic event known as the Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference, we understand on a deep inner level how drama helps connect us to Christ. We see it particularly in the sacred mysteries we celebrate at Mass and in the fellowship we share with other men at the conference. Both are acts of worship, performed out on the stage of our hearts every time we gather to celebrate our calling as men and share in the Eucharist.
 
The speakers we hear, our time at confession, the words of Scripture we take in, and the songs we sing with conviction, are all ways we join more deeply with what it means to be a part of the divine drama of salvation. As we move through the sacred days of Holy week, what can we as Catholic men learn from the Passion of our Lord? And how can we take that message with us to the upcoming conference and then to the lives of all we meet? Let us examine what the Passion of Jesus truly means for us as Catholic men.
 
The Message and Those Who Saw
 
During my time in Christian radio, I produced two distinct Passion Plays, celebrating the last hours of the life of Christ, in light of his years of ministry upon the earth. One drama focused on the great love of Christ, lived out on the dusty roads of Palestine and culminating at the cross. The other drama focused on the impact Jesus had on those who had witnessed his life and his death. Both took the story of the cross and presented it to those with ears willing to hear the message of salvation.
 
As Catholic men, is important each year as we enter into Holy Week to take time to remember the One who was strong enough to face the cross and vulnerable enough to surrender all things to the Father – all for the sake of those he loved. Meditating on the Passion of Christ helps us as men to consider what it means to be a Warrior Poet. Like King David, men are called to fight the good fight of faith, while bowing down in submission to the Father who calls us to ready his Bride, the Church, for the Wedding Feast to come. That is the message of Holy Week and Easter – that we might commit our lives completely to Christ so that the Church may become what she has been called to be.
 
Drama as Worship
 
Christian drama is truly an act of worship, a joyful submission and a call to grasp the salvation story and our wonderful part in it. As we come face to face with the Savior on the road to Calvary, we know that we are witnessing the meaning of John 3:16 – how God loved the world so much – so very much – that he gave his only begotten Son so that all who believed would be saved. This is worship in its highest form. As Catholic men, we cannot turn away from the cross and the call it places on our lives. We must come willingly, surrendering our lives in service for the Kingdom, so that others may see the great love of God acted out within our lives.
 
As I produced these Passion Plays I wanted my portrait of Jesus to show his commanding power and his joyful surrender to the Father’s will. I wanted the audience to see a majestic Man of Sorrows, moving through the pain of His last hours with determination and love, always in control, powerfully relational, and ready to go to the cross in sacrifice for His children. My hope was that all believers, but particularly men, might understand the call of Christ to love so completely and so perfectly that our witness changes lives and builds up the Church.
 
Many Parts, One Message

There is a delightful sense of joy in taking all the pieces of a Passion Play – the dialogue, music, and sound effects – and blending them in a way that weaves a seamless garment. The goal is to portray the Passion of Christ as a single work of art, inspired by the Spirit with a message of hope for God’s people to hear. As we listen to all the tiny pieces of audio coalescing into a beautiful symphony of sound that speaks of the Savior’s love, how can we not be moved to become one with that message as we worship at Mass, in our homes, our workplaces, and wherever God leads us, so that the Kingdom may come.
 
Each witness in the story of salvation adds to the one message that shouts out our salvation from the cruel cross and the empty tomb. As we hear, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), three of the most wonderful words in all of Scripture, how can we not join our lives to those who surrendered to the message of the cross? There is high theology in those words, and yet their message is as simple as the faith of a child. They speak to every Catholic Christian, to the Church, and to the lost world looking for salvation. They speak of the love and power of the Son of God, and of the divine truth that divides the souls and the minds of men. How can we as Catholic men come to terms with the meaning of those words spoken on that First Good Friday? The answer lies in the deeper story of salvation, told through the witness of history and the people who lived out that divinely-ordained drama.
 
Sharing in the Salvation Story

Redemption was always in the mind of God. From the first breath poured into the soul of Adam to the last breath spilled out from the lips of the Son of Man, all of history has been about the Love that spoke the Word of Life into this world to rescue us from our sin and draw us back into the arms of the Father. As Catholic men, we are called to be witnesses of this marvelous gift. When we share the salvation story, there are only two responses: surrender or rejection. Either our eyes are opened and we fall at the throne of mercy or we are blinded and cry out “Crucify!” with the rest of fallen humanity.
Whether we are healed like Malchus, servant of the High Priest, or challenged like Nicodemus to look deeper into our inner darkness to see the light of Christ shining forth and calling us home, we can see the power of the Gospel as it cuts into men’s hearts, dividing them and calling us to make a choice. The Passion leaves us with only two options, heaven or hell, salvation of destruction.

John, the Beloved Disciple, and Peter the Man of Faith, are examples of the interplay among the virtues of faith, hope, and love, as we witness the Savior going to the cross. Their lives should challenge us to understand the impact the cross has on our lives. Will we be faithful to our calling as Catholic men? Will we recover when we doubt or fall? Will we be faithful disciples who strive to grasp what the crucifixion and the resurrection mean for us and for the world?

Faithful Followers, Transformed Hearts

And what of the beautiful women in the story of salvation, Mary of Magdela and Mary, the Mother of the Lord? How does their surrender to God’s loving, perfect plan, and their faithfulness to the end inspire us as men to shake off our fears and surrender in love to the Savior’s sacrifice on our behalf?

Like the Centurion of Simon of Cyrene, are we willing to face the anger and disbelief of the world and walk the road to Golgotha as our hearts are changed? Do we see these examples of faith as a powerful witness to those outside the faith? Are we willing to allow the death of Jesus to transform our lives and through us, to transform the lives of others?

Finally, as we witness our Lord before the Roman ruler, will we be like Pilate, washing our hands of this Messiah, or will we be like Claudia, his wife, moved by the vision of the cross to see the division and destruction that awaits those who will reject the Savior? In the end, we must choose whether we will live in the Kingdom of God of the kingdoms of men. Empires will one day fall, but Heaven will last forever. How the Passion of Christ will move us within, is the most important question of all.

Seeking Hearts, Witnesses to Worldliness…

Throughout both Passion Plays I produced, the words and deeds of the Lord were presented for all to hear. Those with open hearts could receive the Gospel message of Love fulfilled in the Savior’s suffering on the cross. The Scriptures were laid bare before the listeners. The testimonies were meant to speak to the inner turmoil of humanity in each seeking soul. It left the audience with a question and a challenge. The question was this – Is this man, witnessed to by so many, the eternal Son of God? The challenge was equally important – To accept or reject the witness of the Passion, to let it lead our hearts to surrender or to cause us to throw away the message of the Gospel. There were no other options.

As Easter Sunday approaches each year, the Church re-presents the story of the Passion to the believing and unbelieving world. Because we are witnesses of God’s salvation in Jesus, we are called to testify to the world that the death and resurrection of Christ is the fulfillment of the eternal salvation story. Let us as Catholic men remember that our witness to the resurrection stands in stark contrast to the rejection of Christ by the lost. May our salvation stories serve to share the hope of heaven with a desperate and weary world. Let us always remember that hrough our witness, we share how the words, “It is finished!” present the crowning moment of that Greater Love on the journey of mankind toward heaven and eternal hope. God bless.

If you would like to hear the dramas, "Greater Love" and "The Witnesses: Through the Eyes of Faith," click on the links below...

 
https://chirb.it/Ne30Op (Greater Love)
 
https://chirb.it/C9PE51 (The Witnesses, Part I)
 
https://chirb.it/hfxFOr (The Witnesses, Part II)