In a letter on a newspaper recently, the writer suggested there is a similarity between what is going on in Malta regarding the divorce issue and a scene in Mel Gibson's film, Apocalypto. He speaks about a scene in the movie where a group of people offer themselves willingly as a sacrificial offering to the sun god in a pyramid-like temple. He suggests that the Maltese are doing the same when it comes to the divorce issue. They are allowing themselves to be blindly led by the Catholic Church which teaches that divorce is bad and thus hindering our people from enjoying the benefits (sic) of divorce.
However, there is another way of interpreting the events portrayed in this film. As perhaps to be expected from a film directed by Mel Gibson, scenes of bloodshed and violence are not lacking. Yet, this film shows that the destruction of a civilisation begins when pride takes over and people start believing they know the solution to all human problems and that no law exists beyond that imposed by its leaders.
Arrogance is the ultimate cause for the destruction of the Mayan and any civilisation. When humans forget that they are creatures and that there is much about them that is not of their own making, then they start moving along the path that leads to destruction. I believe that from this perspective, the film Apocalypto, has much to say about the contemporary crisis in marriage values and the possibilities that divorce will open up to our people.
It is not because we are Maltese or, indeed, Catholic that we desire an alternative culture of marriage to that which seems to be proposed by many today who feel the need to have divorce introduced in our country. In a society where divorce becomes a way of ending a marriage, the meaning of marriage itself changes.
Whatever one's faith or lack of it, many prefer marriage the way it is, free from the dark shadows of divorce, because it is the rock on which sound families are built, families that build up society and breathe life into our communities. It is not a faith issue, but rather an option in favour of a better quality of life. It is choosing a marriage lifestyle that is built on hope rather than on fear.
The movie refers to a comment made by W. Durant: "A great civilisation is not conquered from without, unless it has destroyed itself from within". Perhaps when looking at divorce as the way through which the difficult situations of some marriages can be overcome, we are making the same mistake as that made by a pregnant woman in the movie. Terrified at the prospect of a violent death, she turns to the moon god begging for mercy. However, neither the moon nor divorce are the merciful mother invoked by people in distress.
Both Mel Gibson and perhaps also the Catholic viewer realise that the merciful mother is not the moon but the woman standing on the moon, Mary.
The saving God is not some returning Mayan god, but rather the Son of God himself who comes to give true deliverance to those who call on him. The Christian knows that the real problem is not that of loosening the bonds of marriage but rather of getting free from the bonds of sin. It is sin that darkens and disturbs the beauty of marriage.
Towards the end of the movie, we see salvation coming to these people through the Spanish, who come to offer an alternative culture through the preaching of a Crucified God. It is not my intention here to discuss the merits and failures of the Spanish Conquest. I am looking at the film as a parable about our times. No wonder that the movie was released on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a feast that reminds us that sin is at the root of all evil and that the grace of God is the path through which all evil can be overcome.
A comment made about the film was that in this film we see two groups of people seeking a solution for their problems through violent means. On one hand we have the Mayans with their practice of human sacrifice, and on the other hand we have the Spanish with their weapons. However, we also see a friar bearing another "weapon", the cross.
One cannot help but reflect. Is the cross and the message it carries such a bad alternative to deadly weapons and human sacrifice? And coming to the subject of marriage, some suggest that people with broken marriages can get a new life through divorce. But then are we to dismiss the possibility of an alternative path to fresh hope, the healing love granted to wounded hearts by a Crucified God with a pierced heart?
In the movie, we see how the Maya people were the victims of a "culture of death" that had made its home in their culture. Again, here I am not concerned with the historical accuracy of the story, but rather with the light it sheds on our own culture. In the Maya culture, the value of life is measured according to one's abilities and the old and infirm are despised. We note the proliferation of egoism, dishonesty and abuse of power.
The faces of the people in the movie reflect the faces of the people of our time. Places and structures which promise freedom become snares and new forms of slavery, often demanding greater self sacrifice than the self giving demanded by the Crucified Christ.
I have always read the book of the Apocalypse as a book of hope. The destructive dragon will not have the final word. Rather, victory belongs to the Son of the Woman dressed in the sun with the moon under her feet. Times of crisis are often the times when more than ever one can feel the beauty and power of the Crucified Saviour.
I don't believe Christians should be afraid of offering the beautiful teachings of Christ on marriage as an alternative to some contemporary ways of understanding marriage and divorce. We should announce from the rooftops the beautiful hope that Christ Crucified offers to those who are going through a crisis in their married life, a better promise of new life than that offered by divorce! Why not, Christians of our times may dare to speak of the folly of the cross to contemporary pagans. It is their right and our duty to announce to them and to all this ideal, just as others are offering their opinion about what is best for our islands regarding this issue.
In his message for the 11th International Youth Day (1996), Pope John Paul II chose as his theme Peter's exclamation to Jesus: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!" The Pope said that "There are times and circumstances when it is necessary to make decisive choices for the whole of life.
We are experiencing, and you know it, difficult times when it is often hard to distinguish good from evil, true teachers from the false." He says that it is during such times that one can measure the strength of one's faith. The Pope invited the young people to be prophets of life, love and joy. He reminded them of the words found in the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes, where we read that "the future of humanity is in the hands of those men who are capable of providing the generations to come with reasons for life and optimism".
Christ has the best words and encouragement for people who are faced with difficulties on account of their marriage and it is the task of Christians to speak out with hope and love. This time of Apocalypse is not a time heralding the end of married life as we know it, but rather the time for all to open their eyes and heart to welcome the new heavens and new earth that God wants to create, even for the family.
The Maltese may choose to close their eyes to the poverty and failings of our society that holds that divorce, among other things, is a need and a right, while all the time believing itself to be a noble and strong community. But we can also admit the truth about ourselves and discover the hope and new life offered by the humble Crucified God of the Christians.