STATIONS OF THE CROSS
1: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
Are you all finished?
Good, let's put our notes away
and return to them later.
First we want to recap
all we've learnt in the last weeks.
We'll start with a simple question:
What happens next Sunday?
Fine, that's too easy.
I'll answer myself:
Bishop Rabelais
will administer Confirmation to you.
What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is a sacrament.
What is a sacrament,
and how many are there?
The seven sacraments are the graces
God gives man through the church.
Right. Would someone list them?
Baptism,
Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation,
Marriage, Holy Orders,
and Anointing of the Sick.
And what exactly happens at Confirmation?
Maria,
I'd prefer someone else to answer.
The Holy Spirit descends.
The Pentecostal event is repeated.
Precisely.
And finally...
What does Confirmation
mean in your lives?
Which passage are we celebrating here?
The passage to adulthood.
Right. And that's what I'd like
to talk about today in our final class.
If we look back,
what did our lives begin with?
At birth?
Wrong.
- Conception.
Precisely.
Human life begins
at the moment of conception.
But we're talking about spiritual life,
and that starts when?
At baptism.
- Exactly.
It begins when original sin
is washed away by baptism,
that the love of God
may grow unfettered.
What's the next age in life?
School?
- No.
School doesn't start at baptism.
Who goes to school?
Children go to school.
Childhood! Confirmation is its end.
- Exactly.
Childhood begins at baptism.
As the child grows,
the love of God grows within him.
Then the young person
is assailed by new challenges,
and receives spiritual nourishment
in the form of the Eucharist.
At the threshold to adulthood, then,
it's important that the flame of faith
should grow into a large fire
to illuminate this dark world
so everyone can see:
This is a very special person.
Not someone who sold his soul.
This person is a warrior for Christ.
The sacrament of Confirmation
will help you in this.
It's a grace that can enable you
to show great proof of faith.
At the seminary several weeks ago,
we had a brother from Mexico as a guest.
He told us the story of the Christeros.
In the 20s the president of Mexico
attempted to eradicate the Church,
but Catholic families resisted.
Among them were children of your age,
12, 13, 14.
They've fought alongside their parents,
and were captured,
martyred and killed.
They'd received the grace of Confirmation
and the Holy Spirit gave them courage
to fight next to their parents
and die for their faith.
They were warriors for Christ,
and that's what...
you'll become at Confirmation:
warriors for Christ.
But what does that mean for you?
If you step outside,
you see people, cars and houses
but no enemies, no army,
and you may think:
How am I to be a warrior?
Where is the battle? So where is it?
At school?
- Yes, but where else?
In front of the TV?
- There, too.
Everywhere.
- And in one place in particular.
In our hearts.
- In our hearts...
where a battle
between good and evil is fought.
You look at yourself in the mirror
and think: I look good,
my classmates will admire me.
A tempting scenario, right?
Or is it righteous to look away
and pray to Saint Mary?
Or when the radio plays a song
with an agitating rhythm,
those sounds are seductive.
They invite you to dance and sin.
They tell you: Have fun! You live now!
Do you surrender?
Or do you remember it is bad music
tempting you to do wrong?
Be it provocative clothing,
obscene advertising,
satanic music or harmful films,
we meet dozens of temptations a day,
and each time it is a small battle
between God and his adversary, Satan.
We are warriors in that battle.
But what does a warrior need to know?
Who the enemy is.
- Precisely.
A warrior who can't tell friend
from enemy is lost.
Our enemy appears in disguise
and fights under many flags.
and even creeps into our hearts,
in the guise of temptation.
But when we pray to the Holy Spirit,
we can recognise him,
Satan.
He is our enemy.
Now that we've identified our enemy,
we should also know
what we're fighting for, right?
What does a warrior fight for, Sabine?
His country?
- Matthias?
For his king?
- Helena?
For his girlfriend, maybe?
Any other ideas?
For his family.
All of that is right.
A warrior fights for his king,
for his country and for his family.
And if we are the warriors,
who is our king?
Jesus.
- And our country?
The church.
- And our family?
I'll help you.
Jesus said:
Love God and thy neighbour as thyself.
All people.
- Exactly.
Our families is all mankind,
and even if they are our enemies,
and fight beneath Satan's flag
we must try to save their souls.
For we are special warriors:
Warriors of brotherly love.
Our neighbour is whoever is next to us,
and we fight for him,
for when the final judgement comes,
Jesus will ask how many souls we saved,
and whether it could have been more.
"See the poor sinner
in hell's torment forever?
He went to school with you.
Did you try hard enough to save him?"
How many of your classmates
read teen mags?
A couple.
- Did you tell them it's evil?
No.
- Maria...
If your friends listen to satanic music,
are you courageous
and speak up?
No.
- But now this is your duty.
You're grown up now,
you alone are responsible
for your souls and your neighbours.
If we see God wrestling with the devil,
we cannot shyly retreat to the corner!
We must be unabashed.
For we are warriors.
We are savers of souls.
When a fireman gets a call he can't say:
I'm sleeping, call back later.
No, when the call comes
we have to run,
for, and here's my last question:
Why is it so important right now
that we be warriors of Christ?
Because there are only few left.
Because most so-called Catholics
attend modern Mass,
touch Communion with their hands
and live in a state of mortal sin.
I couldn't have put it better.
Because Pope and Vatican turned
their backs on 2000 years of tradition.
They celebrate Mass facing people,
and are in denial about Satan and hell.
Christ said to Peter: You are the rock
on which I will build my church.
It stood on that rock 2000 years,
a fortress against evil,
but at the Second Vatican Council
the enemy breached its walls.
The devil himself entered the church
and strolls around in it
whispering his lies.
And his greatest lie
is letting us think he doesn't exist.
The battle is now at its peak,
and that is why Archbishop Forgeron
founded the Priestly Society of St. Paul.
To preserve the Catholic Church
in its true form.
Here we keep the true faith
and we will defend it with our lives,
for as Christians
we were born to the battle.
The fiercer the fight
the surer the victory!
In the coming week
preceding your Confirmation,
watch out for those moments
where you must fight for God,
and then go to the battlefield
with a smile on your faces.
Matthias, what do you do
when you see you must fight for God?
I go to the battlefield.
- And how?
With a smile on my face.
- Right.
Now, isn't anybody wondering
why I had you write these lists?
We're coming back to that now.
Sabine, what does a warrior do
when he's not fighting?
Clean his weapons?
- Yes, but what else does he need?
Food?
- Exactly.
God doesn't want us to only fight
and die of exhaustion.
He provided us with spiritual sustenance:
Prayer, sacrament and sacrifice.
Each rosary we pray
strengthens our fighting spirit.
Each time we take Communion
it strengthens our fighting spirit.
But to make room for God
in our hearts at all,
we need sacrifice.
Jesus opens the door, looks in,
and what does he see?
No place for him in the heart.
Everything is full.
Right.
So throw out the junk!
In the Old Testament
they sacrificed goats and sheep.
What can we sacrifice today?
Money and food.
- Yes.
Clothes, films, books.
- Time.
Yes, very good Sabine.
We can give Jesus or others our time.
But Matthias and Helena,
you're right, too.
Each time we say no
to a cake or a pretty dress
and make a sacrifice instead,
we make room for Jesus in our heart
and sense how his love fills our hearts.
And that's why you wrote these lists
of things that give you pleasure.
My list includes: A chocolate bar,
a cup of tea,
the concert playing on the radio.
These things give me pleasure,
but they are also sacrifices
one can make in daily life.
When you go home,
look at your list and think about
what you can let go,
and you'll see how a wondrous energy
flows into your hearts.
It comes directly from God.
Those were my closing remarks.
I wish you all a blessed week.
Adjutorium nostrum in nomine domini.
Qui fecit caelum et terram.
Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus:
Pater, Filius et Spiritus Sanctus.
Amen.
Maria, do you have a question?
Or is something troubling you?
Can I make
a sacrifice for someone else?
Like, someone who is ill?
Yes, of course you can, but...
illness
is often a direct message from God:
A trial or a punishment for our sins.
But if the person is a small child,
it can't be a punishment for his sins.
God's ways are inscrutable.
In children,
illness can be a sign of His grace.
Pope Pius X:
There shall be holy children
and indeed, there have been children
who bore so great a love of God
that it exceeded all things.
Sickly children, whose illness
gave them time to talk to Jesus,
can be like a mirror
that shines forth the love of God.
The venerable Anna de Guign, say,
was so radiant people just stared at her.
But what if I wanted to sacrifice
my whole life?
That would be a huge sacrifice.
But Anna de Guign
sacrificed her life, too.
You can, of course,
offer your life to God as a sacrifice,
But the decision is His.
And He needs us here on Earth
as His warriors.
There are many ways
you can give your life to God.
You can go to a convent, for example.
Or think of your namesake,
the Blessed Virgin,
who made the greatest sacrifice
one can imagine.
Her own son was nailed to the cross.
No matter what you do,
as long as the path to heaven
is clear in your heart,
you will carry within you
a beauty that no jewellery...
or make-up could buy.
There I see a potential sacrifice.
I wish you a blessed week, Maria.
2: JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS
What are you doing?
Hey?
Are you not well?
- I'm okay.
You don't look happy.
I feel fine.
Don't fall ill again.
Look at me, dressed like a grandma,
in scarf and coat,
and you are like a ballerina
in your blouse.
What are you doing?
I...
said thanks to Jesus
for the beautiful landscape.
You shouldn't feel ashamed for praying.
This landscape really is beautiful.
Do you think it could be sacrificed?
Sacrificed? What do you mean?
A sacrifice, you know?
When you make a sacrifice for Jesus...
by eating no chocolate
or sleeping with a thin blanket.
Ah! Giving something up.
I would like to sacrifice
this beautiful view.
But how would you do that?
By looking away?
We must look like two strange snowmen.
They're coming, they're coming.
Children, look at the beautiful view.
This makes the walk worthwhile.
View, view?
I see no view.
Down there. You could see it
even better without the telescope.
That is a very, very beautiful view.
Not so loud.
- I think we deserve a pick-me-up.
Look, that's the whole family!
There's mom,
there's dad,
there's Katharina,
there's Thomas,
and there's Bernadette.
Here's Maria.
Who wants a biscuit?
- I do. -I do!
Let's take a photo here.
Did we bring the camera?
- I think so.
Maria, Johannes is four years old.
You don't need to carry him.
You'll only dirty your blouse.
I was just taking care.
- Look, Mom. There's a stain.
Just look at that!
I can wash it.
Why did you take off your jacket, anyway?
- I was too warm.
Put it back on.
- I'm still too warm.
Your lips are blue.
Put your jacket back on.
Johannes?
Come out of that muck.
Here. That's better.
So now we line up
in front of the beautiful view,
and Bernadette
will take a family photo of us.
Thomas, put that paper away.
It's not paper, it's a telescope.
Thomas, do as your mother tells you.
Maria, come here.
Shouldn't I take the picture?
You should come here.
But that way Bernadette can be in it.
Must you always talk back to me?
I just want to please Bernadette.
- You don't have to please Bernadette,
you have to obey your parents.
Come here!
And now... smile please!
One, two, three.
That's what you get.
You can delete it already.
Johannes?
Maria was naughty,
but now she's good again.
Johannes, hey! Look!
Here comes the funny elephant.
Stop it. It won't help.
Boo!
- Thomas!
Fine. So much for the family picture.
Thanks, Maria.
Hello, Johannes.
It's Sunday, the world is beautiful.
It's so lovely, gather round now.
Everyone look at the camera.
And smile!
Don't make a silly face.
One, two, three.
Say cheese.
Now let's see.
- Now let's see.
Maria is making a funny face!
Thomas, quit it!
Maria, can't you make a normal face
for once in your life?
Mom just wanted a nice picture
for the relatives.
What was that all about?
Being sulky because
you weren't shown in your blouse?
However beautiful the day,
Maria manages to be grumpy.
You'll need to do something about that.
Won't you come along?
I didn't want to think
about my appearance.
That's why I tried
not to be photographed.
But wanting to look good is not a sin.
Look at this shot of you and Johannes.
You're smiling happily.
But you're not vain.
It's sweet of you to say that.
But I'm afraid it's not true.
My thoughts often turn
to my appearance and clothes.
A little bit is normal.
You are young, I'm young,
one thinks of these things.
Or you become a...
religieuse what's-it-called.
- Nun.
Right, nun.
A beautiful thing, doubtless.
Do you want to be a nun?
I simply don't want
to deal in superficial matters.
Maybe you think
I'm really sweet and nice,
but I only think about myself
and how to impress people.
It's so dumb.
I'm so dumb.
You have to put your jacket on,
you're cold.
I'm warm.
Bernadette!
- Coming.
3: JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME
Are you doing quadratic functions, too?
You understand it?
- Most of it.
Look at this.
Can the two here be cancelled out?
No, that only works in multiplication.
Not in addition.
Yes, but 2 times X is multiplication.
Show me.
Here.
If there were another 2 here,
you could cancel out.
Like this you can't.
Do you have Mrs Maeen, too?
No, we have Isenmann.
We had him last year.
He failed two of us.
Could you be quiet?
- Sorry.
We have to whisper.
We don't need to talk at all.
Isn't that a mistake?
Where?
- There. Division by zero.
What kind of sum is that?
This problem here:
"A choir has 80 members,
20 for each register.
The female singers weigh on average
60 and the male ones on average 80 kg.
For a balanced sound
the distribution must be:
30 percent bass, 27 percent tenor,
24 percent alto and 19 percent soprano.
The stage they perform on
can carry 4500 kg.
How many singers of each register
may the choir master employ?"
"Mathematics in Daily Life".
All right, then imagine...
the stage can bear a maximum of 500 kg,
the female singers weigh on average 120,
the male ones 160,
Quiet!
Our choir leader never did such maths.
Do you sing in a choir?
At the church.
What music do you sing there?
- All sorts. Soul and gospel.
And Bach, too.
And what do you like better?
I prefer Bach.
Do you like it for the beautiful music
or for the content?
Both.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I'm not good with music.
Electro, or charts or hip-hop?
I don't like hip-hop, either,
but sometimes I like rock.
But...
Can you like both rock and Bach chorales?
Why not?
Well, er...
Rock music
often has satanic influences.
Like backwards-messages?
That, too.
But the whole music
is based on demonic rhythms.
Really?
Too much!
A rock band
played at one of our services.
I didn't like it much.
Which is your parish church?
- St. Athanasius.
You wouldn't know it.
- Are you an altar server, too?
We don't have female ones.
- Why not?
Because female looks
might distract the faithful from prayer.
Really?
- Yes.
You know, girls use make-up,
worry about their hairdos,
and want the men to look at them.
But couldn't boys be a distraction, too,
if the women look at them?
Boys don't set store by all that.
Girls, by their nature...
- Shut up!
It's a special church you belong to?
It's the Society of St. Paul.
We're not a special parish.
We just practice Christian tradition.
Do men and women sit apart?
No, but we...
Oh, forget it.
- What?
They administer the Host
onto our tongues.
Too much!
- Yes, yes, too much.
Everyone says that.
But touching the sacrament
like some piece of bread...
that's much worse.
Check it out online.
I've got work to do.
Me too.
What's your name, anyway?
I'm Christian.
Maria.
You know what I was just thinking?
Instead of looking online,
I could just come along with you.
I'd have to ask my parents.
You could come to our choir, too.
We rehearse on Thursdays.
I have to mind my little brother a lot.
- On Thursdays?
Sometimes.
- How old is he?
Four, but...
he is sick.
- What's wrong with him?
No one knows, he can't speak.
- Why not?
I just said, no one knows.
Does he like music?
Yes.
He's always happy when he hears music.
You could bring him to the choir.
This Thursday would be good.
We're starting a new piece.
Okay?
We'll see.
I've got to go.
See you.
4: JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER
Hello, Mom.
- Hello, Maria.
You're pretty late.
Sorry, I forgot the time.
You've got a watch.
I was engrossed in things.
What things?
- Maths.
But you find maths easy.
It was a complicated problem.
Have you got a cold?
- No.
But you look very pale.
- I'm fine.
I don't want you getting sick again.
Have you got a temperature?
We'll check at home.
What do they mean, no right turn?
And there's nowhere to park anymore.
You can park out on the ring
and take the bus in.
Yes, the park-and-ride.
It's bothersome.
Well...
it's better for the environment
if there are fewer cars.
But no one seems to think about people
with children.
Nice of you to clue me in.
People with children
are unwelcome these days, anyway.
Every doctor's assistant offers you
her unsolicited advice.
Today, that girl at the neurologist
had the impudence to ask me
Do I talk to him enough?
What did the neurologists say?
- Could be autism.
Wants to do a few tests.
Maybe Johannes doesn't need to be cured.
What do you mean by that?
Perhaps God wants him
the way he is.
Are you trying to reproach me...
for running with my child
from one doctor to the next?
No.
I thought it'd be consoling.
That's supposed to console me?
Yes.
- Yes!
Then thank you, my child
for such great consolation.
Oh, I don't know.
Excuse me.
All this gets too much for me.
We have to buy you a dress
for your Confirmation.
It's on Sunday already.
What would you like?
I don't know.
Something simple.
You can wear something pretty
for your Confirmation.
We'll go shopping, just you and me.
- Oh, yes!
My Confirmation dress...
was purple with pink stripes.
I thought it was pretty smart back then.
See how times change?
And we'll need to bake a cake
for afterwards.
Afterwards?
Oh. Now I put my foot in it.
There'll be a party after the service.
In the Parish hall.
It's a surprise for the confirmees.
Mrs Schmidtberger is doing...
Stop, all the surprise will be gone.
But there's anticipation instead.
- Right.
Have you made your confession yet?
- No.
That needs to be done, too.
I'll go to town Thursday afternoon.
We can buy the dress,
and then you go to Father Weber to do it.
On Thursday...
- You've got plans?
No.
- Well then.
That is...
I wanted to go and sing in a choir.
What kind of choir?
A church choir. At Don-Bosco parish.
You want to sing
in a modern parish church choir?
Well they do have one.
We don't have a choir.
- Of course the Council Church has one!
But what do they sing?
Lots of Bach chorales...
and a bit of soul and gospel.
Soul and gospel?
You want to sing there
and expect me to allow that?
Or what draws you
to this so-called church choir?
A friend of mine sings there,
and I wondered...
- What kind of friend?
Her name is Rebecca.
- You've never mentioned her!
We're not yet close friends,
she's in a parallel class.
But it's because of the Bach...
- Listen here.
Gospel and jazz...
- Soul.
Soul or rock or jazz or... pop.
It's all the same.
You know precisely
what dances this music is made for.
You know its evil influence.
It can't be easily undone.
- I know.
I don't like that, either.
But they don't dance.
They just sing.
- Fine, go ahead.
But don't expect me
to drive you there and pick you up.
I don't.
- Don't contradict.
I didn't contradict.
I agreed with you.
That's enough.
One more impertinent answer,
and the Confirmation's cancelled.
If gospel and jazz are worth more to you
than God and salvation,
it's pointless anyway.
You can get out and walk home
or go to your so-called church choir.
Go on, get out,
and do what you like.
Go to your choir
or your friend, Rebecca,
and head out together to a club.
Do what you like!
You hear me?
Is that what you want?
Do you?
- No.
I don't want to go to a nightclub.
I don't want any of that.
Fine.
If you like choral music,
we'll look and see
if there's a good choir somewhere,
where they don't sing gospel and jazz,
or better still, we'll ask Father Weber
if he'd like a choir in our parish.
Mrs Schmidtberger's eldest daughter
studies music, she could run it.
On Thursday we go to town together,
buy your dress,
you go to confession,
and we'll ask Father Weber
if he wouldn't like a choir of his own.
Yes?
- Yes.
5: SIMON OF CYRENE
HELPS JESUS TO CARRY THE CROSS
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
My last confession
was five weeks and three days ago.
These are my sins:
I was sometimes lazy
and tried to avoid helping at home.
I was gluttonous and ate on
although I was full.
I was vain
and gave thought to my appearance.
At times I was arrogant.
In what way were you arrogant?
I thought...
our au pair Bernadette,
she's so mature and clever,
I thought to myself
I'll be like that one day,
and everyone will admire me.
Good.
Those are all venial sins.
We must guard against all sin,
but only mortal sin
can separate us from God and damn us.
Yes.
Have you anything else to confess?
I often thought...
looking at how my mother
treats my younger brother
I sometimes felt
I could do that better.
You know the fourth commandment.
- Yes.
And it says?
- Honour thy father and thy mother,
that thy days may be long upon the land.
Precisely.
Maternal love is grand,
full of grace.
You have no insight
into your mother's heart.
No.
Have you anything else to confess?
Did you always look away
from impure ads and billboards?
Yes.
It can help to go through
the Ten Commandments in your mind.
I lied.
Whom did you lie to?
My mother.
And why did you lie?
Did you lie to gain
personal advantage?
No.
Did you lie
because you enjoyed deceiving?
No.
Or did you lie
to conceal another sin?
No, I lied...
for fear of punishment.
You can tell me the whole story.
I lied to my mother...
and...
told her a schoolmate had invited me
to sing with her in a choir.
But?
It wasn't actually a schoolmate,
but a boy from the parallel class.
Who had, though,
invited you to his choir?
Yes.
And what kind of music do they sing?
Lots of Bach chorales.
But some gospel and soul, too.
You know that this music
can be satanically influenced.
The drum rhythms
and the monotonous bass lines
tempt us to unchaste actions.
You told your mother about this?
Yes.
But in your lie
you replaced a boy with a girl?
Yes.
You told your mother about the music.
So you're trying to conceal
that it's a boy
you want to sing with in this choir.
Is it perhaps not a love of music
that makes you want to sing in a choir,
but other, deeper desires?
Yes.
Does this bring about other sins
you might want to confess?
I...
had unchaste thoughts.
I imagined...
Christian and me going to choir together,
him looking at me secretly
and finding me beautiful.
Impurity is the major sin of our time,
from which many other sins ensue.
Did you desire him physically, too?
I imagined him putting his arm around me.
Did that raise in you the desire
to unite physically with him?
I don't know.
Have you often had such fantasies
about this or other boys?
No.
Did you look at him in a manner
that may have raised
unchaste thoughts in him?
I don't know.
Think about it.
Examine your conscience.
Yes, maybe I did.
Are you otherwise on guard
to keep your soul's purity?
Yes.
- Stay on guard.
What seems beautiful to you
will, in truth, make you negligent.
You know that adultery is a mortal sin,
and to God, physical unification
outside marriage is the same thing.
Many young people these days
who grow up without the light of faith
run blindly towards their own doom
and fall into the state of sin
at 15 or 16, and never recover.
But true love
transcends the physical.
Your alarm bell rang in time.
Keep praying for the Lord's support
in withstanding
the temptations of your age.
Yes.
Do you have any more questions
or sins you'd like to confess to Jesus?
Maria?
There's one other thing,
but I'm not sure if it's a sin.
I'm listening.
I imagined how I'd become a saint:
How, out of great love of God,
I'd offer my whole life
as a sacrifice to Him,
and how He'd accepted the sacrifice.
He made me one of the chosen, saying:
"Your love exceeds that of others,
I'll take you from the Earth
to me in heaven."
And then I'd died,
and was laid in the grave.
And then my soul rose out of the grave,
higher and higher
all the way up to heaven.
God was there.
He was waiting for me.
And I could be with Him forever.
God put us here on Earth,
and those He loves most,
are needed most urgently.
Yes.
So if you say...
"God, take me from this world
of sin and shame,
take me to you in heaven,"
God will reply:
"I have plans for you on Earth.
First you must fight for me".
You can't just comfortably sneak off.
But if you believe
that your love of God
exceeds that of others,
then beware!
The sin of conceit is at hand.
God demands three things of us:
We must confess our sins,
we must repent,
and we must atone for them.
You have confessed your sins.
Repent by reciting
three sorrowful rosaries,
and atone
by putting right what you've done
as far as that's possible.
Where you have lied, tell the truth,
where you sent a boy lustful glances,
let him know
your heart belongs to God alone.
Yes.
I regret having done evil
and failing to have done good.
Have mercy on me, Lord.
Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus,
et dimissis peccatis tuis,
perducat te ad vitam ternam.
Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et
remissionem peccatorum tuorum tribuat
tibi omnipotens et misericors Dominus.
Dominus noster Jesus Christus te
absolvat:
et ego auctoritate ipsus te absolvo
ab omni vinculo excommunicationis,
et interdicti,
in quantum possum, et tu indiges.
Deinde ego
te absolvo a peccatis tuis,
in nomine Patris,
et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
6: VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS
Look, this is a spoon.
Say "spoon."
Okay, put it on the table.
Great. That's it.
Knife, right,
fork, left,
and the spoon at the top.
And now the serviettes.
They're over there.
We need more, we need lots.
Put one per place.
Maria Gttler here.
- Hi, Maria.
It's Christian here.
- Hello.
Hello.
How are you?
Good.
I'm good, too.
That's good.
Have you done the problem
with the car yet?
Which one?
- The fuel consumption one.
I always end up dividing by zero.
Listen, it's a bad time.
We're about to eat supper.
I could call back later.
Maria, are you looking after Johannes?
- Yes, one second.
What was the problem?
- Two drivers go on a 600 km trip.
One drives at 80 km/h
and uses 9 litres over 100 km...
No, we haven't had it.
- I see.
What was with choir practice?
I couldn't today. No time.
Maybe next week.
I can't make it.
That is, maybe I could,
but I don't want to
as that music is not good.
But we're doing lots of Bach
and a bit of Palestrina.
We could try to get the others
to agree to doing Gregorian chants, say.
Thomas, come and eat.
You think?
- Sure.
Won't you come next week, after all?
Maybe.
- Cool.
Maria, come and eat.
- Maria, come and eat.
I have to go. Bye.
- See you.
Who was that?
Your new schoolmate?
Not talking to us anymore?
It was Christian.
And who is Christian?
He's in the parallel class.
You've got lots of friends
in that class lately.
Katharina, remove the serviettes,
we're praying now.
In the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Ghost, amen.
God is great, God is good.
Let us thank him for our food.
By his hands, we are fed.
Let us thank him for our bread.
Amen.
How come you know him
if he's in the parallel class?
We have sport lessons together.
Mixed-sex sport lessons!
More modern nonsense!
If they don't change it,
you'll do no sport next year.
Or we put you in
a priest society boarding school.
Mom?
I lied to you.
A-ha.
There is no Rebecca.
What? There isn't?
It was Christian
who invited me to the choir.
I made up Rebecca,
as I was afraid
you'd think I was keen on him.
It's not the case.
But I'm not.
I just wanted to sing in a choir.
I've been telling you Maria lies to us,
and I'm worrying about her.
You said I was imagining things.
There! She lies to her parents!
I'm sorry, but...
I think maybe Maria meant no harm,
she just didn't say
that it's a boy because...
she likes him a bit.
- I don't like him.
I meant well by it
because Christian said
Johannes could come, too,
and we would maybe sing Gregorian chants.
You meant well?
You're whitewashing your impudence now?
So you sing two or three pretty chorales
and you think it's all fine!
But the attitude is a different one!
How could you fall for it?
And Bernadette, please keep out of it.
What would your mother have said
if at 14 you'd liked a boy a bit?
But...
liking a boy is not a sin.
- Stop interfering!
I know my daughter better than you.
The choir is just an excuse
for her to meet boys.
She has no idea of the consequences.
I won't allow it.
But what shocks me most
is that you're using your little brother
as a pretext.
Can't you see what you're doing?
Did you go to confession today or not?
I did.
- Then it obviously didn't help.
You've no cause to cry.
If you lie to me and evade your chores,
you can expect a dressing down.
I didn't evade my chores.
- Oh no?
So who set the table
while the young lady
was talking to her boyfriend?
If I tell you to look after Johannes
and set the table, you do it,
and don't chat with some boy.
And if your parents tell you
funk and soul is bad music,
it's because we're older than you
and know where danger lies.
Stop crying,
and don't act like
you're being mistreated here.
Children, come on.
Eat some food.
Everything is all right.
Maria will calm down in a moment.
We all make mistakes.
Katharina?
Butter some bread for Johannes.
Johannes, do you want
meat or cheese on it?
Katharina, didn't you hear?
So let's all calm down now,
and enjoy our meal.
Maria,
have a bite.
Then you'll feel better.
Here.
Maria?
Do you want to go to your room?
I don't do this for fun, believe me.
I'd rather have a happy family
eating supper together.
There, you see?
You can if you want.
7: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME
One, two, three, four...
five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Good, now running in circles.
The whole gym, go round the whole gym.
And rotate your right arm.
Now rotate your left arm.
Good, now your heels.
Raise your heels.
Bend your legs with each step.
Hit your bum with your heel.
Maria, is everything okay?
Keep going round.
Are you okay?
Do you want to sit down?
I'm fine.
You look pale.
- I'm always pale.
It's got worse recently.
Are you eating enough?
- Yes, I am.
But I don't want to move to this music.
These are satanic rhythms.
That never bothered you before.
- But now it's bothering me.
Saint Maria can't do sports,
she has to pray.
But she could go round on her knees.
- Silence!
Now everybody skip!
Maria, I want an explanation?
This music always bothered me.
I just never dared say it,
but now I do.
You really think
I'd play demonic music here?
I believe in God, too
and I also go to church sometimes.
What kind of church?
- A Protestant one.
Maybe you think that's not a real church,
but I can tell you for sure
that this is not demonic music.
But that's the dangerous thing:
It creeps in and you don't notice.
You keep skipping!
I'd like to talk to your parents.
You can,
but they'll tell you the same thing,
you can count on it:
this music is bad.
Well fine. Then no music.
Running in circles.
Maria, would you join in please?
Use all the space. Big circles.
Marvin, what's wrong?
My religion has put a ban
on running in circles in a gym.
My religion tells me to run backwards
so I can neutralise
the music's satanic messages.
Take care!
Hey, watch out!
Enough!
Everyone over here.
Over here.
I feel I should give you a lecture
about the word "tolerance".
It's not fair: no music for anyone
because Maria doesn't like it.
Call that tolerance?
And Maria doesn't need to be tolerant?
Hey! Hey!
It's also about religious freedom.
Oh, you're in love!
Oh, sweet! He's into Maria!
Hlya and Sanam don't do sport at all
because of their religion,
and no one says a thing.
Yeah, because if their headscarves slip,
they'll be blinded and run into the wall!
Marvin, last warning!
So, there'll be a compromise:
We'll play another CD
without satanic rhythms.
Maria, Christian is into you.
But there's a problem.
- No sex before marriage.
But there is a solution.
- Marry him and have lots of sex!
Front and back.
Along to satanic music.
forwards and backwards!
Linus, Marvin, that's enough!
I'm putting this on your records.
Now running in circles again. Move it.
And skip!
Get your knees up.
Christian, knees up!
Marvin, Linus.
Maria!
8: JESUS MEETS
THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM
Hello.
I wanted to...
Are you okay?
Yes.
- You look wiped out.
You, too.
Not as bad as you.
Sorry the others bullied you
because of me.
That's just how they are.
Nobody should be forced
to listen to music they don't like.
Is it true... what they said?
Are you... in love with me?
If you are, please forget it at once.
- Okay.
I'm not one of those girls
you can just make out with.
I'm not like that either.
But why don't we just get acquainted?
I mean, we're both real young.
You mean you don't know what you want?
- No!
I mean...
- One more reason to leave me alone.
Because I do know what I want.
- Well, what is that?
To go to God.
So I guess I'm in your way.
Should I go?
Go away.
- I don't believe you.
What?
- That you don't want to see me.
Don't you want to live for God, too?
How do you mean?
- We could both stand up
for God and true Faith.
What would I have to do?
Nothing. Forget it.
Won't you come to choir practice?
- No.
We could do something normal.
Have an ice cream or go to the movies.
I'm not coming to choir,
I won't eat ice cream with you,
now please leave me alone.
Go away.
- You really look ill.
I don't feel well.
- Got a fever?
Maybe.
Please don't touch me.
- I'm worried.
You needn't be.
Worry about yourself and your salvation.
You live in a world of TV, Facebook
and people who've sold their souls
who are dead in the middle of life.
How can you live like that
and think your little Sunday mass
could make any difference?
If you really like me,
then go away.
Leave me be
and take care of your own soul.
This... may sound stupid, but...
I'd be glad...
if you called me sometime.
9: JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
God alone knows
what path lies before you.
Whether you will visit distant lands
and bring faith to the faithless,
whether you will go through life
as teachers, musicians or scientists,
whether you will start
Christian families,
or whether you will dedicate
your whole lives to God.
But if you keep the Holy Spirit
with you at all times,
then each of these paths
will be blessed by God.
To conclude I would like to say a word
to the families and parents
of these children:
In a world where the loss of faith
has created desolation,
it is you who are keeping the tradition
of true faith alive in these children.
You are the living rocks
that our church is made of.
I congratulate you.
And though it means a lot of
effort and sacrifice,
to raise these children in the faith,
remain steadfast.
From the beginning, the Church
had to face persecution and hostility.
Perhaps the hostility these days
is the worst in church history.
But remember this: you were chosen
to pass on the flame of faith
within your family.
May we all remain faithful
to the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Let us take the Virgin Mary
as our example.
She remained true to our Lord
all the way to Golgotha.
She stood beneath the cross,
she never left him.
Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin,
that we may follow her
and with her, her divine son,
all the way unto death.
May the Holy Spirit always accompany us
and these children
wherever they may go.
In nomine Patris,
et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
Holy God, we praise Thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on Earth Thy sceptre claim,
All in Heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.
Let us begin the ceremony of Confirmation
by renewing together
our vow of Confirmation
alongside the confirmees.
And so I ask you,
do you renounce Satan?
We renounce.
And all his works?
We renounce.
And all his empty show?
We renounce.
Do you believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven and Earth?
We believe.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son,
our Lord,
who was crucified for our sake?
We believe.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic church,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting?
We believe.
Spiritus sanctus superveniat in vos,
et virtus Altissimi
custodiat vos a peccatis.
Amen.
Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
- Qui fecit clum et terram.
Domine exaudi orationem meam.
- Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Dominus vobiscum.
- Et cum spiritu tuo.
Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus,
qui regenerare dignatus es
hos famulos tuos
ex aqua & Spiritu sancto,
quique dedisti eis remissionem
omnium peccatorum:
emitte in eos sep tiformem Spiritum
tuum sanctum Paraclitum de clis.
Amen.
Spiritum sapienti & intellectus.
- Amen.
Spiritum consilii & fortitudinis.
- Amen.
Spiritum scienti & pietatis.
- Amen.
Ellie, signo te signo Crucis.
Et confirmo te Chrismate salutis:
In nomine Patris
et Filii et Spiritus sancti.
Amen.
- Pax tecum.
Matthias, signo te signo Crucis.
Et confirmo te Chrismate salutis:
In nomine Patris
et Filii et Spiritus sancti.
Amen.
Pax tecum.
Maria, signo te signo Crucis.
Et confirmo te Chrismate salutis:
In nomine Patris et Filii et...
Maria!
Maria!
- Maria, can you hear me?
Maria!
10: JESUS' CLOTHES ARE TAKEN AWAY
Breathe out.
Take a deep breath.
And hold.
Breathe out.
Good.
So... now we'll draw some blood.
Make a fist. Nice and tight.
Release.
Now this will sting a bit.
Here we go.
Do you get nosebleeds?
No.
Or dizzy fits?
What kind of dizzy fits?
Seeing stars, for example,
if you stand up quickly.
No.
Or very infrequently.
Okay.
So...
You can get dressed again.
How are things in school?
Maria? Do you hear me?
- Her marks are always good.
I was asking your daughter, not you.
Do you like going to school?
- Yes.
Do you have friends
among your classmates?
Yes.
Are there any
who don't like you too much?
A couple.
Do they tease you sometimes?
- She'd have told us!
Your daughter
has a considerable fever,
and I hear noises from the bronchi.
It may be a protracted flu,
but that can also affect the heart.
I don't want to speak of the devil,
but people have died from
things like this.
So, stay in bed at least
till the fever is gone.
And I'd ask you
to keep an eye on her nutrition.
What do you mean?
Your daughter is underweight.
She had a growth spurt last year.
Does she eat regularly?
- Yes.
My children eat regularly.
She is on the verge of anorexia.
Sorry?
Maria is very picky about food,
but anorexia is something different.
When I see a young patient
who is obviously...
close to malnourishment,
I am obliged
to indicate it to her parents.
But not to voice assumptions like this!
I still have...
some other assumptions.
I suspect that...
your daughter is being bullied.
- But she would have told me.
Maria!
In my youth I saw people
who had been dreadfully mistreated.
In this country, fortunately,
things are a bit different.
But your daughter reminds me
of those unfortunate people.
I won't accept this impertinence.
Mercifully there are other doctors.
Maria, come, let's go.
Wait.
Don't get angry.
Won't you sit down?
- What else are you going to tell me?
Nothing.
I'd like to give your daughter
mild painkillers
so she can get some rest,
and I'd also prescribe a restorative.
Yes, do that.
Thank you for referring to bullying.
It may be time to transfer Maria
to a Catholic boarding school.
I'm sorry.
It's my fault.
Nothing is your fault.
- It is.
It's certainly not your fault
if you fall ill.
Here.
Swallow this.
Take it. It'll do you good.
Maria, go on, take the pill.
Maria, do as the doctor tells you.
Excuse me...
would you leave us alone
for a moment?
Excuse me?
I think you heard me.
I'm definitely not leaving my daughter
alone in one room with you.
Mrs Schneider,
could you come here, please?
So...
Leave us alone with your daughter.
- May I ask why?
Your daughter has a right to privacy.
And when I see that
you keep answering in her place,
and that the patient
shows all the signs...
of abuse,
I am obliged...
to pursue the matter.
That is outrageous!
I'm reporting this to the authorities.
Maria, we're leaving.
Maria...
you're not obliged
to do anything you don't want.
We can take you to hospital,
we can contact Youth Welfare.
You're not a prisoner.
Maria, we're going to another doctor.
I want Bernadette.
Who do you want?
Bernadette.
Stay out,
there's a crowd already.
Bernadette!
Would you come here please.
Now, would you leave us alone?
No.
Fine.
Mrs Schneider,
please order an ambulance service
and call the children's ward
at the Protestant Hospital, will you?
Yes.
What are you planning?
I'm having your daughter hospitalised.
- Then I'd like to be asked.
Would you prefer a Catholic hospital?
- Now don't be impertinent.
I'm still Maria's guardian.
I've a right to know the diagnosis
for putting her in hospital.
That is correct.
You're the guardian.
Go ahead.
Deny your ill daughter treatment
and take her home
if that is your idea of guardianship,
I can't stop you.
11: JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
Would you like to eat?
Maria?
You've got to eat something.
Or have a drink.
Come on.
At least a bit of tea.
Hello, Maria.
Do you mind me using your first name?
I was looking at your blood test.
You worry me a little.
You should at least
improve your eating habits.
When your body is so weak,
an infection has an easy job.
Come on, at least try your supper.
And if you want something special,
just tell us.
Do you believe in God?
I do believe there's something out there,
but I don't believe in that kind of God.
Do you believe in God?
Yes.
Would you please leave us alone.
I'm sure you'll go to heaven.
You will, too.
Do you know I'd want to be like you?
You'd want to be like me?
With my bad German,
and my big nose?
You're so grown up and clever.
I'm not very clever.
I do lots of stupid things, too.
You do everything right.
God alone does everything right.
We humans do a lot wrong.
And I do an awful lot wrong.
- Not as much as me.
What do you think it's like,
going to heaven?
When you go to heaven...
I think...
there is a huge light,
and then,
Jesus is there, and God,
and the Holy Spirit, and...
everyone sings, and...
your heart is filled with great joy.
But it'll be a very long time
before you go to heaven.
Because I'll have to go to Purgatory
for a long time.
No, because you will live long.
I'm so afraid.
- What are you afraid of?
I'm so afraid
that I made my mother angry,
and that she doesn't love me anymore.
I even incited you.
- What?
I made you talk back to my mother.
I do everything wrong.
We all do a lot wrong.
Sometimes even your mother
does something wrong.
No one does everything wrong.
But I'm afraid that it's too late,
and she's given up hope
that anything will become of me.
I always repelled her love
by contradicting and being rude.
And that was a mortal sin.
Now she doesn't love me anymore.
- She does.
Your mother loves you very much.
Although I'm a bad person?
You're not a bad person,
and your mother loves you a lot.
Can you say that again?
You're not a bad person and your mother
loves you very, very much.
So why do I feel like...
being all alone in this world?
I'm here with you.
And...
And what?
And Jesus is always with you.
And the Virgin Mary, too?
- Yes.
Will you pray with me?
- Now?
Let's say a Hail Mary together.
Me in German and you in French.
Yes.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God...
...blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
- Can I remove this?
Yes.
Why did you stop?
We mustn't.
Do you promise
you'll think of me sometimes?
We'll write and visit each other, too.
But I won't be here anymore.
What do you mean by that?
I offered my life to God
so Johannes would get well.
Maria!
I only have one more wish.
I would like to receive Holy Communion.
I'd like to have Jesus with me when I go.
Could you please call Father Weber
and ask him to come to me?
Maria, listen:
I can call Father Weber,
but I believe it'd be better
if you just ate something normal,
and got well again.
- Why?
You don't have the right
to throw your life away.
God alone can decide when we die.
But if God accepts my sacrifice...
- No!
God did not accept your sacrifice.
You don't need Holy Communion,
you need food.
Holy Communion is the best nourishment.
Maria, listen to me.
God does not want you to die now.
If you do so against His will,
you commit a sin.
Please don't say that.
- Maria!
I want Holy Communion so much,
please call Father Weber.
All right.
Listen, I will call Father Weber,
then I'll go out to the doctors
and tell them that you want to die,
and that they should do something:
Save your life,
put you in intensive care.
Anything!
- Please don't, please stay.
Bernadette, don't leave me alone.
Bernadette!
12: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
Perceptio Corporis tui,
Domine Jesu Christe,
quod ego indignus sumere praesumo,
non mihi proveniat in judicium
et condemnationem:
sed pro tua pietate prosit mihi
ad tutamentum mentis et corporis,
et ad medelam percipiendam:
Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patri
in unitate Spiritus Sanctus,
Deus per Omnia saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi
custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam.
Amen.
Well, that was not a good idea.
We're not eating solids yet.
Spit it out.
Have you gone mad?
- I should ask you that.
Maria?
Maria!
Please step aside.
Maria!
- We need reanimation.
Hello... Can you hear me?
What happened?
- Respiratory arrest.
Was she given any medication?
She had a Host in her mouth.
- What's her name?
Maria Gttler.
- Maria!
Maria?
We have to start reanimation.
Give me board and adrenaline.
Coming up.
In it goes.
I'm starting cardiac massage.
Should I?
- I need volume.
Yes, one milligram.
Good, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Now I need an ambu-bag
and the defibrillator.
Coming up.
Take the relatives away, will you.
- Please...
Here.
- Please take over.
Amiodarione, now.
- Sorry.
Respiration again.
And continue.
Is there volume?
One second.
There is.
- Take the ambu-bag,
adrenaline again.
- That can't be.
One, two, three, four, five.
Come on, make an effort.
Maria.
Where is Maria?
13: JESUS IS TAKEN FROM THE CROSS
AND PLACED IN HIS MOTHER'S LAP
Do you have something in white?
In white? Of course.
It's in the other folder.
This is from last year.
And this is 2005 or 2006.
That looks a bit frugal to me.
It is a more minimalistic
kind of arrangement, yes.
We do have more lavish ones.
But that's not white.
If you really want pure white...
- Yes, we want pure white.
Of course.
You should arrange everything the way
you would want to remember it.
If you'd like to be alone for a moment...
No.
You take consolation in your faith.
That is good.
If the bereaved
take consolation in faith,
it's always easier...
- But it must be the right faith.
Everyone has their own.
Many ways lead to Rome.
- No.
There is only one right way.
Well...
People always mistake religion
for some private matter.
But religion is all about facts.
Do you understand?
Yes, well...
And given the facts,
there is no reason to be sad.
Our daughter lived like a saint.
Evidence indicates
that she died free of sin.
Your daughter was doubtlessly
a wonderful person.
That's not the point.
Maria's greatest wish
was that her brother learn to speak.
As if by a miracle,
he spoke his first word
at the moment of her death.
His very first!
It's in his records.
The doctor who saw him before and after
says he cannot explain this.
These are signs.
One must only be able to read them.
I'm almost sure our daughter
committed no sins to speak of.
She'd confessed most, anyway.
I consider it highly probable she died
in a state of perfect contrition.
And she received the Eucharist
on her deathbed.
She no longer could swallow,
but according to ecclesiastical law,
Communion is complete
when the Host touches the lips.
Even before she was ill,
her greatest concern was avoiding sin,
and going to God's throne
with a pure heart.
Everyone who met her
was touched by her pure heart.
We will ensure that her memory
does not fall into oblivion.
We will spread the word of this miracle,
and not rest
until her beatification begins.
Beatification requires a miracle,
and we've already fulfilled that.
What?
Don't you agree with me?
14: JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB