When I was a child, I used to read the Daily Mail newspaper every day – well, the Peanuts cartoons, to be precise. I still remember when Lucy asked each of her friends whether she should have her ears pierced. The conversation went on for days. Schroeder was playing his piano. “Do you think I should have my ears pierced?” He replies, “I don’t mind, you pierced mine long ago.” She storms off. “Linus, Do you think I should have my ears pierced?” “I have a better idea…” he replies cheekily, “Why don’t you have your mouth boarded up?” Lucy wallops him. When he comes to, he reflects, “It was worth it!” How do you cope with people who just don’t seem to like you? No matter how hard you try to be nice to them, they will always twist your words, they question your motives, they gossip about you, they try and discredit you, they seem to undermine you at every opportunity. Maybe you work with them, maybe they live next door, or maybe you are related. How do you deal with them? Blank them out? Retaliate? Stoop to their level? Do you go on the defensive? How do you react?
In our gospel reading today, we see how Jesus dealt with his enemies. We see his passion for them. When they ask what appear to be innocent questions, Jesus responds with a question of his own: “What do you think about the Messiah?” – “who is he?” (Matthew 22:41). Implicit in that question are two more, “Why did Jesus come?” and What is his claim on our lives?”
Tag Archives: Jesus Christ
Freedom of Speech and Blasphemy: Lior Shlein and Jesus Christ
Israel’s Channel 10 talk show mocks Christianity
Lior Shlein, the comedian and host of Israeli TV Channel 10’s late night talk show, kicked up a storm last week when he mocked the Virgin Mary and Lord Jesus Christ. In two separate shows aired on February 15th and 16th Shlein suggested Mary was a promiscuous teenager and became pregnant at 15 through a school friend. Shlein also jokingly claimed that Jesus died at 40 because he was obese. He could never have walked on water apparently because he too ashamed to leave his house, let alone go to the Sea of Galilee in a swimming costume.
The clip, originally on YouTube here was withdrawn by Channel 10 allegedly for copyright reasons. However it has been discussed and reported extensively on Arabic TV channels. Some of these are viewable on YouTube such as on Al Manar and Al Jazeera and here with English subtitles, although the images are themselves self explanatory.
The Transcript
The website of the Latin Patriarch has gone one step further and transcribed the text of the programme:
Scene from 16/2
Announcer: We will talk about the “Vatican” the Christian church. It’s annoying really annoying……..Every time, new one denies the holocaust, cardinals, archbishops, priests, monks, or choir-boy who has been rapped by the others…….. (Laughs) Audience…… laughing
Announcer: He laughs less than the audience. They are denying the Holocaust and instead of getting angry, I decided to hit back. ……to deny the Christianity…….. I am not laughing, that’s true, and I am not laughing. Some one have to teach them a lesson and that is what we will do. Now, every night we denies different things, the Christian Church telling you remember yesterday, we denied the fact that Jesus walked on water, an now here is the movie…….